Turtle, banana, jingle bell, pencil, fish.

Freestyle is becoming more interested in letters and words. I try to point out letters wherever we see them (every time she sees the box of Cheerios she always points and says, “A, B, C” now!). I’ve also been calling her attention to words in books by running my finger under them as I read and sometimes she does it too as she pretends to read by making up a story based on the picture!

In Montessori, letter sounds are introduced first. This is better preparation for reading and writing. Letter names are introduced later (and from what I’ve read/heard, most children do not have any trouble or confusion with this). Freestyle knows the alphabet song from the children’s programs that we’ve attended and from me singing it to her, but recently I’ve been trying to sing the sounds to her instead. (I remember being so impressed that my Montessori trainer could do it so quickly! Now I can too! Go me!)

So, I decided to introduce the Sound Game to her (note: this wasn’t in Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years. I found this exercise on infomontessori.com.). The Sound Games are a precursor to the Sandpaper Letters.

Freestyle asked, “Me eat b-b-nana?”

The Sound Game

(This is just what I did after some time of pointing out the first sounds of different things in our environment from time to time. A proper introduction and detailed description  of all six Sound Game presentations, including the purpose, age of child, and control of error, available here. )

Materials:

Mat

Tray

Few objects around the home that begin with a single letter sound (blends such as shoe and stick are more complicated and should be introduced later)

What We Did:

1. I told Freestyle that we were going to play a game.

2. She unrolled her “work mat” and got a tray.

3. We went around the house and I asked her to look for specific objects that I already planned to use and knew where to find. We used a turtle figurine, banana, fish toy, pencil crayon, and a jingle bell.

4. Returning to the mat, we set down the tray and I asked Free to set out the objects in a row.

5. I asked Free to name all the objects and I repeated it, putting an emphasis on the first sound. “Yes, that’s a f-fish. Do you hear the first sound of the word ‘fish’? It’s ‘f’.” I was careful to say only the proper sound of the word (just the “f,” sounding like a quick puff of air) and not drag it out so that it sounded like “fuh” (incorrect).

6. After she heard all the first sounds of the objects, we started our game. I would ask her to give me the object that started with a specific sound. We went through all the objects.

7. She seemed ready to finish the game after we did it once (I could tell because she started rolling around on the ground and then wanted to ride on the work mat like a magic carpet!), so we stopped. Later, however, we did play again with different objects.

We’ll repeat this again and I plan on using the infomontessori site as a guide to continue with the rest of the Sound Games. It’s a great site and I added it to my list of Montessori resources.

And by “everyone” I mean “no one” except parents of toddlers (and maybe not even them!).

Freestyle has been out of diapers (during the daytime) since she was about 18 months. Yes, there have been accidents here and there, but on the whole she has been pretty successful in this area.* I also shared what worked for us here.

HOWEVER, one thing I didn’t really realize that she wasn’t truly using the toilet by herself. What I had been doing was going with her to the washroom and helping her up on her stool, pull down pants, and wipe. That is not really independence, is it?

I didn’t really notice this until…I was on my own for the first time with both girls (Biker had gone back to work after the three weeks) and I was breastfeeding Real Baby when suddenly I hear Freestyle saying, “Poo poo! Me poo poo!”

Oh…crap.

Literally.

Tangent #1

They say that children may regress in certain areas of development when a new baby arrives, and I found this to be true with Freestyle. Right before Real Baby was born, Freestyle was sleeping very well on her own (finally!). However, once Real Baby arrived on the scene, sleep went out the window for every member of the family, including Freestyle! (She is slowly getting better now.).

With her toileting (not sure if that’s a word, but I’m going with it!), Freestyle started having more accidents about a month before Real Baby’s birth and a month afterwards. I am just going to chalk it up to knowing that something was about to change (before) and then adjusting to having a new person in the house (after). It’s three months later and Freestyle is back to normal now. She doesn’t wear diapers for her naps now and is dry afterwards about 90% of the time. Woo hoo! Now let’s just see about her nighttime diaper… 

Anyhow, after that eye-opening incident, I have come to realize why the lessons in Casa albums have SO MANY STEPS! Sweeping with a broom has about 20 steps or something! I get it now. There really are a lot of steps to do a simple task, we just don’t realize it because we’ve done it thousands of times and we don’t have to think about it.

Tangent #2

(Whenever you’re driving, do you ever suddenly look around and realize, “Oh, how did I get here?!” because all the minute tasks of driving a car has become so instinctual? If yes, that’s totally what I’m talking about. If not…excuse the living Chinese lady driver stereotype here!)

So, after some thought (and many just-didn’t-make-it-in-time accidents) and practice, here are the steps that are involved in going to the washroom all “by ma-sef” in our household, at least (at the moment, Freestyle is about 2.5 years old).

Going to the Washroom Independently

This is an older photo. We don’t use the kid’s toilet seat pictured above anymore. My fears that she will fall into the toilet have all but disappeared! Progress!

Prepared Environment: Stool(s) (not that kind!) for the toilet and sink, toilet lid is up and seat is down (there have been times when she just didn’t make it because there wasn’t enough time to lift the lid!), soap and towel at reach.

1. Turn the light on by climbing onto the stool to reach.

2. Get up onto the stool in front of the toilet.

3. Turn around and pull down pants, then underwear.

4. Sit onto the toilet and do your business.

5. Stand and wipe self, front to back (working on this!). I will usually help with this after she’s had a turn just to make sure it’s all clean!

6. Pull up underwear, then pants. (We’ll have to work on pants with buttons and zippers later.) Get off the stool (sometimes she reverses this step).

7. Flush (though we are trying the whole “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down” thing if it’s just us in the house).

8. Climb up the sink stool and roll up sleeves.

9. Wash hands: Rub soap on hands for at least 30 seconds (singing “Happy Birthday” or the alphabet is what I suggested to some kids in my class), making sure to scrub the front and back of hands and in between fingers and thumb. Fully rinse off all soap. Dry hands.

