Montessori Pick of the Day

Pop-Up Books You Can Make

Here are some ideas and links for making your own personal pop-up book.

-Look inside this book to get some ideas for a winter theme-

Cooking with Kids-Free Cookbook

Cooking and learning your ABC's has never been so easy and fun!

Use the print version on the left- side tool bar and print out this free Cooking with Kids Alphabet Cook Book

What is Your Child's Talent?  Take this quiz to find out!

Educational Pop up Books for Kids

I don't know of any child that isn't fascinated by pop-up books. In fact, keep the clear tape nearby to tape together the worn parts! This is a great way to show a child to be careful and gentle with books and the folded art. These books are great for kids age 4 and older.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs folded dinosaurs seem to lurch out when you turn the page. I love the dinosaur with its jaw snapped open! The bright colors of the 3 dimensional folded dinos are beautiful.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica Sharks and Other Sea Monsters is the companion to the previous book. Who wouldn't love sharks snapping at you while you read about them?

Plush Nativity for Kids

For Christmas everything was hands on for my kids. Our ornaments were either soft, plush homemade items or beautiful carved wooden shapes. My children learned at a very young age to take ornaments off the Christmas tree to touch them, look at them, or even walk around holding them. Eventually they would carefully and lovingly put them back on the tree.

We have a carved, wooden nativity set that is beautifully painted. I put it on a low table for children to touch, look at, and enjoy. It gives them such joy to be able to touch the meaning of Christmas.

My children would find small wooden blocks and add to the scene. They made beautiful displays everyday!

During your holiday season it's very Montessori to have everything touchable. I stayed away from frail glass blubs, they just break too easily and have dangerous sharp glass slivers.

Here are some Montessori type Christmas ideas:

I love this plush nativity or creche-even the smallest toddler can touch and hold this!

 

This soft cuddly Mary and Baby Jesus is always appealing to young children age 3 and up.

Here is an easy to make creche or nativity using cardboard tubes!

Cooperative Board Games

Board games are one of my favorite types of educational activities to do with children. Cooperative games encourage working together which helps with communication skills, thinking and strategy concepts, and are just plain fun.

Here are some cooperative games to play with your kids.

This game is for ages 6 through 9.

Thomas & Friends ABC is a great game for preschool through age 6. Children can team together to play this game. It helps with taking turns, reading, and much more.

Any game can be a cooperative game, just play in teams of 2 or 3. It's a great way to show good sportsmanship. It doesn't matter if you win or loose, only if you enjoy playing the game.

Buying Toys for Your Child

It's that time of year when toys are on the minds of parents and of course of your children. When buying toys for your child, consider these two questions. What type of toys does your child like? Does it reflect your child's interests and talents?

I've been reading Dr. Mario Montessori, Dr. Maria Montessori's grandson, about "Fantasy and Reality in Children's Games", I thought I'd share some of his thoughts and quotes.

I think one of the most controversial aspects about Montessori during my training and teaching was the notion that Montessori classrooms lacked freedom, creativity, and fantasy play. It seems like the criticism of Montessori depends on the most "recent" discovery of our time.

Dr. Mario Montessori writes- "In the past the Montessori school critics believed that the children were allowed to do whatever they pleased and as a result played freely all day.Today's critics believe the contrary: that in a school applying her system, the children are compelled to do only what Maria Montessori allowed, thereby having no free play." He goes on to say that early childhood schools were almost unheard of when Dr. Maria Montessori started her method. Wealthy families had a nursery and a nanny to separate their children from the adult world. He goes on to describe the toys at that time- "The toys one could buy were generally beautiful and ingenious but not sufficiently adapted to the child's developmental needs. Toy manufacturers were inspired mainly by 'child that is the man' In other words, the creation of toys was determined by the adult's reaction to them rather than by their suitability for the child in his play activity. The adult considered child's play to be an aspect of infantile expression rather than the very important fundamental expression of man's behavior during the first stage of his development. Maria Montessori, on the other hand addressed the child with respect for his  personality. She studied the child within his own world... she let herself be guided by the spontaneous reactions or expressions of the child. For this reason she began offering the children all the toys available, all the ones she believed would please them. She also gave them some new materials,however, such as those which are used today in Montessori schools. It soon became apparent that the children preferred the new materials to the ordinary toys."

Montessori gave the children what we would call educational toys. The toys I gave my children were puzzles, sewing kits, knitting needles and yarn, tool kits, baking kits, garden tools, telescopes, microscopes, art supplies, candle making supplies, small sewing machine, green house kit, and so on. They loved the "real" things for gifts.
Any toy or item that is suited to your child's personality is a great Montessori "toy".

 

Here are some different types of toys I bought for my kids.

Free Thanksgiving Books

Print off some of these coloring pages to keep your young guests entertained during the long holiday festivities. You'll be thankful for your happy kids!

Thanksgiving Coloring Pages 1

Thanksgiving Coloring Pages 2

For older kids it is fun to make your own custom book to read at Thanksgiving.

Make Your Own Thanksgiving Book

Thanksgiving Story

Explaining the Thanksgiving story is easy to do. Books for  preschool and grade school children are a hit if they are well illustrated and written.

This book puts together the  Pilgrim story simply, but has great detail and illustrations.

Thankfulness is easy for preschool children to understand. This book has beautiful illlustrations and things that we all are simply thankful for.

This book is informative and reinforces the alphabet too!

First Books

Montessori introduced real books to preschool children. My children loved books about reality when they were 18 months old to age 3 1/2. They enjoyed books about animals

Touch and feel books are great interactive and sensorial books to read to baby. Your child can use the sense of touch, hearing, and sight to make reading an enriching hands on experience.

These are about real animals with a tactile experience of touching as well. Pick out books that have a connection for your child. For example, if you have a kitten at home a kitten book will be a big hit with your child.

Pat the Bunny  helps a toddler follow directions and explore other sensory experiences, which will keep any active child's attention. Play peekaboo in the mirror, feel daddy's rough whiskers, and much more. It's true, "You can do lots of things, too."

Picture Dictionaries

Picture dictionaries are a good investment. They make a great first picture book for older babies and toddlers.  Later, your preschool child can look up a word by looking at the picture. It's a great way to learn how to spell words by just looking at the pictures!. Many picture dictionaries have definitions and parts of speech and grammar for elementary aged kids.

Here are some examples of picture dictionaries-