My Montessori Inspirations

Since discovering the world of the blog, it is often my first point of searching for information.  This was no different when I wanted to learn more about Montessori, especially as it was applied at home.

What this led me to was a whole host of blogs, nearly all from North America.  My feed reader was full to overflowing for a while there as I assessed which were going to suit my reading, education and inspiration needs.

As of today, these are the blogs, in alphabetical order, that still make the cut:

• Adventures of a Rainbow Mama


• Confessions of a Montessori Mom


• Daily Montessori


• Itty Bitty Love


• Montessori for Everyone


• My Montessori Journey


• Teaching Montessori


• The Wonder Years


• Wide Open on the Mommybahn

These blogs each have a different character.  Some are regularly active while others haven't posted anything new in some time.  I have enjoyed many posts from this selection, but I have to confess to turning to The Wonder Years and Montessori for Everyone on a regular basis for ideas, inspiration and resources.

For those interested in seeing a Mum attempting to integrate Montessori ideas from birth, then you should definitely visit Wide Open on the Mommybahn.  It's not something I necessarily aspire to, but I had a darned good time reading about it.

So, if you are interested in learning more, then I think you would do well starting with this list and then expanding out from there.

And to the ladies of the blogs above, I'd like to say "Thank You" for sharing your experiences, your knowledge, and your resources with the rest of us.  I, for one, greatly appreciate it.

Happy reading everyone.

Bloggiversary

By some lucky coincidence I was looking to see when I began this blog for another post I am working on, otherwise I would have completely missed it.

It's exactly four years since I migrated from Blogger to Wordpress (thanks Bruce).
So...

Happy Bloggiversary to Me...
Happy Bloggiversary to Me...

Happy Bloggiversary Dear Oh Waily
Happy Bloggiversary to Me !

Small things

Small things are making me very happy at the moment.

Courtesy of my ever vigilant parents I was able to find suitable box shaped shelving for Little Miss. It's currently plain pine as you can see below, but we will make a decision on the final look over the next week. So far I have been tossing up varnish, oil or a neutral cream paint finish. I'm still not 100% sure which way we will go.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="The Pine Shelves"][/caption]

The other issue is where it will eventually live.  Currently, for convenience, it is sitting at the other end of the same wall that Miss O's activity corner is on in the living room but may be better placed in her bedroom.  The only problem is - which bedroom.  She is currently in the smallest room in the house,  and we are debating what to do when Master Oh Waily moves from his spot at the bottom of our bed.  Will he inherit Miss O's room?  It is closer and smaller, and therefore more suited to a small baby who doesn't require space for Froggy, Thai, Lumpy, Leo, Patches, Piglet, Brown or Sneezy and drawers containing big girl clothes.  (I would provide a photograph of "the boys" as they are collectively known, but unfortunately only Leo and Sneezy are currently not having a nap with "the girl".)

Or will he move into the larger room, further away from our bedroom?  The preference is to move Miss O into the current "guest bedroom" / office and give Master O her bedroom.  The difficulty this presents is one of computer logistics.  The internet connection is in the "office".  Even though we have a wireless setup and therefore can put the computer anywhere in the house, we still need a secure space for the modem/router thingumybob.  Offering up something with flickering lights and antennae to a two-and-a-bit year old is like waving a red rag in front of a bull, or thumbing your nose at Fate.  Neither of which will result in smiles and pats on the back for the brainiac who thought it would be a good idea.

What to do, what to do, what to do.  The first small thing makes me happy but gives me cause for thought.