10. Turn light off.

Things we had to constantly practiced before she could do all those steps on her own:

• Getting up and down a stool. 
• Pulling pants and underwear down and putting them back on.
• Lowering self onto the toilet seat. –> In public washrooms, I will usually hold onto her so she doesn’t have to hold onto the toilet seat or walls…shudder.
• Tearing off only a couple squares of toilet paper. –> Took many tries and many unrolled toilet paper rolls!
• Wiping(!) properly–> Still practicing this one! 
• Turning on and off the tap (so only a small amount of water is running and it’s warm/cool…we have the kind of tap that rotates, so it was a bit tricky for Freestyle to learn to move it to the right temperature and water pressure!)
• Using the soap pump and pumping out a small amount of soap.
• Washing and drying hands thoroughly.

Any sage toileting advice for toddlers?

Freestyle has recently been very interested in learning to use scissors and glue after using them at the drop-in school program that we attend. Since they were set out and ready to go, I didn’t do a sit-down formal lesson on scissor use (definitely not necessary to do this for everything a toddler needs to learn, I feel!). I just showed her quickly how to hold them: thumb in the smaller handle hole and her pointer and middle in the wider one (though she is using three fingers right now…is that normal because their fingers are so small? I wonder if I should correct it or let it be for now).

I also made sure she knew how to carry them if she needed to: close the scissors and cover the outside of the blades with your hand, keeping your arm stiff while pointing the handles of the scissors towards the ground. She still needs reminders with this one! It is unsettling to see her walking towards me with them open in her hands!

For gluing, I liked how the Casa students in one of my old schools were taught to use white glue and taught Freestyle that method. I liked how they did it because it was neat and efficient– the child doesn’t end up using gobs of glue and turning their work into a wet and wrinkly mess. I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t like using white glue because it would make the paper wrinkly. When I was in elementary we used  glue sticks more often and I liked how much neater it was, but I do think that white glue is easier (thought messier) for younger kids to use.

So, without much further ado…

How to Neatly Use White Glue for Preschoolers 

I don’t have any post-its at home right now, so I just used yellow construction paper and tape for show.

Purpose: To learn to glue neatly and efficiently. A skill that will be used over and over for crafts and school projects! Fine motor skills and precision in movement will be used.

Materials:

White glue

Glue mat (an old placemat works well)

Post-it notes

Flat, rounded toothpicks (I couldn’t find any so picked up these bamboo cocktail forks to use for now. They’re large and easy for Freestyle to hold.)

Paper

Cloth (to wipe up glue mat)

What to do:

1. Have all materials ready on a tray . Ask your child bring it to the table.

2. Either have pre-cut paper (or other easy to glue items) ready, or have your child cut up some paper to glue (if she already knows how to use scissors).

3. Set out the glue mat and place the page that she will be gluing things onto on the mat. Stick a post-it onto the top right-hand corner of the mat (or left-hand if she is left-handed!).

4. Show her how to squeeze a small amount of glue onto the post-it. (That’s the beauty of using the post-it…your child will have to learn to only use up the small amount that can fit onto it!)

5. Show your child how to use the toothpick to take a small amount of glue and dab it onto the corners of the piece of paper that she wants to glue onto the page.

6. Turn the paper around and press the corners onto the page!

7. Repeat!

8. Dispose of toothpick and post-it after the activity. Wipe and dry glue mat before putting it away.

No, Freestyle is not a scissor genius. I cut those rectangles out, but you can see here that she is about to cut up some more paper to glue!

Go further:

Here’s a great post about using glue with preschoolers on the Teach Preschool blog.

Making a pasta necklace:

Materials: String, dry pasta, tape, scissors.

To start, string one pasta (piece of pasta?) and tie a knot.

Use the tape to make a “needle” for easier threading. I found that it works best if the taped part is longer than the pasta.

Start threading!

Freestyle felt entitled to a break mid-way.

Ta-da! Freestyle loves her “patta neckliss!”

Threading’s an easy skill to practice in many fun ways! I’ve also written about Threading exercises here and here.

• Try different types of pasta. You can dye pasta with food colouring or just buy the tri-coloured veggie pasta (yellow, orange, and green).
• We are going to try small beads next! Maybe I’ll have Freestyle make bead necklaces for her cousins’ Christmas presents or keep that as a ready activity for when kids come over.
• There are so many toys that let children practice the skill of threading.

We got this from a friend. You sort (by threading) the pieces by colour, shape, or by pattern (following pattern cards that came with the toy).

Taking advantage of the gorgeous day outside and the generosity of my neighbours’ for allowing us to deface their side of the driveway, I took Freestyle out for a “shape game” that would reinforce her knowledge of these shapes as well as give her an opportunity to kinaesthetically “experience” the shapes.

With sidewalk chalk, I drew a large circle and square, using a rake to help me make the looking shapes. It makes for a decent driveway ruler too.

To draw the circle I marked the centre with a dot and then kept the end of the rake on it while I moved the rake around in a circle, making marks as I went. Then I connected the marks. You could also use some string and have someone hold it in the centre while you move the other end around.

Shape Game 1: Running Laps (Circle)

We ran around (well, I walked quickly as I had Real Baby strapped to me in the carrier) and around and around…and around and around…and around! I chased Freestyle around the circle and then she chased me. Once in awhile I would emphasize the word “circle”: “Let’s run around the circle. This is a circle.”

This was a spontaneous idea, so unfortunately I didn’t think to use the rake to make a nice circle. (I wasn’t a prepared Montessorian here, tsk tsk!) You can see my mistakes here as well as Free’s contributions!

Shape Game 2: Circling the Square (Square)

We walked and ran along the sides of the square. As with the circle, I’d say and emphasize the word “square.” I have to say, however, Freestyle much preferred the circle to the square! It’s more fun and easier to run around a circle than a square, I suppose!

To draw the square, I marked the centre again with chalk and then placed one of the rake there while I moved the other end to mark the four sides. Then I used the rake again to draw the sides, using the marks as a guides.

Shape Game 3: Circle or Square? (Both)

I would call out one of the shapes and Freestyle would run and jump into the middle of the shape. This one she liked too, especially when I would repeat the same shape to try to fake her out!

I wish there was room to add a triangle, but maybe next time! If you do not have a driveway, you could try a school playground– they may have a four square square and/or a basketball court with a circle on the pavement.

