Montessori Mondays - Rotating Materials

One of the defining characteristics of any Montessori environment, whether designed for many children or one in a small room at home, is that everything is carefully prepared - from the small chairs and shelves to the selection of materials. At home, one thing you can do to keep your child's interest in their materials and toys verses throwing them in a bin and forgetting about them after a day is to select just a few toys or Montessori materials to have out on trays or shelves at once and then store the rest in a closet to rotate out when your child begins to lose interest in the current toys. This will make choices for what to work with less overwhelming for your child and when it is time to rotate them you can have your child help select new works to have on the shelves.

Friday Notables - Recycling Calendars

About this time of year you can find old calendars on clearance for only a couple of dollars or less. Many of these have real life pictures of animals or places. My suggestion is to buy them on clearance if you come across them and then purchase an inexpensive binder and document protective sheets. By cutting the calendar pictures into an 8" x 11" paper size you can easily create a new picture book for your toddler.

Midweek Creations - Watermelon Craft

Watermelon's are the perfect summer snack and chances are you have thrown out a number of rinds in the past few weeks. This craft helps recycle those and creates a temporary eco-friendly bird feeder.

What you'll need:
watermelon
bird seed
thin rope
ice pick

Cut your watermelon into fourths and scoop the flesh out to set aside for a treat later. Use an ice pick to drill two little holes on both ends of the rind. String the rope through the holes so that you will be able to hang it on a tree branch. Have your toddler help scoop some of the bird seed into the "bowl" of the rind and hang the bird feeder from a tree branch that your child will be able to see easily.

Montessori Mondays - Celebrating in Montessori Fashion

Here are a few tips to remember wherever you find yourself celebrating the 4th of July with your toddler. Have a wonderful holiday!

• Remember to have either a blanket or a child sized lawn chair for your toddler wherever you go - if their feet touch the ground they are likely to be more comfortable and happy
• If you are going to a public place to watch the fireworks be sure to spend some time talking through what to expect and what is and is not okay
• If possible, try and plan to have a small area where your toddler can run and play without disturbing others' ability to view the fireworks
• If your toddler doesn't like the fireworks and becomes really upset or frightened, don't try and make them sit through 30 minutes of it and go to an area where you can help them calm down and talk through their emotions
• Be sure to take time to simply enjoy celebrating with your little one!

Friday Notables - Toddler Friendly Fireworks

4th of July can be a wonderful celebration to share with your toddler, but you may want to change your selection of fireworks so that it doesn't end in frightened tears. Below are some recommended selections that generally don't make as much noise as others, but be sure to talk to the fireworks attendant when you purchase these about different options. Always be sure to be a safe distance away from any fireworks and although you can follow the Montessori philosophy by having your child help pick the fireworks out and maybe bring them out in a box, please don't have your child lighting the fireworks.


Some toddler friendly fireworks:
small fountains
glow worms
roman candles
wheels

Midweek Creations - Fireworks Painting

This is a simple paint craft perfect for any celebration involving fireworks. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
black construction paper
pastel colored paint
old kitchen scrubber
glitter and glue (optional)

Pour a small amount of paint into a shallow container. Help your child dip the rough bristled end of your kitchen scrubber into the paint and then make a few quick strokes on the black construction paper to make a firework burst. Once the paint dries, you can cover the painted areas with a little bit of glue and have your child help sprinkle some glitter on top to give the fireworks some extra shine.

Montessori Mondays - Transitions

Transitions are tough for everyone, but especially for young children because often they have no control or foresight of what event will be coming next. Yet transitions are everywhere and some are just plain unavoidable. Here are a few tips to make transitions less of a main event and easier for your little one to process. If you have any tips of your own, please feel free to leave a comment for other readers.

• if you have a regular schedule throughout the week such as snack, outside time, lunch, nap, snack you can create a picture sequence book of your child doing these activities and then look at them before the day starts in the morning so you child knows exactly what will be coming next and a change in activities will be less of a surprise
  
• in addition to a sequence book it is important to give your child some verbal "warning" before a transition; most toddlers don't understand the concept of time as we do so instead of saying "1 more minute" you can say "once I get done putting these dishes away it will be time to pick up your materials and get ready to go to school"
• it is important to try and plan out transitions as much as possible, especially if they are regular happenings, so that big transitions become an activity in and of themselves for your toddler
  
• if the transition is out of your control, for example waiting for food to be served at a restaurant, have a few small, consistent back-up activities planned ahead of time - crayons and paper, i spy activities, small fingerplays - just remember to give your child a cue again so that once the food does arrive he will know it is time to stop the activity and eat