Today, we finally harvested from our "garden" our first strawberries for which Kids have been so patiently waiting for! There was so much excitement on Adrian's face when he saw within one week the white strawberry turning pink, and then eventually red :) He could not wait to show it... Read more →
Today, we are utilizing some of our traditionally recognized methods of perception, or sense: The Sense of Smell, Sight, and Touch. Sense of Smell Kids could not believe the aroma peony flowers diffuse! They could not smell them enough :) Sense of Sight Looking, observing, exploring ... finding an ant!... Read more →
Julia so enjoyed the Timelines book, that the next morning she was compelled to create a timeline of her own ... Wake up; Breakfast; School; Homework; Play with Adrian; Dinner; Play with Papa; Bath; Bed. Read more →
A child can be introduced to finger painting even before his/her first birthday, when it is more about sensorially feeling the texture of the paint by dipping the hands and smearing them on a paper. At 2 1/2, it is more about an art project: painting in the lines, choosing... Read more →
And when I say, the best investment in a Toy, I mean both: monetarily and developmentally! BRIO was founded in Sweden in 1884, and it continues to make quality toys which will be enjoyed by generations. All wooden parts are made from 100% FSC-certified beech wood from sustainably managed forests.... Read more →
Each day, we try to do at least one of Practical Life Activities, which are conveniently located on low shelves in "kids' kitchen section" adjacent to our kitchen. Usually in the morning, while I tidy up the kitchen after setting Julia off to school, Adrian will do a dry transferring... Read more →
What about scrubbing a table? Children love to mimic us, and they see us cleaning and scrubbing all the time. So, why not offer a toddler a real life activity, where he gets to exercise his gross-motor muscles, and where the activity is meaningful, practical and fun (kids love water... Read more →
If an elephant can paint, then my 2-and-a-half-year-old can water-paint (trace over) the numbers I had written on a blackboard with chalk. Elephants are proven to be highly intelligent mammals. This elephant is painting an art completely independently. Art painted by elephants. (The picture is provided by my Mom, Thailand.)... Read more →
My goal for my children is to make learning fun; so I am always thinking: what I can do to make the learning process interesting, engaging, and captivating. Although Adrian could count till ten since he was about two years old, it had nothing to do with the true meaning... Read more →
We often see chipmunks in our backyard. Chipmunks, members of a squirrel family, feed on insects, nuts, berries, seeds, fruit, and grain, which they stuff into their generous cheek pouches and carry to their burrow or a nest for storage. Some dig burrows to live in, complete with tunnels and... Read more →
Knobless cylinders is four sets of ten cylinders in each set, varying in height and/or diameter. Each set is in a separate wood box with a lid painted the same color as the cylinders: red, green, yellow and blue. Yellow cylinders vary in height and diameter. Green cylinders vary in... Read more →
"Montessori Practical Life is more than the wonderful feeling of doing real work, of being helpful to others, this work also sharpens valuable mental skills including planning, organization, task initiation, working memory, self-regulation, flexibility, goal-directed persistence, and sustained attention." —The Universal Child, Guided By Nature (p.2) by Susan M. Stephenson... Read more →
Lacing Shapes is very useful activity as it teaches colors, shape recognition, and threading (indirectly preparing a hand for sewing one day). Made in the USA, these six wooden geometric shapes (circle, triangle, octagon, hexagon, pentagon, and square) with color-matched laces, encourage a child to work with the hands, indirectly... Read more →
In a Montessori Math curriculum, after introducing Numerical Rods (buy here) at around two years of age, Sandpaper Numbers (buy here) are generally introduced next, where a child visually sees the number; then traces it, feeling it sensorially with a touch; and finally, learns the name of the symbol of... Read more →
Inspired by the National Geographic Space book we are currently reading, Julia decides to make a collage ... Kids love all the "First Big Book Of __ " Series learning about different colors of the stars determining relative size of the Earth vs Moon learning about the Moon All done!... Read more →