tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30930608548861331972026-04-14T10:27:14.145-05:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1802125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-10018671771113383192025-06-09T07:57:00.002-05:002025-06-09T08:00:08.155-05:00

For me, one of the most beautiful parts of Montessori's vision for the environment is the ease of indoor and outdoor work. Children weren't meant to be indoors working all day, but free to go in and outdoors as they felt called. Both the indoor environment and the outdoor one provide important opportunities for children of all ages. So, instead of just focusing on preparing the indoors, the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-28306726796018385822025-04-01T09:30:00.001-05:002025-04-01T09:30:27.305-05:00

I love putting together a simple, fun Easter basket each Spring for my children. At Easter we are generally more focused on the religious aspects of the holiday, but we still like to play pretend with the Easter bunny, open some small gifts, and celebrate together. I hope these ideas inspire you but also give you permission to keep your Easter baskets simple but fun. Trying to find a few quality

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-7213583968683727952025-03-20T07:37:00.001-05:002025-03-20T07:37:22.430-05:00

I always have a hard time with how to describe my newly 3-year-old children. They are sort of preschooler, sort of toddlers, but one-hundred percent unique. A new phase of development is upon, the second half of the first plane of development - the conscious absorbent mind. It's a new phase of deeper exploration and development of skills, of active participation within the environment, and the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-75059879035518421612025-03-03T07:21:00.001-06:002025-03-03T07:21:21.399-06:00

Young children, particularly those under the age of 6, are intensely interested in the world around them. They like to learn about all of the intricate and beautiful realities of the world. They like little details, understanding truth, and seeing the real. Therefore, as Montessori parents (and in Montessori classrooms) we tend to limit the use of fantasy and stick to reality. However, this

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-21796889316597777082025-01-23T08:02:00.002-06:002025-01-23T08:02:47.366-06:00

There are so many incredible practical life opportunities available for toddlers. And one of the most interesting parts about having so many children has been seeing what each of my children gravitate towards. Some of been interested in cleaning tasks, some building tasks, and other's kitchen work. They really all have been quite unique. One fun practical work that Penelope has really gravitated

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-28416720655457061092025-01-13T07:40:00.003-06:002025-01-13T07:45:28.748-06:00

As Montessori parents, it's important to understand that we are the prepared adult within our homes. The prepared adult has a lot of responsibility in preparing the environment, setting limits, modeling for the children, and so much more. It's a role that felt pretty daunting to me at first. How was I supposed to be all of these extra things and also the primary caregiver for my children? And it

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-21377615091573175442024-12-10T07:45:00.003-06:002024-12-10T17:53:09.082-06:00

 There's something a little overwhelming about buying stocking stuffers for me. I want something that isn't just little junk that is going to fall apart, I want it to meet my children's interests, and be something that they are actually going to use. But, it also needs to be small and affordable. And there needs to be more than one - ahh! I have some go-to ideas that I fall back on for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-85175873292979898712024-12-05T06:31:00.000-06:002024-12-05T06:31:12.628-06:00

Oh I just love Montessori toddlerhood. There is so much goodness in watching your child perfect all the skills that they have learned up until this point. Walking through life with so much confidence, having such strong convictions, and just so much energy.  Penelope is coming down to her final months as a 2-year-old. As excited as I am to watch my baby move on into the next phase in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-92132565047709463662024-11-25T07:34:00.005-06:002024-11-25T07:34:46.378-06:00

Creating an environment where my young children have access to a variety of materials is important to me as a Montessori parent. But, as a parent with five kids, access to paint has been a harder one for me to implement. While I know there are so many great benefits to painting at an easel - creative expression, opportunities for crossing the midline, cause and effect - the potential mess

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-13086051797814069952024-11-20T07:44:00.007-06:002024-11-20T07:50:17.898-06:00

I can't believe another year has passed and we are back to Montessori Christmas gift lists again! I just love putting these lists together and really using my observation skills to figure out what is the best gifts for each of my children. If you see your children in these lists, please use them as inspiration and share with family and friends! Just a reminder, this list only includes my

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-75474162471945779972024-11-11T08:47:00.002-06:002024-11-11T08:50:08.712-06:00

It feels like an impossible task to feature all the best Montessori friendly small shops that exist in the world, because it really is. There are so many amazing shops that showcase truly unique and fun Montessori friendly materials for kids at home. In this small shop gift guide, I'm sharing some of my favorite finds from 2024, from both shops I've loved for years, and some places that are new

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-43841064625524728152024-11-04T07:44:00.001-06:002024-11-04T07:45:19.104-06:00

As a Montessori parent, my goal is to support my children's developmental needs here at home. While my children attend Montessori schools, so the bulk of their exposure to traditional Montessori materials is at school, I try to support that learning here at home in Montessori friendly ways. Generally, that means in ways that connect their interests to the things that they are interested in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-5832804947842287542024-10-30T07:21:00.004-05:002024-10-30T20:53:32.921-05:00