Age: Approx. 15 months + . As always, all children are different, so you can observe your child’s readiness. Initially, I introduced pouring to Freestyle using dry items when she was 20 months.

Purpose: This is a Practical Life exercise. The child is developing hand-eye coordination, concentration, practicing aiming for a target, and fine motor skills. If there are spills, she learns to clean up after herself. Once she is able to control her movements and pour accurately, she can pour her own water during meal and snack time, another step towards independence! She can also offer to pour a drink for others (Grace  & Courtesy).

Materials:

2 small pitchers, ideally they will be identical

(I used two creamers that I found these two creamers at a thrift store…$0.99 each! They had shelves and shelves of old tea sets and other items that could be used for Practical Life activities)

Water

Small cloth or sponge to wipe up spills

Tray

What to do:

1. Have your child carry the tray with all the materials to a table. She will sit in front of the tray and you should sit to her right if you are right-handed, to her left if you are left-handed.

2. Fill the pitcher on the right with a small amount of water. Demonstrate how to carefully pour the water from the right pitcher to the left, and then back again (more details in step 3).

3. Show her how to wrap the fingers of her right hand around the handle (her pointer and middle finger will be wrapped around the handle while her thumb rests on top of it). Have her support the other side of the pitcher with the pointer and middle fingers of her left hand.

I found that getting Freestyle to hold the handle correctly (not pictured!) was the most challenging.

4. Allow her to carefully pour the water from one pitcher to the next, and then back again.

5. If there is a spill, that’s okay! It’s just an opportunity for your child to learn that she will need to take more care next time and also to take responsibility in cleaning up after herself.

I had her take the pitchers off the tray and set them aside for this spill!

6. Let her repeat as many times as she’d like– which will probably be a lot!

Control of Error: No water will be spilled.

Vocabulary: pour/pouring, pitcher, handle, spout. Freestyle loved the spout and kept saying, “Spou…water come from!”

Freestyle really enjoyed this activity but during our second try she wasn’t able to control her excitement and was lifting up the pitcher in the air with one hand and cheering after she finished pouring. After I tried to gently remind her that we needed to be careful, showed her again how to hold the pitcher, and giving her a fair warning about what the natural consequence of this behaviour would be, I ended up having to stop the activity and take it away. While I’m glad she likes doing it, she will have to learn that there is an acceptable way to handle the pitcher and that wasn’t it! Of course she was very upset but…them’s the breaks, kid.

Go further:

• When your child is ready, she can start pouring her own water from a small pitcher into a glass for snack time and meals! Later, she can do this for the rest of the family– imagine how proud your child will be to be able to do such an important job!

Freestyle is 2 years old now.

At this point, a lot of people start talking about “The Terrible Twos” : the point where your once sweet, easy-going baby has become a walking, talking, tantruming toddler who has very strong opinions and wants everyone to know exactly what they are– usually very loudly and when you’re in public!

Freestyle is no stranger to the tantrum. A couple of months ago, I ended up having to carry her from our neighbourhood park (about 2 blocks away), kicking and screaming, in the heat, while 6 months pregnant.

Parenthood is just so special.

When I was reading Paula Polk Lillard’s Montessori from the Start, I paid especial attention to the chapter entitled “The Developing Will.” I am used to shutting down potential sulk-fests from older kids in the classroom and have become (mostly) imperious to tearful pleads from students, but what the heck do I do with my own baby?!

One thing that I remembered from Lillard’s book was that young babies (under 1 year), are so interested in exploring their senses and can be distracted, if they want an object that they shouldn’t have, you can quickly take it away and replace it and they would still be happy.

However, between twelve and eighteen months, children’s brains begin developing and they can now hold onto thoughts and remember the objects. They are developing their will, which is a good thing, apparently. It’s more difficult now to distract them by substituting said object with another because they now remember it.

So, what do you do? The two strategies that are suggested are: Redirection and Choice.

Redirection

At this age, children’s language development is flourishing and using descriptive language will help redirect their thoughts to a new one. You can refocus your child’s attention to something else in the room using description. In the book, they used the class pet as an example because live animals are very interesting to children. Alas, we do not have any pets, so I’ve usually tried calling Freestyle’s attention to something she doesn’t normally look at in the room (e.g. a print that hangs in the corner of the room).

Choice

The second strategy is giving them choices. Specifically, two choices which have outcomes that are acceptable to the adult (you!). So, at dinner time you wouldn’t ask your child, “Do you want to eat dinner now?” because she could say “no” and that wouldn’t be an acceptable outcome. You could, however, say, “It is time for dinner. Do you want to wash your hands at the kitchen sink or the bathroom sink?”

For example, we’ve started to let Freestyle make choices on what she wants to wear in the mornings. Usually in the mornings, she likes to run around upstairs and will giggle and run away sometimes if you tell her to get dressed, so I do find it easier to get her to focus on the task at hand (getting dressed and ready for the day), by presenting her with two outfits to choose from. I’ve set them out the night before, based on the weather and what we’ll be doing that day, so both outfits are acceptable choices.

She loves being able to have this little bit of control. She is involved and is proud that she made a decision that directly (and immediately) affects her.

So far, I’m trying to keep to these two strategies, and on the whole, it does work. However, there are always going to be those times when you just have to ride out a tantrum and console yourself with a nice cold Greek yogurt popsicle (my current favourite snack!) in the kitchen while your little angel is screaming her head off and rolling around on the floor in the next room.

Any other advice for the so-called “Terrible Twos?”

And, as a bonus, here is something to watch if your child is biting. Enjoy!

Like many toddlers, Freestyle likes to help do “grown up” things. In the kitchen, she can help with basic food prep and has begun helping me set the table by bringing the utensils and smaller plates/bowls to the table. Recently, Freestyle has started bringing her own plates and cups back to the counter by the sink after she’s finished eating all on her own! When she first did it, I admit I was a bit scared that she’d drop it (I was in the other room and found the plate and glass by the sink) but she’s doing well!

She also likes to wipe spills and sweep the kitchen floors and walls (though we’re working on that!). I am thinking of setting up a dish washing station for her soon…just have to figure the details out first.