The next small thing was actually things - a set of little boxes that I found today, which are reasonable quality at a reasonable price.  I know.  I had almost given up on that possibility.  I will give them internal cardboard bases just to give them a bit of protection from the undoubted hard life they will suffer at the hands of one rough and ready little girl.  Now all I need is a few more and we will be well supplied for any and all toy or activity storage requirements.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="The White Boxes"][/caption]

A practical small thing came from a quick trip to Warehouse Stationery (thank you Clare for the pointer) when a beautiful pair of apple green toddler scissors joined our household.  I really like these, they are a vast improvement over our small round-end scissors that I have been using with her.  The primary improvement is the fact that she can put all of her fingers in the bottom handle instead of only two or three.  Other things I like are the fact that these came with a sheath made out of rubber (supposedly an eraser - but who would use it?), they are ambidextrous so her penchant for cutting left-handed will not be hampered, the handles are that rubberised plastic stuff so they should be fairly forgiving on her hands while she's learning the opening motion and, of course, the bright green is aesthetically appealing.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="The Green Scissors"][/caption]

Then there is the stash of small goodies that I purchased a few weekends ago, but didn't have the camera available to show you.  Just to refresh your memory, I wrote about the shopping expedition a little while ago.  The items that came home then were all small things, and they certainly made me very happy.
Here, finally, is a photograph of that little haul.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="The Shopping Stash"][/caption]

Are there any small things in your life making you happy just now?

Amazing Cakes - Updated

Courtesy of a friend, (thanks Marc), I have this link to share with you.

It sends you to another set of amazing cakes, this time with a theme.  They are steampunk inspired.

Oh, and this blog aptly called Cake Wrecks also provides a bit of a culinary laugh at the expense of cake decorators.
If you've ever had or seen a professional cake blooper, then this is the blog for you.
There are some amazingly bad cakes that someone, somewhere has thought they could charge for.

Wishful thinking...

Holidays.
It's fair to say that I could do with one.
Master Oh Waily has been an absolute gem in pretty much every way.  He's got a great nature, like his big sister, and not much seems to phase him.  He is even courteous enough to sleep an hour at a time only during daytime hours, while through the night he has managed a minimum of 3 to 4 hours almost from the very first.  We are now lucky enough to enjoy anywhere up to seven hours of night time sleep.  This is great but still a little bit inconsistent.  And it still means waking up anywhere between 2am and 4am for an early morning food stop.

What all this sleep talk means is... I am over the lack of it.
With a toddler running rings around me during the day, an afternoon nanna nap is just not possible and if you know me, then you know I like my sleep - preferably nine hours a night if I can get it.
I am not getting anywhere near that, at least not in one long peaceful stretch.  So now I'm hanging out for a holiday.  Christmas will be the first stop on that journey, but since it is "the silly season" there is only a minimum chance of an actual extended rest.  Then there is the joy of being your own boss... sounds good until you're the ones on call through Christmas and New Year.  "Silent Night"... maybe by Christmas, maybe not.  There will be no breath-holding by Ms Oh Waily on that score.

This all leads to the very nice conclusion that a holiday must and will be booked to take the misery out of next winter.  It has been done.  The Oh Wailys and grandparents (aka as babysitters) are booked for a holiday in June.  There are many reason why this is so.  Here are a few of them:

1. Doesn't interfere with enjoying (fingers crossed) a lovely summer at home while Master OWW is still small.


2. Doesn't interfere with our No.1 customer's service schedule (don't change it, please).


3. Master Oh Waily will be a good age to deal with the travel and enjoy the destination.


4. Master Oh Waily may be walking (if he follows in his sister's footsteps) by then.


5. June can be totally miserable here and no one needs to live with SADs.


6. Fiji should be warm and inviting, but not frying and drying (hopefully).

So, here is my homage to our destination.  And a bit of a perk-me-up as I look forward to floating in the pool, eating out at nice restaurants, maybe even snorkeling again and possibly splashing out on a visit to either the Mandara Spa or the Heavenly Spa.
After all, "I'm worth it".

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Where I plan to float"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="Where I plan to lounge"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Visit where we were married"][/caption]

Although frankly, the white picket fence does nothing for me, and I am so glad that it was much more "rustic" when we had our wedding here. A nice Fijian garden with local plants and a beautiful woven archway. Much nicer than the frou-frou white fence !! See if you agree...

