The Kavanaugh Report

You know that I love natural gross motor development principles. I love watching infants unfold at the time and place that they are ready. Instead of moving babies for ourselves, we allow them to discover their bodies and in turn get to see all these amazing phases of development that are sometimes overlooked. Transitional positions , unique climbing challenges, different ways of discovering motion , and so much more. It's all there with natural gross motor development. And, it's all leading to one of the greatest feats of human design - walking.  Walking requires so many different skills at one time - everything from strength and coordination to balance. Children will reach this milestone at completely different times. For my kids, it's been a huge range. My oldest was solidly walking by 9-months-old, and Penelope didn't even start to attempt steps until 15-months. The rest were somewhere in between.  Montessori Baby: Phases of Walking There are so many beautiful littl

 In this week's Montessori parenting podcast... Have you ever felt a gut urge to just say "no" to your child without really stopping to think about why? In this episode, Nicole and Amy explore those feelings, what they mean for us for adults, and how to balance that need for control with our child's need to explore. Why do our children need to explore? How can we make that exploration possible while still balancing our own needs? This podcast dives deeply into exploration, control, and our response as prepared adults.  Show Notes... Sports in Our Montessori Homes Waldorf/Advent Stars Kite Paper Preparing the Environment for a Holiday   Thanks for joining me for today's podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share and leave a review in your favorite podcast app.  If you are interested in finding Shelf Help in a podcast app, it is available on  Apple  |  Spotify   |  Google  |  Amazon . *Shelf Help now includes  automated ad breaks. We do have

Over this past year, our family has been embarking on what we call "The Year of the Mississippi." It's been a series of trips, both local and travel, learning experiences, books, and more centered around the Mississippi River. For us, it's been an interesting way to bring Montessori cosmic education home and really explore deeply as a family.  You see we live near the Mississippi. There is hardly a day that goes by where we don't see the river. It shapes our everyday lives and yet, it is so much bigger than we are and extends so much farther than our children realized - not only geographically, but historically and culturally. It really was cosmic education in action.  Cosmic Education and Montessori Family Vacation In the elementary years, Montessori education is cosmic education. This is the belief that children of this age (ages 6-12) are deeply interested in seeing and knowing the bigger connections between themselves and the world around them. Nothing is lear

I love having a four-year-old! They are so sassy, sure of themselves, and fun. They are often past the stage of needing a ton of support in common tasks and are ready for longer and more structured activities. As a Montessori parent, I also know that 4 is still really little, and they need your guidance and often want your help and participation as they conquer the world around them. There are so many Montessori activities that a 4-year-old might be interested in. At our house, and in school, art is having a moment right now with Teddy. But, it recently struck me how different his art process looks these days compared to the toddler years .  Montessori Preschool: Art Activities at Home Montessori art in the preschool years is so many things! And, it is a joy to watch it all unfold.  Art in the preschool years is making choices :  What art medium am I going to choose? (Ted choose paint rolling) What colors will I use? ( Blue, purple, and yellow ) What tools? ( paint rollers  and large s

Toddlers are so attracted to so many different things in their worlds. For some of them, it's gross motor play, some it's sensory exploration, or for some it's more practical pursuits. For many young toddlers, artistic expression is high on that list. But, some parents can feel like they want to shy away from offering art to young toddlers for a variety of reasons.  Some might feel like it's too messy, or that the materials are going to be eaten or otherwise misused. While not every young toddler will have an interest in art, artistic expression work is a great way to help a toddler develop concentration, fine motor skills, and exercise their innate creativity. Penelope has been so into art work lately and it's taking up a lot of her work time.  Simple Tips for Art Work with Young Montessori Toddlers It's so cute watching her explore art materials and discover the things she can make. And I've really enjoyed creating some simple trays for her to explore. But

It's that time of year again! I can't believe how quickly the holidays come when you have five kids. I feel like we were just here discussing last years Montessori gift lists for my kids! I love taking some time to observe my children, figure out what we need, love and crafting these lists. This Montessori mom loves a good gift list to pass around, so feel free to share this if these interests fit with your own children!  If you need more inspiration don't miss: Ultimate Toy List Birth to 5 | Ultimate Toy List 6 -12 | 2023 Holiday Deals Page One note about this list this year, I have decided that these gift lists will not include my children who are age 12 and older. Once my kids hit the third plane of development, I will not be talking specifically about them any more.   Real Life Montessori Christmas Lists  Just as a reminder these are just their lists; putting it here doesn't mean that ultimately I will buy all of this stuff for them. Actual purchasing decisions de