For sweeping, originally I got her this little broom:

However, she likes using the broom we use too. It’s not too tall, so it sort of works for her. Since she enjoys using it, I want to encourage this helpful behaviour!

She can sweep with this broom if I am helping her, but recently I’ve been trying to get her to sweep on her own. To make it easier, I used some brightly-coloured tape and make a rectangle outline on the floor (I was going to make a square, but the area I chose ended with rectangles).

I’m showing her now how to sweep into the rectangle. Then I help her hold the dustbin while she sweeps the dirt into it.

It’s a slow start so far, but that’s what practice is for, right?

We rented a cottage last week with family. My sister took this candid of me (8 months preggers now!), Freestyle (notice my deathgrip on her lifejacket?), and my lovely niece on the dock.

Dun, dun, duuun!

Sometimes I look at other parenting blogs and start to feel so…inferior. Everything seems so lovely and light and educational and healthy in their homes and it seems like their children’s days are filled to the brim with educational Montessori activities.

…a tangent…

This is why I quit facebook. I realized that I was spending so much time just clicking onto friends’ profiles and feeling so jealous and left out. Everyone looked better and like they were doing more exciting things in their lives than me. After awhile, I did realize that you can’t always trust people’s profiles since 99% of us will post flattering images and try to represent ourselves in the best light (I certainly did!).

So, I decided to take myself off to prevent these negative thoughts. I also was starting to feel odd sharing EVERYTHING online and didn’t like the idea that once it’s out there, it’s out there forever.

I am so happy with my decision.

Even now, whenever I email photos of Freestyle to friends and family, I always include the line:

Please do not post Freestyle’s photos online (facebook, etc.). Thank you!

Personally, I don’t like the idea of her image being seen by people I don’t know and again, being stored online forever. I also feel that she has a right to decide whether or not she wants her image splattered on the Internet, which is why I don’t post photos here of her face and use a nickname on this blog.

…okay, back to this confessional…

Freestyle had so much fun at the cottage!

So, I was looking back at some of my older posts and didn’t want to be giving off the impression that we have this super-organized, super-healthy, super-organic, super-super Montessori household filled with teachable moments all the live long day, lest it gives the wrong impression of who I really am! That’s why I decided to be open and honest and write down some of the things that I’ve done as a parent that I’m not necessarily proud of and wouldn’t want/think to post here!

Here are my confessions (I’m going to try to list them without annoyingly trying to justify them all!):

• This is a hard one…I’ve fed my baby poison McDonald’s. As much as I’d love to have Freestyle eat only a diet of whole organic homemade food, well, I have to be realistic as well. Biker and I try to avoid it (though there is one RIGHT next to where I live…darn them!) but do eat fast food once in awhile, and a couple of times we got breakfast there. I’ve fed Freestyle some of my Egg McMuffin, hash browns, and smoothie.
• As much as I enjoyed co-sleeping (for the better part of the last year) and breastfeeding, I am also very happy that Freestyle now sleeps in her own bed in her own room and has self-weaned after being breastfed for about 22 months (err, with some gentle encouragement from me, I have to admit!). We really wanted this to happen well in advance for when the baby arrives so that she doesn’t associate getting kicked out of our bed and off the boob with the new baby!
• Sometimes we don’t do anything productive/educational all day. On lazy days we just hang out at home. A couple afternoons found me laying on the couch reading and Freestyle playing beside me on her own. I think it’s also because it’s summer, so we’re mostly outside for the morning and then the afternoons we just hang out post-nap, pre-dinner prep. Once in awhile I’ll take her swimming in our condo pool. However, I am resolved to make a more formal plan for when she turns 3 next year, when I will prepare a (casual) routine and prepare a homeschool program for her (first year Casa).
• I am happy with my decision to work part-time so that I can be at home with Freestyle, but sometimes I do miss getting dressed up (and by “dressed up” I mean wearing something other than a t-shirt or what Biker calls a muu-muu!) and going to work to be around other adults. There are days that feel so, so long but in the end, I am grateful for what I have, even though I sound like a whiny brat about it sometimes!
• I have resorted to bribery on many an occasion. Basically, if Freestyle wants something (that I do find appropriate, not just anything!) but should be doing something else first, I will use that thing she wants as the carrot. Example: “If you want to play with the play dough, you need to put your blocks away first.” And yes…an extreme example: “Let’s get into the car NOW and I’ll give you a cookie once you are strapped in!”
• As much as we try to limit Freestyle’s time in front of the TV/computer (One of the reasons we canceled our cable. The second reason was to save money!), there have been times when I’m on a deadline and it’s not a babysitting day and I’ve just worked on the computer with Freestyle on my lap while she watches a show/movie on the side of the screen. We’re to a point when she sees me on the computer, she assumes that she’ll be watching her new favourite, Winnie the Pooh. Uh oh.
• There are times I just let her watch something on the computer while I just surfed or wrote a blog post. This I am going to make a conscious effort to stop though since it’s unnecessary. Err, starting tomorrow! (She’s on my lap right now because I am avoiding the piles of laundry that are awaiting me and uploading photos to send to my family!). Oops.

Biker and Freestyle playing in the park where we had a fun picnic with friends yesterday. Biker couldn’t take time off work so she didn’t see him for the week we were away. She missed him a lot and was so excited to see him. It’s all about Daddy right now!

Whew, that was cathartic! Again, I’m not proud of them, but I also know they’re not the worse things in the world. BUT I do know that I should make more of an effort with them too…

Well, there’s no such thing as a Perfect Parent and I think great parents are made, not born. So there’s hope for me yet! That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.

If you have any “confessions,” feel free to comment here so that I don’t feel badly all by myself!

[EDIT: Since I wrote this about a month ago, Freestyle has pretty much picked apart the white paper that I used to wrap the container! So keep that in mind if you decide to make this. In the link below, I believe she gives an idea of how to better cover the container.]

I’ve been meaning to make this for Freestyle for awhile now (months, actually!), but of course my lazy self kept procrastinating until I forgot about it! I think this would be a great activity for younger babies (around 1 year) to start on.

What reminded me was this post from how we montessori, a great blog I just stumbled upon.