[caption id="attachment_1596" align="alignnone" width="405" caption="An Oh Waily Wedding Snapshot"][/caption]

Ahhhh, just looking at those photographs and thinking about Fiji is making me feel all relaxed and goofy already.  Swim-up bars (which I may even be able to visit by June), warm weather, warm swimming pool, nothing "to do" but lie around and read a good book or two, a bit of retail therapy at the Port and maybe even an iced coffee at one of the new eateries. Oh I am looking forward to it, I REALLY REALLY am.

Now all I need is for the Commodore and our government to calm down a bit and play like nice children in the Oceanic sandpit.  Not that Suva is on our travel itinerary, and Nadi is only if you can be bothered, want cheaper souvenirs or a visit to the local open air food market.  Personally, after this many visits, I'm going for the peace and quiet and pool and to do nothing.  Oh I can't wait to be back riding on the Bula Bus.

Beads and Chenille Sticks

What's next on the activity menu you may be asking yourself?

This activity came from a couple of different blogs that I follow, and can be themed as per this version by My Montessori Journey. My version is a plain one for introducing the skill, but come Christmas we may look to make a proper bead bracelet or necklace with seasonal beads.

***

Beading

First you take a trip to your local Spotlight, craft store or anywhere you are likely to find beads and chenille sticks (aka pipe cleaners).  Then you find a container to put them all in or on and off you go.  You now have a fine motor control activity for your little one.  Miss O is now nearly 27 months old and she had no trouble with this, other than the clear beads that I cunningly purchased for their large holes turned out to be slightly less easy to see for a toddler.  It took a few goes, but in the end she was able to see the holes in the end.  In the photos that follow she is predominantly using the slightly smaller wooden beads that I also purchased at Spotlight.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="The Starting Bowl"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="Beading In Action"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="More Beading"][/caption]

The natural hazards of this activity are: spillage and choking.
One teaches the life skill of tidying up after yourself.  The other requires first aid knowledge.  Introduce the activity when your risk profile suggests only the first hazard is likely.

Now, a bit of further musing on what the Oh Waily household is doing.

Courtesy of finding and reading The Wonder Years blog and this post, we have also had a snack cupboard operating for the past couple of months, mostly with great success.  I fill it with an appropriate amount of foodstuffs for between meals and Miss O can stop and eat whenever she wants.  Currently this means things like raisins, crackers, small sandwiches, some fruit (bananas are a favourite) and her drink bottles.  The only drawback so far has been Miss O requesting "Mummy put X in cupboard PLEASE" loudly and repeatedly, whenever she scoffs all of the favourite item of the day.  Conveniently she ignores the remaining good and available items.  Ah such cheek.  She'll be fine on the assertiveness front.

NaBloPoMo by accident?

I'm not officially participating in this year's traditional NaBloPoMo month, but it seems that I am currently in possession of enough things to say that I am almost doing so by serendipity.  Most of what I have to say seems to revolve around Little Miss Oh Waily at the moment.  I imagine that this could be starting to bore you by now, so I do promise to diversify my ramblings away from No.1 child and into other areas.
In the meantime, however, here is another of my activity posts along with some general comments on this whole Montessori idea in our house.

***

Language Skills: Magnetic letters

This was something I threw together using the magnetic letters Little Miss received for a birthday or Christmas past, the computer and a laminator.   It is really just a variation on her wooden alphabet puzzle, you know the sort of thing you can pick up at any toy store.  This version continues to encourage her to recognise the letter shapes and where in the order of the alphabet they come.  In addition to this and unlike the wooden puzzle, Miss O has to use much more fine motor control to line up the letters successfully without knocking over its neighbours.

The first time we did this Miss O struggled to find the letters on the printed sheet.  My guess is that she was finding the alteration of letter placement between this sheet and her wooden puzzle to be difficult to adjust to.  That didn't last very long and within two more attempts she was more than happy finding the letters.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="The Blank Sheet"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="Getting Under Way"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="A Bit Further On"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="All Done All Finished"][/caption]

Now the angle of the N and the O are really down to me.  Or rather, my choice of font.  The typeface N is considerably wider than the magnet N and so is the O.  I'm guessing that this is why Little Miss tends to do this with these letters.  Meaning I need to overhaul the font on the sheet so she stops thinking Ns lie on their sides.  Other than that, she does a pretty good job - even if she has to take drink breaks towards the end.

