Sunshine, Mud and Montessori on

Setting Goals with Kids – Montessori Work Plans

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:35:00 +0000

Setting goals with kids is a great exercise, whether you homeschool or just want to help them learn this valuable life skill.

One of the first things parents notice when visiting a Montessori classroom for the first time is the independence children have in choosing what to work on.

Instead of the teacher dictating that all children will now practice addition, each child chooses work from the shelves. They may begin with addition or they may begin with reading or painting at the easel.

How to Create a Kids Makerspace

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:35:00 +0000

Are you familiar with makerspaces?

I learned about the concept years ago when I taught in a Montessori classroom and actually had the pleasure of seeing Dale Dougherty, considered by many to be the founder of the maker movement, speak at the 2018 American Montessori Society conference.

After we saw Dale speak, my co-teacher and mentor set up a maker space in the classroom and I saw the children delight in their creations.

Montessori Kitchen Tools (& Other Montessori Stocking Stuffers!)

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:35:00 +0000

These Montessori stocking stuffers are both fun AND useful, things kids will use for months to come, including Montessori kitchen tools!

While I love everything about the Christmas season, putting together stockings has always been one of my favorite parts.

When I was in elementary school, I actually sewed a stocking for my mom and started the tradition of filling her stocking every year! (My mom always gave my dad a stocking and I realized she was the only one in the family who didn’t get one!)

Montessori Homeschool Week 4

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 11:35:00 +0000

Get a detailed peek at how we use Montessori for homeschool with this behind-the-scenes peek at everything we did this week.

I’m back with another behind-the-scenes look at our Montessori homeschool! Highlights of the week included reading outside on what will likely be one of the last warmish days of the year here and completing a research project on outer space.

Here’s a peek at our week!

Our Montessori Homeschool Week

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Letter Writing for Kids – Step by Step Instructions & Ways to Make it Fun!

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 11:35:00 +0000

Letter writing for kids has so many benefits, but it can also be super fun! Help your child learn this valuable skill in an enjoyable way.

Does your child like to write letters? As we’ve moved further away from my family, my kids have been practicing writing lots of letters this year. It’s become one of their favorite things to do!

Letter writing isn’t just for fun though. It has a lot of benefits for your child, including:

20 Montessori Gifts – Etsy Edition

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 11:35:00 +0000

This 2021 gift guide features 20 Montessori gifts from Etsy perfect for babies through 6 year olds. No affiliate links, just items I recommend!

Etsy is one of my very favorite places to find holiday gifts. Not only is it a way to support small businesses, but I also love the many lovely and unique Montessori-friendly toys there!

I had so much fun compiling this assortment of Montessori-friendly gifts for children 0-6. None of these are sponsored or affiliate links, just beautiful items I either have or would love to have for my own children.

Teaching Critical Thinking Through Research Projects

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 11:35:00 +0000

Teaching critical thinking sounds daunting, but using my process to teach kids to conduct scientific research helps them gain these skills in a super fun way!

One thing that makes Montessori so ingenious is the lesson behind the lesson. For so many Montessori lessons, there is an obvious objective and then a less obvious, but often more important one.

Here’s what I mean:

Scrubbing a Table: The obvious objective is learning to scrub and take care of the environment, but less obvious objectives include resilience (so many spills!) and completing a multi-step process. It’s also great for gross motor skills as children learn to navigate the room while carrying a heavy pitcher of water.

Montessori Music: 10 Simple Ways to Use Music with Kids

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Music can really enrich either a homeschool classroom or a Montessori classroom. If you don’t feel confident in your own musical abilities though, it can feel intimidating to include music in your day-to-day life with your child. It is SO worthwhile to face your fears though and intentionally include music in your home or classroom.

Here are 10 ways to include a little more music in your life!

1. Use Music for Transitions

Music is an excellent way to mark transitions in either a Montessori home or classroom.

Montessori Homeschool Week 3 – Maps & Number Chains

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Our Montessori Homeschool included geography, number chains, research, and more this week! Get a realistic look at Montessori homeschool.

I’m back with another detailed peek behind the scenes of what we did in Montessori homeschool. I try to share one week in detail every month or so to show what the day-to-day rhythm looks like in our house right now with a 2 1/2 year-old and 5-year-old.

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to with your kids lately in the comments!

Homemade Gifts for Kids – Personalized Books!

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Homemade gifts for kids are so meaningful and they don’t have to be difficult! These personalized books for my kids were such a hit!

When I was a child, my mom frequently made us homemade gifts. She sewed us bunnies for Easter, crocheted a blanket for my sister and decorated t-shirts for us for Valentine’s Day. These presents were so meaningful to me, I still remember them today!

As important to me as these gifts were, I haven’t created as many homemade gifts for my own kids as I would like. This is quite simply because I’m not at all crafty and enjoy the idea of crafting much more than actually doing it.

Montessori DIY – Land, Air, Water

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 10:35:00 +0000

This incredibly simple Montessori DIY introduces your child to the concept of classification. Montessori geography made easy!

If you know me at all, you’ll know I am by no means a crafty, DIY person I want to be, I really do. But in reality, I’m more of an Etsy person. I love the look and feel of beautiful handmade items, but I’m not always able to pull them off myself.