It’s very simple to make:

All you need is a container with a plastic lid, something to poke holes into the lid, and about 10 stick-like objects (I had a huge box of coffee stir sticks from my own very DIY wedding leftover!).

• You could also use larger wooden sticks/straws and a parmesan shaker (the ones with larger holes on the lid).
• Or, you don’t even have to make a container– clean some pennies and use a piggy bank!

This is a Threading Activity, so Freestyle will be working on her concentration, hand-eye coordination, and pincer grip. It’s also a great activity that Freestyle can do independently, so a perfect time to bring it out is when I’m making dinner.

And, it’s portable! Just keep the sticks in the container and bring it with you if you know you’ll need to keep them busy.

Wooden Peg Pincer Grip Activity 

Age: 12 months + (Again, all children develop differently, so you can introduce this to your child earlier or later, depending on their readiness.)

Purpose: The pincer grip (the ability to use the thumb and index finger to grasp an object) is an important fine motor skill development. Activities that exercise the pincer grip prepare the child to hold a pencil (muscle development and control, coordination, purposeful movement). Dr. Montessori believed that exercising these muscles would prevent the child from becoming fatigued when he started to write.

Materials:

Wooden clothes pegs

Container (large enough to hold about 10 pegs with a lip that is narrow enough for the peg to be clipped upon)

Tray

What to do:

1. Place the wooden clothes pegs into the container and put it on a tray. Have child bring the tray to the table (or workspace on the floor) when ready.

2. Pour out the pegs onto the right side of the tray (or the left, if child is left-handed).

3. Show your child how to use her thumb and index finger to squeeze open the clothes peg and then clip it onto the container lip.

4. When she has clipped all the pegs onto the container, she can unclip and put them into the container one at a time.

Vocabulary introduced/used: clothes peg, clip. 

Go further:

• Use tongs and tweezers to transfer small objects from one bowl to another. Objects could include: pom poms, cotton balls, sugar cubes, beads, etc.

Materials: 2 containers, 1 turkey baster, 1 towel.

Water Transferring Activity for Toddlers 

Age: 18 months + (As always, all children are different- for this activity they do need to have the dexterity to squeeze the turkey baster. Sponge option for younger children below.)

Purpose: This is a fun activity for toddlers since it involves water! Working with water is a great sensory experience and is good exercise for their hand muscles and fine motor skills. It is a Practical Life exercise because it teaches children how to control the movement of water.

Materials:

Towel

2 containers

Turkey baster

Water

What to do:

1. Lay out the towel and fill one container with a few inches of water. Place the two containers and turkey baster on the towel.

2. Show your child how to hold the baster by the bulb and draw up water by squeezing it and releasing the pressure on the bulb.

3. Move the full baster over the second container and squeeze the water out.

4. Repeat!

Freestyle decided to turn this into a pouring exercise too!

Vocabulary introduced/used: squeeze, baster, bulb.

Go further:

• For younger children (even as young as 6 months!), you can simply show them how to use a sponge to absorb water and squeeze it back out again.
• When they’re ready, you can show them how to use the sponge to soak up the water from one container and squeeze it into another.
• Once your child has mastered this activity, they can begin learning to control their movements using an eye dropper and smaller containers. Place the materials on a tray and include a small sponge for clean up.

A bucket of water + a paintbrush + a surface + an enthusiastic toddler = simple summer fun! 

Perfect for you neat freak parents out there! All the fun, none of the mess!

Happy painting!

I just discovered a new website that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in applying Montessori principles to their child’s upbringing.

Aid to Life

“ Aid to Life offers clear, simple, straightforward advice that is easy to understand and most importantly easy to apply.”

They have a lot of information that is written clearly and organized into four groups: Movement, Communication, Independence, and Self Discipline. Currently the site is focused more on Birth – Age 3, but it looks like it will expand to older ages in the future.

Check it out!

Happy Canada’s Day, everyone! 

In the Montessori Casa (3-6 year olds) and Elementary (Gr. 1 +) classrooms, new vocabulary and concepts are introduced via the Three Period Lesson.

Here’s a brief explanation of the three periods, introducing geometric solids as an example (this lesson is generally introduced in Casa and I have also reviewed it in the beginning of the year for Grade 1 students).

Montessori Geometric Solid material. Made of wood and all painted blue so that the only difference between each object is the shape.

Photo Credit

First Period: Name it! 

“This is a…”

Introduce an object by isolating it for the child then pointing to it and giving its name. Objects may be introduced using concrete materials or nomenclature cards (pictures below), but of course it’s best to use the materials or real life objects for the initial presentation (a real live flower instead of a picture of one).

Example: You bring a tray of geometric solid materials to a mat and set it in front of the child. Take out the sphere solid and set it on the mat. Say to the child, “This is a SPHERE. Sphere. Can you say sphere?” Have child repeat the word and allow him or her to handle it, explaining the features at an appropriate level.

Second Period: Recognize it! 

“Show me the…”

Once the object/concept is introduced, the second step is recognition. This step is usually a separate lesson and will most likely last longer. The child may need review or more time working with the material and this is when the teacher would assess their progress and provide more time and support.

Montessori students also use Nomenclature Cards to learn new concepts. The cards consist of a picture card (a photo or a very simple drawing), a label/name card, and a story/description card (not pictured and usually used for older children who can read).

Montessori Nomenclature Cards: pictures & labels.

Photo Credit

Introducing the Nomenclature Cards after this initial presentation is useful because they can match the pictures to the correct labels. The Control of Error could either be the matching booklet that had all the cards in order or on the back of each card there were matching stickers (by number or colour, for example). The Control of Error allows the children to independently check their own work and correct themselves.

Nomenclature Cards (“Parts of the Fish”): The book is at the top and is used to check work. Below is the picture card, name label, and description. The pictures are purposely kept simple and are repeated on each card. The only difference between the pictures is the part of the fish that is being described is red, isolating the concept.

Photo Credit

In elementary, we used the story cards. The children read the information to learn more and then transcribed it into their notebooks.

The child is beginning to associate the name and the object, and noticing the different characteristics of the object.

Example: Point to the sphere and say, “Show me the sphere.” or “Put the sphere in front of you.” The child points to the sphere or follows your instruction correctly.

Third Period: Know it!

“What is this?”

By the third period lesson (a separate lesson once the second period is mastered), the child can name the object on her own. Formal testing does not align with Montessori philosophy. This Third Period is one way teachers will “test” for comprehension.

Example: Point to the sphere and ask, “What is this?” The child gives you the name, demonstrating her knowledge.

Three Period Lessons in Toddler Language Development: An Observation

As I talk to Freestyle and point out the names to different things around her, I noticed that I would naturally incorporate the Three Period Lesson when I taught her new words.

For example, when she first noticed dogs (she loves dogs!), I would say, “Look at the dog. That is a dog. Can you say ‘dog‘?” (First Period).

Then, if we ever saw dogs in other places, such as in picture books, I would point it out and say, “This is a dog, just like the one we saw outside! Dog. Can you say ‘dog‘?”

Later, if we were out for a walk and someone was walking their dog OR we were reading a book and there was a dog in the picture, I can ask Freestyle, “Where is the dog?” and she would be able to point to it and repeat the word “dog.” (Second Period)

Now when she sees a dog anywhere (in real life or in pictures), Freestyle will point to it and say, “Dog!” (Third Period). Or, if we asked her, “What is that?” she can answer correctly. The word dog is now set in her vocabulary and she can recognize dogs (even though there are various types, though she does not know the different breeds yet, of course!) in different contexts.

Dr. Maria Montessori

Photo Credit

When I realized that I was doing this, I laughed because I feel that the Montessori philosophy of education is so natural and makes so much sense!

If you have younger children, do you notice that you naturally use a version of the Three Period Lesson when teaching them language? 

Ahem.

Today we hit a record-breaking temperature of 30 degrees celsius! So of course I thought it would be a perfect day to post about how to teach your toddler to put on her own jacket. Ha ha…

In my own defense, I actually taught this to Freestyle a few weeks ago when the weather was still up and down and some days she did need a jacket.

How to Put On A Jacket! 

Age: 18 months + (an estimate only, use your own judgement because all children develop differently!)

Purpose: This is a Practical Life exercise– Care of Self. This helps build their independence and take pride in their appearance (and their ability to dress themselves!).

Materials: A jacket.

What to do:

I started by using my own jacket and showing Freestyle how to do it. Then I placed her jacket beside mine and we did it together!

1. Lay your child’s jacket flat on the floor in front of her, upside-down.

2. Show her how to put her hands into the sleeves and then lift the jacket up and over her head.

3. Help her finish stretch out her arms through the sleeves.

Go further:

• I taught this separately to Freestyle when she was younger, when I still helped her with her jacket. I would insert the zipper for her and then hold the edge of the coat down (like in the photo) and tell her to pull the zipper up.

Have fun!

Freestyle-sized table and chair! We always have art supplies on her table so she can use them whenever she likes. The basket usually contains paper, stickers, and crayons. Sometimes she eats her snack at this table.

(Fair warning: This is a pretty long post!)

Montessori education focuses on preparing the child for life. One area that I always found very interesting is the one Dr. Montessori termed “Practical Life.” It’s exactly as it sounds: learning how to adapt to everyday life. This includes Care of Self (personal grooming, dress, and care) and Care of the Environment (cleaning and looking after their surroundings). Basic stuff that all children need to learn!

A beautiful, typical Montessori Casa (3-6 years) classroom at Peaceful Pathways Montessori Academy.

Photo Credit

To foster their independence, it is important that a Montessori classroom (or, in this case, the home) accomodates the child’s size and development. In a Montessori classroom, you will notice that everything is child-sized: low shelves, small tables and chairs, low sinks, child-sized toilets, etc. There will not even be a teacher’s desk as in traditional classrooms. The Montessori classroom is truly the “Children’s House.” It is their place of work and learning and they help to take care of the environment by cleaning up, learning how to appropriately handle materials, taking care of the plants, etc.

Another lovely classroom at Primary Montessori Day School.

Photo Credit

In the house, it doesn’t always seem as easy to make all these accomodations. I don’t think I’ve gone out of my way to make major changes to our house, but we have made adjustments so that Freestyle can get around and be more independent of us.

My attempts to make my house a Montessori environment:

1. Bathroom

- Stool (sink): Freestyle can get up and down to wash her hands and brush her teeth.

- Freestyle’s toiletries stored in that little wooden box on the sink…along with a few of Biker’s things. Most of the time, I like having her things with ours (as opposed to a special spot just for her) because she is one of us! She also has a small brush to brush her hair.

- Stool (toilet): Freestyle uses it to help her get up onto the toilet, and recently she has begun to climb up and onto the toilet herself! I found her one day just sitting there doing her business! Good thing we practiced pulling up and down underwear and pants!

- Child’s potty seat: Obvious reason- so she doesn’t fall in! This was a big fear when I had to hold her over a disgustingly full porta-potty in a park one day! Shudder.

- Towel hung low: So she can wipe her hands with ease after washing them.

- Also in the bathroom: her small tub (we are switching to the shower soon!), cloth wipes folded and stored in that green container on the toilet & a bucket behind the toilet for soiled cloth diapers (she is still wearing diapers overnight and during nap time).

2. Kitchen

- Booster seat: Freestyle’s never had a high chair. She has always sat at the table in her booster seat (seen in the background) so that she is part of the action!When she first started eating, we would use the tray that came with it so she could spread her food on it. Later, when she was a little neater, we would just leave the tray off and she would eat from the table with us.  Right from the get-go Freestyle attempted to use her spoon so we just let her. It was pretty messy but I do think it helped her learn to feed herself using utensils quicker. We also gave her a glass for her to drink from and she will use glass/ceramic plates and bowls. Yes, there have been a few broken glasses, but soon enough Free was able to control her movement and today drinks very well out of a glass!

