The Kavanaugh Report

"What should I buy my child? What are your favorite wooden toys? We are buying more Montessori toys, what should I get? My child's birthday is coming up..."
I see these types of questions in Montessori circles all the time. And, I'm asked these questions all the time. The emphasis placed on things in our culture can sometimes make these the easy questions to ask. And, honestly, the easy question to answer. But, there is SO much more to being a Montessori parent than wooden toys and tiny furniture. But, this "stuff" is harder to "get."  
There are so many other things that Montessori parents can give their children, and for me one of the most important -- yet, hardest -- is time. There is so little time in all of our lives. So many distractions, so many activities, so many things, so many expectations. Time is scarce. 
But, time, is essential.


They need time to explore freely. As babies and toddlers to explore their environment and the natural world…

"A child, more than anyone else, is a spontaneous observer of nature." - Maria Montessori 
We live in an inner-ring suburb of a major metropolitan area, so "nature" may not be the first thing that comes to mind when in our home. Nevertheless, nature is all around us. And, I'm determined to make it a part of our children's lives. I recently set out to create a very simple nature table in our home to bring a little slice of nature a little bit closer to home. 

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The table itself is very simple! It's just the top of an existing shelf in our toddler play area. I started with a glass vase {a pretty old pop bottle that is both sturdy and replaceable} with some fresh flower clippings from our yard. Then, I added our new discovery boxes. These simple boxes can be opened and closed to contain a variety of treasures. I asked the kids to look for things they wanted to place in the boxes. So far they have found a d…

Development of the senses is an important part of Montessori learning. Through a variety of sensorial work, children in a Montessori classroom are given the incredible opportunity to refine their senses. The sensorial work is pure genius and, I think, is really lacking in other educational environments. Whether its the pink tower, pressure cylinders or tasting work, children are given the opportunity to isolate and focus on their senses. They are given the space to figure out how the natural world works in relation to their body -- seriously incredible stuff.  

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I'm a big believer that this wonder and amazement does not need to be left only to the classroom. And, therefore, sensory play is a big part of our lives -- starting when my children are young. I'm always looking for interesting and engaging ways to incorporate new sensory play into our routine. Even for infants and toddlers, these experiences can be very rewarding. 
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Wow, somehow I'm already 15 weeks 16 weeks 17 weeks pregnant. I started writing this when I was nearly 16 weeks and now I'm more than 17 weeks, I guess time flies when you have 2 children, a couple dogs and a million things to do. Sorry about your 12 week update 3.0, missed that one completely. 
Thankfully, life is starting to get better after the fog and awfulness that was my 1st trimester. I was really sick until about 12 weeks when I could finally stop taking the progesterone. But, it's still been a slow return back to feeling good. I had good days and bad ones until about 14 weeks when I think I finally turned the corner for good. 
Right now I'm still waiting for that magical 2nd trimester energy to return. I'm not quite as tired as I was but still life is a struggle to stay awake. Otherwise, I'm feeling pretty good. Heartburn is starting to creep in and so is the swelling in the heat.


One unusual thing has been the baby's movement. With both Henry and…

A couple of months ago, we received the most wonderful letter in the mail. Henry had won a lottery spot at a public Montessori school near our home. The school had been a struggling traditional elementary school that is converting to all Montessori starting last year. When we first heard about the switch we were elated but knew it was going to be tough to win a spot since, although it is close to our house, it is technically a different school district. With no Montessori options in our district, this was our only chance at Montessori through elementary school.  

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Thankfully, with the relative newness of the school they had funds available to open multiple Children's House level rooms (grades pre-K and kindergarten equivalents). And, with some luck Henry got a spot. So he will officially start at a Montessori school this fall and can stay there until 5th grade (or two years into upper elementary in Montessori terms). It also mea…