My kids go through phases of being really into block play and then phases of not. Right now, we seem to be in a block heavy phase again. I love watching them create with blocks, explore different ways to build, combine, and imagine with them. They are a great way to add pretend play to a Montessori home that is child-led and open ended. Now, I'm no expert when it comes to block play. For

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-72704498099487114782024-10-28T07:41:00.000-05:002024-10-28T07:41:00.240-05:00

Is Montessori really for babies? What did Montessori herself say about babies? Recently I had a post go viral on Instagram (come follow me there for a lot of real life, everyday fun) and one of the comments made me laugh a bit. See the post was about spills while offering a baby an open cup - the weaning cup - a quintessential Montessori babyhood thing. The comments went a little crazy, as they

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-64841391382447505332024-10-22T07:19:00.005-05:002024-10-25T06:22:20.065-05:00

One of my favorite parts of being a Montessori parent is preparing my environment to meet the needs of my children. It's been amazing to me that even small parts of our environment really need to change as my children move from the first plane of development to the second plane. In the elementary years, kids need more space, time, and tools to create big work. They are less concerned with order

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-35349119435831973902024-10-14T07:05:00.003-05:002024-10-14T07:10:55.105-05:00

I'm so excited to finally introduce this project to the world - say hello to Joyful Seasons: Montessori Parenting, Everyday Inspiration, and Thoughtful Ideas to Nurture Every Season! For years, I have wanted to create a publication that felt more inline with my everyday parenting experience. I wanted glimpses into what other Montessori parents were doing, lessons on what they have learned,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-6074772727737395672024-10-11T06:43:00.003-05:002024-10-25T06:13:52.388-05:00

Children are so fascinating for a lot of reasons! But one of the things that I find particularly fascinating about young children is all the different ways that they interact with the world. Play is an important part in how all children learn, explore, and master their environment. Maria Montessori was clear that a child's work is their play, and their play is their work. As Montessori parents we

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-58463902124352595342024-10-02T07:45:00.003-05:002024-10-02T07:45:40.720-05:00

Time is a tricky concept for young children. This is especially for those in the first plane of development, that is under age 6. Often, time is just too abstract. Their days are numbered by the sun, by their routine, or by a familiar rhythm. They don't have a whole lot of time or attention for numbers on a calendar or clock. While this changes slowly as children get closer to the second plane of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-61222435816080946262024-09-23T07:29:00.000-05:002024-09-23T07:29:01.034-05:00

I'm going to admit this right off the top, I'm not a huge music/audiobook person. I think I'm mostly overwhelmed too easily by the noise of daily life that I'm not the first one reaching to add more noise. But, my children, on the other hand, are HUGE audiobook and music people. There is always someone in this house listening to a book, blasting music, or wishing they had the device that one of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-69984541863443554502024-09-18T07:41:00.002-05:002024-09-18T07:43:11.075-05:00

The other day at dinner we had pickles as a side option. As we were eating, my 5-year-old gets up, goes to the kitchen and comes back with a cutting board, knife, and fork. He serves himself a pickle, puts it on his cutting board, holds it with the fork, and slices it into tiny bits before ultimately eating it. I laughed to myself because it was so classically a first plane of development

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-6512360031074089272024-09-12T09:50:00.001-05:002024-09-12T09:51:22.802-05:00

We live in such an amazing time for children's toys. There are so many options that you really could spend every day playing with something new. (PS, don't do that!) As a Montessori parent, I want to add toys that stimulate my children's senses, make them think, but will keep them engaged over and over again. Gear toys have been one that has fit those criteria for my children and for me. 

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-88339961379278929052024-09-05T07:53:00.005-05:002024-09-05T07:53:44.222-05:00

Following a wonderful summer at home with all of my kids it's really become apparent how big a lot of my children are getting. Their days as young children are far behind them and they are all really coming into their own. Watching my big second plane kids play and explore, though, has really led to me to one conclusion - they don't need a Montessori playroom anymore. No, our Montessori home

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-80197440033463137382024-08-21T08:34:00.007-05:002024-08-21T10:44:03.118-05:00

I just love the preschool years, there is so much exploration, learning, and just watching your child become a fuller version of themselves. It's in these years that our children develop strong individual interests. They want to explore with their senses, still love familiarity, and are ready for new experiences. At 5-years-old, there can be a broad range of interests, skills, and desires which

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-50027225471523726902024-08-15T08:19:00.008-05:002024-10-25T06:30:19.261-05:00

There is a pervasive myth in Montessori circles, especially online, that children start to read very early. That Montessori somehow seamlessly launches children into reading in their preschool years with very little effort. And, while that might be true for a selection of Montessori preschoolers, it has not been true for my children. Reading has been a longer journey* for most of them, it's

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3093060854886133197.post-44126491468998940952024-08-13T07:57:00.001-05:002024-08-13T07:59:35.913-05:00

Two-year-olds get all my love. They are just the most interesting, passionate, funny, and loving little people. And when they are put in an environment that is created just for them, it is incredible how capable they are. Our days at 2-years-old follow a pretty predictable rhythm of activity that allow our toddler to focus on the activities that call to her. Through her chosen activities she is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0