***

Since this entry is so full of pictures, I will only briefly write about why I am interested in the idea of taking the Montessori route and why I am doing these activities.

Montessori appeals to me primarily because it aims to and claims to encourage independence and a love of learning, among other things.  I want my kids to have a love of learning, a love of reading, a love of the outdoors and to be physically competent.  A lot of what I have read, so far, suggests that following Maria Montessori's ideas could promote most (or all) of these things.  What I am not sure of, is what sort of standards the local preschools and schools set.  I simply haven't had the time to visit them to find out.  And, there isn't that much choice as far as I can tell.   So in the meantime, while Little Miss is still under 3, I have decided to instigate some ideas that follow the spirit of what I have read and continue to read about.

As a starting point to doing this at home I cannot recommend Tim Seldin's book How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way enough.  It has beautiful images and simple ideas that can be implemented in any home and at just about any budget.  You really don't have to spend a fortune.  In fact, I'd say you could save yourself a fair amount of money not buying toys your kids only play with once or twice.  Or worse yet, sit gathering dust in a corner while the box it came in becomes the best and most favourite toy for the next month.  Personally, I'm over that waste of time and money.  Not that I have anything against the boxes, of course. ;-)
Oh, and I am all keen and happy to go with his idea that a beautiful and orderly home is a good thing to promote to your child.  Hence our new shoes in the corner rule, games / activities back on the shelf before starting a new one, and a little bit of good quality kiddie art in her activity corner (a cross-stitch bear my Mum made).

I could ramble on, but this post has already stretched itself out, so I will keep my long list of observations for more November non-participating NaBloPoMo Month blog posts so you don't get completely fed up all at once.

The Cutting Activity again

We currently have my Mum's camera on loan so I took advantage of that to snap some overdue photographs of Miss Oh Waily doing her activities.

The first of these is the cutting activity with scissors that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.  In the intervening time I have managed to refine how we go about doing this.  We started off in my original effort by snipping the edges of a sheet of paper, with me holding the paper and Little Miss working the scissors.  Since that first effort, we have gained a bit more control over the scissors so today we moved on to snipping small strips of paper.  And more importantly the paper and scissors were both under Miss Oh Waily's control.
This led to the occasional difficulty with holding the paper at the right angle for the scissors instead of turning the scissors in order to cut the wonky angled paper.  Still, with a bit of guidance we managed to get everything under control and here are the photographs to prove it.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="On Your Marks"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="Get Set"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="Go"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="All Done All Finished"][/caption]

And as if that great show of skill and control wasn't enough, I even managed to have Miss Oh Waily help pick up the small snipped paper and put it into the rubbish bin.  Will wonders never cease.
Maybe it is the beginning of the end of "Mummy do it" whenever I make requests for help cleaning up.
I know, dreams are free.

Verbal quirks

This shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it did.

My verbal quirks when speaking to my two month old baby are apparently very odd.
At least, they are odd when you hear them reflected back at you through the mouth of a two year old toddler talking to her teddy bear.

It seems that one of my baby settling verbal quirks is "Ah, my boy" repeated ad nauseum in an attempt to bore him into becoming quiet.  It's certainly an eye-opener having a little mimic in the house.  Not only am I getting to see what I say, but also what I do.  And my list of areas requiring self-improvement has suddenly grown in leaps and bounds.

Not only do children spot a hypocrite a mile off, they apparently are relentless in showing us our follies in other areas too.  I'm sure I will have to save them all up and write a post entitled "The Things My Toddler Taught Me About Myself".

If anyone with a toddler or older is willing to share, I would love to know what your little one has taught you about yourself, so please feel free to leave a comment.