The Kavanaugh Report

There are so many amazing ways to prepare your older children for the birth of a new sibling. With my due date creeping closer and closer, I have started bringing out our pregnancy related books again. I had these out right after we told the kids I was pregnant too, but now things are feeling a lot more real to them and for me! 
Here's a look at the books we have been using with our kids to help them understand pregnancy, birth, and new babies. This is by no means an exhaustive list of books that could be introduced, it's just what we have been using. 
This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.  Pregnancy and Birth  Waiting for Baby: This book is very simple and cute. It's perfect for a toddler that might not have a huge capacity for understanding pregnancy. 
Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born: This book is amazing. It shows true to size images of the baby at different stages of development. The story is simple enough for a toddler, but includes additional informa…

I've been seeing a lot of A-Z guides around lately, and thought it might be fun to do a Montessori themed one. Instead of doing definitions, I decided I would do some Montessori friendly activities that matched with each letter. These are are just the first things that came to my mind for each letter, and is not meant to be an exhaustive list of potential Montessori friendly toys or activities.


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All ages are approximate, and will depend on your own individual child! 
A is for Apple washing (and cutting)  You'll need: a bowl with some water, an apple, an apple slicer, cutting board, and serving plate.To do: Wash the apple in the bowl, you can cut it horizontally (if necessary), and then have your toddler slice and serve.  Ages: 14 months+ B is for Ball Tracker  You'll need: a ball tracker of some sort! There are lots of tracking toy options. Look for one that is simple and child led, without noises or lights. To do: Simply …

Yesterday, I got sucked into some cleaning in my living room. It had been a difficult day - first week of new routines for summer break always is - and I was sort of checked out of all my parenting duties. I heard chatter of the children in the back yard and assumed Gus was with the big kids. But, when I went into the kitchen to start dinner, I stumbled upon a very quiet, concentrated Gus working with Henry's multiplication bead board. Obviously, he's not doing multiplication work, but to him his work was very very real. 
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When I walked in each of the little balls was in a spot, he accidentally knocked the multiplication board at one point so some came flying out. But, he kept on working, hardly even noticing that I had come in and started taking a few pictures. It was so interesting to me because it was such a striking example of the unconscious absorbent mind. 

See, Gus has never been shown how to do this work. But, he ha…

Big things are happening in our house right now with Nora. She is in the midst of a language explosion. And, I don't mean spoken language - but written language. At just under 5 years old, she has been sounding out words and doing some basic reading and writing for the last several months. But, all of a sudden there is an intense interest and seemingly endless energy for all things writing. 
The amazing thing is that this is all happening without a pencil and paper thanks to the wonderful Montessori movable alphabet. The movable alphabet material is quickly becoming one of my most favorite Montessori classics. It allows a child to write before their hand is ready to do all the work. Using the small alphabet tiles a child can string together words, sentences, and whole stories. Whereas, if Nora was asked to write a full sentence, it would take so much work for her that her ideas would be gone. (The physical act of writing is also worked on in Montessori, but as a different skill w…