With so many children in our family, it can be difficult to find thing that all of us can do together and enjoy. But, during the pandemic, we discovered the perfect activity to engage all of us - night walks! A night walk is super simple - just what it sounds, walking at night. It's a great way for familiar surroundings to feel unique, special, and fun. Being in the dark changes the whole dynamic of this simple Montessori friendly activity.  Why We Love Night Walks as a Montessori Family We were one hundred precent inspired by the book City Moon to start taking night walks back in 2020. At. that time, we made it six solid months of taking a walk each night before something came up and we stopped. Now, with regular busy life returning a bit more, we don't make it out every single night, but night walks are still something we enjoy.  We love night walks for a few reasons. One, it get's us outside, moving our bodies together. At night, our entire family is usually home. We ca

There are some truly unique small shops selling Montessori friendly toys, games, books, and materials. And, I love sharing these small shop finds with you and ordering a few things for my own kids too! Small shops support real people and families around the world, and spread so much joy. I wanted to take some time to share a few of my favorite finds from 2023. There's a little here for everyone.  Montessori Friendly Toys and Gifts to Love from Small Shops These items are things that caught my eye, or are from shops that I love. This list is just a taste of the great small shop offerings that exist today. I know there are many others with great options. If you have a shop you love, leave it in the comments for people to check out! For The Home Montessori friendly small shop finds for the home:  Brick Sorter : I love this for organizing and for play Storage Bookcase : What a great use of space Magnetic Wall Decal : Vertical play and art opportunities My Pouring Work Coffee Mug : just

In our Montessori home, potty learning is just another time of transition for our children. It's like moving from crawling to walking, babbling to talking, or any other slow learning process. So, I used the words potty learning hacks as a way to grab your attention, but I want to remind everyone that this is no three day, weekend thing.  But, I do think these are really good tips that have served me well in helping my five kids learn to use the toilet in a child-led, slow, and peaceful process. So here are my three potty learning hacks from a Montessori mom.

It's the season of holidays! In our home over the next few months we will celebrate Halloween, harvest celebrations, changing of the seasons, Christmas, New Year and Valentines Day. With all these seasonal celebrations, there's the potential to continuously be creating Montessori inspired activities and trays with my toddler and preschooler. And, guess what...I don't have time for that at all! HA! Instead, I have created a few simple seasonal activities and then I can simply make a few adjustments and it works for the next season. 

This week on our Montessori parenting podcast:  As parents to multiple neurodivergent children, Nicole and Morgan discuss how parenting with Montessori influences neurodivergent kids. We discuss a shift in our expectations toward our children, how we advocate for our children in schools, with therapists, or doctors. We finish by answering some listener questions about how we deal with specific situations.    I apologize that there are a few moments of buzzing here. Hopefully we will figure out the microphone issue next episode! Show Notes... Growing Together as Parents A Q&A with Morgan Being a Parenting Team with Morgan Kavanaugh Using a Capsule Wardrobe   Thanks for joining me for today's podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share and leave a review in your favorite podcast app.  If you are interested in finding Shelf Help in a podcast app, it is available on  Apple  |  Spotify   |  Google  |  Amazon . *Shelf Help now includes  automated ad breaks. We

The elementary years are some of the most amazing that your child will move through. From the ages of six to 12, your child will move through so many intense interests, stages, and forms. They are still deeply interested in play and hands on learning, but the topics can be nearly. endless. With so many choices for toys, it can be hard to know where to begin. So, I hope this ultimate list of toys will be helpful as your Montessori child enters the elementary years. 

Toddlers get a bad reputation. Chaos, clumsiness, or "terrible." When in reality, toddlers are little scientists walking through this world exploring all the different ways things work. They need loud, they need big movement, and they need fast. But, as a Montessori parent, I also know that they also need slow, they need precious, they need gentle, and they need real. Yes,  I'm saying we have to trust toddlers and that they can learn to be gentle. Trusting Your Toddler with Precious Things as a Montessori Parent So what do I mean when I say "precious things?" I mean things that are precious. They need to interact with animals and babies. They need to hold glass. They need to touch flowers and other fragile items. They have to have the opportunity to learn to refine their movements, make their touch gentle, and move more slowly. We have to show them respect, trust, and teach them.  This process will not look the same for every child. Some will learn that control

On our Montessori parenting podcast this week... Montessori classrooms are filled with beautiful materials to engage children and spark learning opportunities. But, if your children are going to school, do you really need to own these materials at home? In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy discuss some of the reasons you might consider owning Montessori materials and which to bring home. We also explore some reasons you might skip these materials altogether.  Show Notes... Mac and Squeeze Fidgets   Montessori Friendly Holiday Deals   Visual List of Deals Pros and Cons of Keeping Montessori Materials at Home Touching the Elementary Imagination Knobbed Cylinders Decanomial Bead Box Checker Board Beads Stamp Game Finger Charts Large Bead Frame Golden Beads The Beauty of Montessori Math Moveable Alphabet The Red Letter Alphabet Book Around the World from A to Z If You Were a Noun Book   Thanks for joining me for today's podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe