Montessori Principles

 



After doing a bit of reading and exploring Montessori principles on the internet we decided to make a few changes for Audra's benefit. THIS blog post over at MY HOMESCHOOL STYLE may be helpful to you, as well as THIS blog post at LIVING MONTESSORI NOW.

This is our home, not a school, and Audra is still a baby, so we decided to start with small and simple changes.  For openers, she had way, way too many toys here, and many of them were infant toys that she's been ignoring for quite awhile.

We got rid of the plastic toy box, thinned out the contents, and bought this toddler toy organizer which was an instant hit with her. You can buy these online for about $50 and they are easy to assemble.  I am not mechanically inclined but I assembled this myself in under an hour.  All you need is a philip's head screwdriver and a little patience.

 

Being avid readers ourselves, we wanted to get her a cozy reading chair.  We went for cheap with the toy organizer but wanted a chair that was a bit nicer.  We found this online at Rosenberryrooms.com, which carries better quality children's furniture.  Yes, their prices are a bit lofty, so watch for deals in the sales area.

 

You would not believe the quality of this simple little chair.  It is firm, yet comfy, not cheap foam that will lose its shape.  There's even side pockets to hold books.  It has a handle on the back to make it easy to carry from room-to-room so your toddler can sit with you.

 

We did order Audra a toddler table and chair set but she cannot yet get onto the chairs without assistance so we put it away for the time being.  Once she can sit comfortably and without assistance we will start introducing some of the Montessori activities for toddlers that we've read about online and in books.

 

With just the few changes we've made over the past few weeks I see a difference in her.  She is calmer when she's here and sits for longer and longer periods.  She watches me trying to keep the place picked up and will sometimes join me in putting toys and things away. She seems to be learning new words and signs at a faster rate than just a few weeks ago.

 

In the coming days I will write a product review for my favorite language-enhancing DVD.  Audra has learned a lot from it and I highly ecommend it.  Check back for details later.