- Cleaning supplies: These are kept where she can reach them. There is a cloth that she uses to wipe up spills and other messes. This is not ideal, but I end up wetting the cloth for her because we don’t have a stool tall enough for the kitchen sink. I’ll probably look for one soon. In the meantime, I’m going to add a spray bottle and teach her to use it (meaning to spray sparingly!). There is also a little broom and dustpan which she is still learning to use (before she liked to use the bigger one that I use- of course!- and is still welcome to because it’s also reachable). Freestyle will see me sweeping and then grab her little broom and follow me around saying, “Dirty, dirty.” Ahh, like father, like daughter!

- Freestyle’s own cupboard: Free used to go through all the cupboards and take everything out, which was fine because I moved the sharp or potentially harmful objects higher than her reach. Now she’s pretty good at not going through everything (or if she takes out the marinade brush from a drawer to play with, I’m okay with that).

Okay, I’ll admit– it’s usually not this neat!

This is her own cupboard. On the top shelf is usually her tupperware, cups, and cutting board. We don’t really use those plastic cups anymore (we used to use them for going out but now she has a stainless steel water bottle), but sometimes she will use them when she wants to have a drink while playing. I will eventually teach her to pour water from a pitcher and then keep the pitcher and a glass in a spot where she can pour herself a drink whenever she wants.  I don’t think she is ready just yet but maybe when she is closer to 2. I’ll also eventually place one table setting in the cupboard so Freestyle can set her own place setting with a real glass, ceramic bowl/plate, and her stainless steel utensils.

I will usually keep some of her snacks on the 2nd shelf and she just helps herself. For example, today she was having a squeezable pouch of fruit/veg puree (it’s for babies, but I love them because they’re a portable, instant smoothie! Plus it’s organic and you can put the cap back on for later.) and wanted “more!” I told her to go to her cupboard and get another one (we were upstairs), and she did!

If it’s something loose like crackers, I’ll portion it out into a container (it’s on the 2nd shelf to the left) because if I left the entire box there, she’d probably just eat them all!

The bottom shelf is really just random stuff. The black bag is her lunch bag for when we go out or when she goes to the babysitter. You can also see the red stainless steel water bottle she uses when we go out.

3. Living Area

- Child-sized table and chair (pictured above): Freestyle can easily sit herself down there to play, have a snack, or make a picture.

- Art supplies and toys readily available and in reach: As mentioned, we keep some art supplies on the little table. I haven’t made art supplies like paint readily available to her right now, so I will bring it out when we want to make a painting, like this one she did for her grandpa.

Her toys are also kept in the living room, tucked into a corner (well, it starts off there anyway!). I’m always trying to cull her toy collection. I remember how embarassed I felt when a friend came over and said, “Wow, it’s like a daycare in here!” We don’t buy her a lot of toys (I can maybe count on one hand the toys we bought her ourselves), but we were lucky to have a lot of hand-me-downs and gifts, and also my neighbour and I will trade and borrow.

Anyway, after that comment I did realize that it was getting a little out of control– Free does not need so many toys and also I didn’t want to overstimulate her with such a large amount. My plastic purge earlier this year helped to cut down the amount of toys. I think she only has 2 or 3 plastic toys left (which we made sure were BPA- and phthalate-free). The rest are cloth, stuffed animals, or wood. A lot of the time Freestyle makes herself busy with other things around the house too, so I know she doesn’t miss them.

4. Front Hall 

- Basket for Freestyle’s coats and hats: Kept on the ground so she can choose and reach them on her own. She likes to choose her own hat but I’ll usually choose which jacket based on the weather. She can put on and take off her own hat. With a little help with the sleeves, Free can put on and zip up her coat and unzip and take off the coat again. I’m going to teach her a new way to put on her coat on her own (and post about it) very soon.  Eventually, it’d be nice if we put up some low hooks on one of the walls there for her to hang up her coats and hats, but we’ll see how Biker feels about that!

You can see her little shoes on the shoe tray next to ours. She likes to bring us our shoes when we go out.

That’s all I’ll do for now. If anyone has any tips on making a home “more Montessori,” please share!

Pouring Activity for Toddlers 

Age: 18 months + (another activity that can be modified to become more challenging as they grow!)

Purpose: Pouring exercises are a staple Practical Life exercise in Toddler and Casa classrooms because they are fantastic for developing hand-eye coordination, concentration, practicing aiming for a target, fine motor skill development. You know, the usual! Learning to pour is a practical skill that she will use daily during meal time when she is ready.

Materials:

Tray

2 containers

Dry items to pour (examples: dried beans, buttons, rice, small pasta, beads, etc.)

What to do:

1. Have the activity set up so that the dry items are in one container on the tray.

2. Show your child how to carefully pick up the full container with both hands and slowly pour the items into the second, empty container on the tray. Vocabulary to introduce/emphasize: pour, slow(ly).

3. Put the first container down and repeat using the now full container.

Oh, here's when the Control of Error comes in...

Getting better!

Go further:

• If you have one, you can use a small pitcher and a cup.
• Add a third container for more fun!
• Once your child is more confident (and adept!) at pouring dry items, she can try pouring water from a small pitcher into a container (or cup).
• Use containers of different shapes and sizes.
• Your child can even practice pouring into a funnel.

Bead Threading Activity

Age: 18 months + (can be adapted to be more challenging for older children!)

Purpose: Developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, patience, concentration.

Materials:

Tray

Beads

Chopsticks, Pipecleaners, or Straws

My original idea was to use a chopstick (hey, I use what's available to me in my house!). It works well because it's a hard object so it won't bend during threading. It's long so a lot of (large) beads fit. The only thing is that you'll need to make sure your child holds onto the end the entire time. I thought of adding a ball of play dough to the end as one solution.

Using a pipe cleaner with a loop twisted at the end. Found that Freestyle had a bit of trouble because the pipe cleaner would bend, so this may be more suited for children with better developed dexterity! Would work very well with small beads!

I liked the bendy straw because the bend stopped the beads from slipping and the straw itself was stiff enough for the threading.

What to do:

1. Show your child how to hold the chopstick/pipecleaner in one hand and thread one bead using the other (most likely her dominant) hand. New words to introduce and repeat throughout the activity: bead, thread.

2. Repeat!

Next time we do this, I'll only set out a few beads! This is a bit too many!

Control of Error*: Beads are successfully threaded through.

