Montessori Home: LEGO Display and Storage

Lego has been having a moment in our house for the last several years. It's one of Henry's favorite things and one of the few toys left that he really uses at his age. Gus is also super into lego too, so I have a feeling these magical little toys aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I find it fascinating watching children play with lego. Some are builders, some are designers, some are really in it for the play. For us, the minifigures that come with the sets are more highly prized that anything....

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Montessori Baby: Floor Time at 3-Months-Old

In a blink and flash Penelope's newborn days are behind us! She's officially 3-months-old and really blossoming in so many new ways. Her schedule is getting more predictable and consistent. She is spending more of her day awake and alert. Less of her time is spent nursing or cat napping. It's always such an amazing thing to watch these sleepy newborns, discover the beauty of the world around them. ...

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Shelf Help S2 Ep 18 - Sibling Relationships from Birth

Welcoming a new baby is such an exciting time for you and for your older children. There are lots of feelings - both happy and negative - when a new baby comes into your home. In this episode, Nicole and Amy share their experiences with cultivating a relationship between babies and their older siblings including some practical tips to teach gentleness and responsibility. ...

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Storing and Saving Kids Art Work

All three of my bigger children could sit and do art for days, and days, and days. They seriously love to create. And, I love that about them. Their creative little minds and souls bring so much beauty into this world. However, with all this creation comes a lot of product - a book, a poster of cut up and glued scraps of paper, comic strips, and paintings. You take that times three or four kids and suddenly you have a huge pile of art. ...

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Shelf Help S2 Ep 17 - Navigating Sibling Relationships

It can be so beautiful watching your children develop relationships with one another as they grow. However, it's not always a peaceful process. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy discuss how Montessori influences their parenting decisions when it comes to sibling conflict, and challenges. We discuss how we strike a balance between giving them space and intervening. ...

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Hands Hands, Baby

Penelope has made a very important discovery this week. One that will change her life forever. Her hands! Over the years, as a Montessori parent, I've learned that some of the most important work I can do is observe my children's hands. From their first movements and reflective grasps to nimble little fingers sewing, the hands can give us so many clues about the kinds of work that our children need and want....

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Scavenger and Find It Games

My children could play board games all day, every day. There are very few days that go by where we aren't playing something. But lately, Gus has been getting into another type of game - I Spy. He's very family with the format of looking games after his experience with sound games at home and at school. But lately, he's really upped his game. ...

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