The Kavanaugh Report

You may have noticed things have ground to a halt around here. Well, there's been a good/big reason for that! 

I'm pregnant. 7w5d pregnant to be exact. Due December 10th. Given my history with recurrent pregnancy loss, being pregnant is a pretty nerve wracking thing so a lot of my normal activities have been pushed aside. 
There's also the fact that I'm on progesterone to support the pregnancy and that makes me feel like crap.

So, things are probably going to stay slow for awhile, at least until I'm out of the first trimester. I'll check in when I can!

Not too long ago, someone in a Montessori group I'm in asked if Montessori children ever smile. At first thought, I was kind of taken aback by the question. Of course Montessori children smile! But, then I thought about it. I think Montessori children are often pictured in those moments of intense concentration and work. They often have that stoic look that accompanies their work. But, there is so much Montessori silliness and joy! 

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This serious representation of Montessori children really is unfair. Because after that concentration, there is great joy. The joy that is seen when a child makes a discovery on their own with work that has been freely chosen is contagious. It can literally light up a room. 

So know that there is room for silliness in Montessori. There is room for imagination. There is room for smiles and joy! Even if its not shown all the time, it is there all the time. These flashes of wonderfulness that show you …

Henry, like a lot of little kids his age, loves space. I'm sure it has something to do with his love of star wars, but also, its just so cool! There are so many great ways to learn about space, astronomy and our place in it. Lately, we have been using these Montessori inspired space or earth sorting cards.

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We have studied space many times before and some of our space work has become a stable in our classroom. In particular, our DIY Solar System mat is a constant hit! And, I'm shocked how much knowledge Henry has acquired using it! Many of our other space themed trays have also come back on many occasions! 

Recently, I made a set of sorting cards for  him. These cards included a bunch of images of either objects in space or on Earth. It was then his job to sort which belonged to which. Henry very much enjoyed this task, but the sorting was not a challenge for him. And, I was shocked how many objects in space he could name wi…

Having a Montessori home means having a home that is as accessible as possible for your children and respecting that they can act freely within that environment. Nora is officially potty learning (potty training in Montessori speak) and as she is using the bathroom more, we've been making some changes to make our Montessori bathroom as accessible as possible. 

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This means we've been making a few changes from our last bathroom update. You'll noticed we ditched the glass since the kids now have access to those in the kitchen and have added lower features so they don't have to be dependent on the stool. 

Potty: Our potty is about the last object with eyes (that isn't meant to have them) in our house. But, it's one of those things that I don't want to replace for that reason, I just don't see the benefit for the cost. This one is more Montessori friendly. 

Books: Everyone Poops, Baby's Book of the Bod…

Picture-to-picture matching for Montessori toddlers is the last big category in the series of matching work for toddlers. I've noticed that this type of matching is what a lot of people try to jump to right away with toddlers. For that reason, it's pretty easy to find cards that can be used for this type of matching work all over the internet. Find Object-to-Object Matching Here; Object-to-Picture Matching Here It's also attractive because it doesn't require any objects, only matching cards. But, just because it is easy to prepare doesn't mean young toddlers are ready for this. 

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Like the other types of matching this work, this is a pre-reading skill that toddlers need. It helps toddlers learn to visually discriminate between objects, this time in a completely abstract way. There is no way to touch and feel the difference like with the other types of matching. This must be done entirely by sight. And, this really …