Go further:

• We are using large wooden beads here, but later we will move on to use smaller beads when Freestyle is ready.
• Use a thick string (i.e. shoelace) with a knot tied at one end to increase the challenge.
• Make it a math activity by counting the beads as she threads them.
• Sort and thread the beads by colour, shape, etc.

* Montessori materials always include a Control of Error. This means that there is a way that the child can independently check to see if she has completed it correctly. In this activity, the child will know if she has completed it correctly if the beads are threaded onto the chopstick (yes, this particular example is sort of obvious, I know!). For other materials, such as nomenclature cards (where you have to match the picture, name, and description) there may be a small coloured dot on the back of the cards that do go together. When the child is finished matching them up, she can turn the cards over to see if she is correct. Brilliant, right?

DIY Puzzle Box

Age: 15 months + (variations for younger children below)

Purpose: At this age, the child has more or less learned to connect her brain and her hand movement. Now that she can coordinate her hand movements and is ready (and wanting) more challenging work. This activity is great because it allows for

• Concentration (repeatedly putting the discs through the slit)
• Eye-hand coordination (accurately placing the disc into the slit)
• Practice of the pincer grip (holding the disc between her thumb and forefinger)
• The understanding of object permanence (the discs disappear once dropped into the box and then found again when the lid is lifted up)
• The satisfaction after a challenge is met!

• box (I used a shoebox)
• 4-6 discs (I saved up a few frozen juice lids, but you can use anything you have, such as poker chips, bottle lids, etc.)
• utility knife

What to do:

To make: Using the utility knife, make a slit in the lid that is just big enough to fit the discs. Voila!

1. Take out all the discs and put them to the right of the box. Show your child how to pick up one disc and fit and drop it through the slit.

2. Allow her to try this on her own. Help guide her if needed, but if she is getting frustrated, that’s okay. Just redirect her to another activity and put this away for another time.

Go further:

• For younger children (8 months +), they can try putting a small wooden egg into a cup or a small wooden cube into a box that just fits it. The child should be proficient with the egg and cup before trying the cube and box because it is much more challenging.
• If you have wooden blocks at home (triangular prisms, cubes, sphere) you can trace those onto the different sides of a box (make sure that it is just large enough to fit the shape). Many people have a toy like this at home too. They work the same way, but are usually made of plastic. Montessori materials are natural materials (wood, wicker baskets, glass, real flowers instead of fake) as much as possible to cultivate an appreciation for the world. These natural materials also add to the sensory experience (weight of glass VS lightness of plastic, smell of wood, etc.).
• Wooden puzzles with knob handles on the pieces are a great activity and are readily available. Fitting the piece properly gives the child the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. When they are younger, the knobs will make using the puzzle easier.

According to the Montessori philosophy, Freestyle is currently in the First Plane of Development.

As a result of her careful observations and study of children, Maria Montessori discovered that there are four planes of human development. Instead of growing “in a steady and linear ascent,” Montessori proposed the pioneering concept that children developed in formative planes which depended on actions related to their environment, based on individual interest.

Photo Credit

This is about the First Plane, as Freestyle is currently in this developmental stage. Much of it is adapted from essays I’ve written during my teacher training. Yay, laziness! 

Photo Credit

• The child is developing as an individual being and this, necessarily,  is an “ego-centric” phase.
• During this time the child will make great strides in personal development and consciousness.
• The five senses are used to explore and interact with her environment. For this reason, this is often called the Sensorial Explorer during this phase. She is learning about the world by touching, tasting, hearing, seeing, and smelling.
• The term Absorbent Mind also applies to this Plane, with Ages 0 – 3 years being the Unconscious Absorbent Mind (and Ages 3 – 6 the Conscious Absorbent Mind). According to Montessori, the child will absorb her environment without bias and she will equally take in the “good or bad, beautiful or ugly, peaceful or violent.”
• The child’s naturally unprejudiced absorption of sensorial impressions encompasses both positive aspects (the good, beautiful, and peaceful) as well as those that are not as beneficial to her development (the bad, ugly, and violent).
• Due to this incredible phenomenon of the child’s unprejudiced assimilation of the environment, I believe that the role of the parent/caregiver is to ensure that the environment in which the child is exposed remains a healthy, safe, and rich terrain for their sensorial exploration.
• Maria Montessori believed that the child begins forming herself (mind, personality) at birth through her environment, so education begins at birth and the family are the child’s first teachers.

             So if you have a child- congrats, you’re a teacher! 

• While it is impossible and not beneficial to surround your child with only good and beautiful things (which may result in a sheltered child who is unfamiliar to reality), nonetheless, there is a clear advantage of preparing and maintaining an environment that the child will experience joy, peace, beauty, and kindness. In doing so, the parent will encourage the child’s mind to take in and incorporate these things into her being.
• Thus, the Prepared Environment. Child-sized furniture and readily-available materials are just a couple of things that will help. I’ll write a more detailed post about this later.
• For each plane there is a goal and a path/direction that leads to that goal. There are also “Sensitive Periods” that occur during that time that help the child meet that goal.
• Sensitive Periods are bursts of energy and concentration a child seems to focus on a specific skill. This is a short but intense period of time but once it passes, it’s gone forever.
• The Montessori teacher is trained to identify the onset of such periods and to encourage and teach to this.  Again, more about this another time.
• As the child grows and the incredible amount of information is collected and filed away into the brain, the child begins to develop a need and desire to order and classify the information (moving towards the Conscious Absorbent Mind around age 3), even before she realizes that that is what she is doing.
•  This sense of order applies to both time and place. If you have a toddler, you may realize that little things that we wouldn’t notice make her very upset. For example, a child may begin to cry when she sees that an umbrella that has always been closed opened for the first time. Or, a child may seem put off when her routine is changed suddenly and bath time is before a meal instead of after. (Both examples from the Michael Olaf site…couldn’t think of my own as Freestyle has just woken from her nap!)

There is so much more to add, but this is getting way too long. I am enjoying going through my old course work and textbooks, though! I knew keeping old classwork would not be in vain! Though, I guess a case could be made against my “Why Humans Should Not Be Cloned” essay for OAC World Issues. Remember Dolly?!