Sustainable Toys – Tiny Earth Montessori Toy Subscription

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Tiny Earth Toys offers a rental service for sustainable toys. Rent high quality, Montessori friendly toys and then return them when done!

I’m so excited for today’s post because I’m sharing a wonderful company I just discovered and already love!

(Note: This post is not sponsored but I did receive a complimentary two months of Tiny Earth Toys to review. I suspect I’ll order more kits in the future with my own money though and you’ll see why below!)

Montessori Homeschool Week 2 (w/ Color Mixing Activity!)

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 10:35:00 +0000

A simple color mixing activity was definitely the biggest hit in this week of Montessori Homeschool. We also did sewing & bookmaking.

I’m back with another detailed look at a week of our Montessori homeschool. This was a good week with lots of fun science and lots of time spent working outside in the beautiful Wisconsin early fall weather.

Here’s what our week looked like:

Monday:

James and Lilah’s grandparents were here this morning so we spent some time with them and then went to the library.

Studying Bees – Montessori Science

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Studying bees is super fun for kids as they can then observe the bees in real life. See beautiful Montessori materials and ideas for learning about bees.

I need to write more about this soon but we traveled for most of last year. While we had amazing real-life experiences as a family, attempting Montessori homeschooling while traveling did prove difficult.

As you can imagine, one of the biggest challenges was choosing which materials to bring. We have a small car and packing our entire lives into it, homeschool materials included, was not easy! I narrowed it down to the essentials, focusing on materials like the Movable Alphabet and colored bead box that we could use in many different ways, and at many different levels as my son progressed.

Montessori Toys for 5-Year-Olds

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Montessori toys for 5-year-olds make the best unique kids birthday gifts. They’re beautiful and encourage creative thinking & play!

My son, James, is turning 5 in just a couple of weeks. I’ve of course been putting a lot of thought into what kinds of birthday gifts to give him this year, which inspired me to compile this list of Montessori toys for 5-year-olds!

(Many things on this list would be great Montessori toys for 4-year-olds as well, as I included items he has and loves right now too.)

Our Montessori Homeschool – Behind the Scenes Week 1

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 05:35:00 +0000

Get a behind-the-scenes peek at our Montessori homeschool for a 4.5-year-old and 2.5 year old. Ideas or Montessori activities & materials!

I’m excited to start a new series today!

We’re homeschooling our almost 5-year-old and 2.5-year-old this year. Every month or so I’ll be sharing a detailed look at what we did one week in our Montessori homeschool classroom.

But first, here are a few details on our overall approach to Montessori Homeschool at this stage.

5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Montessori School

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 01:42:15 +0000

Choosing a Montessori school can be overwhelming. What exactly should you look for? Ask these 5 questions to find an authentic school.

Montessori education has gained significant popularity in recent years, which I love to see! One downside though is that many schools have popped up that claim to be “Montessori,” but really aren’t authentic Montessori schools when you take a closer look.

Montessori is not a trademarked term and any school can add “Montessori” to its name. This is a scary thought if you’re choosing a school and don’t know what to look for.

Montessori Parenting – 5 Parenting Lessons I Learned as a Montessori Teacher

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 20:06:57 +0000

This post has a special place in my heart. It first appeared on my first blog, Montessoriishmom and was then reprinted on Motherly. It opened the door for me to write about Montessori for different parenting sites, which has been such an honor and brought me so much joy. I wrote this when my oldest child was 8 months old, but these lessons still ring true for me, more than 4 years later!

Montessori Baby Books – Food Edition (Great for Toddlers Too!)

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 19:21:10 +0000

Looking for Montessori baby books about food? These are my very favorites and are great for sparking interest and building vocabulary.

Giving children the tools to learn more about their world is a huge part of Montessori for every age.

For babies, a big part of their world is learning all about food. This is why I have a particular love of Montessori baby books about food.

What do I mean by “Montessori baby books”? I mean books that include either photographs or beautiful realistic illustrations, books that depict reality.

7 Easy DIY Montessori Toys for (10-15 Months)

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:00:08 +0000

DIY Montessori Toys are a great way to introduce your child to custom-made, inexpensive, engaging toys. Perfect for babies & young toddlers.

Good morning!

I wanted to share a few really easy DIY baby toys today. Readiness of course depends on the individual child, but I would say these would generally be good for a 10-15 month old.

I am not crafty (at all), but I love creating toys for James for a few reasons. For starters, it is a very budget-friendly way to give your little one something new to play with. I also love that it allows me to give him something perfectly suited for his current interests and abilities.

Montessori Weaning Table Update

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 12:00:05 +0000

I wrote a little bit about our Montessori weaning table here, but realized I hadn’t given an update in quite some time.

We have both a high chair and a little child sized table and chair for James, and we use both almost every day.

At first, we used his little table for all of his meals, but as we started eating meals as a family, James joined us at the big table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is no way the three of us could comfortably sit at his little table together.

Ten Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Toddlers

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 12:00:03 +0000

I mentioned recently, I’ve been looking for more indoor gross motor options for James. I am a big believer that giving toddlers enough opportunities for big movement helps immeasurably with their behavior.

A toddler climbing on all of the furniture isn’t being “bad,” he just has a strong need to develop his muscles and gross motor capabilities and will use whatever is available to that end. So if we want to be able to redirect them away from unsafe / undesired climbing / running / throwing, it’s only fair to provide an appropriate outlet.