DIY: Montessori Helper Platform
Image courtesy anawhite
Oh, I wish I were married to a wood-worker!
I would love to be able to say, “Baby, we really need ______. Will you build it for us?”
Like this handy helper platform. This type of furniture is very Montessori, since we try to involve children in the everyday activities of adults as often as possible. And they are super-expensive to purchase. They are especially useful for letting children help in the kitchen.
This DIY version looks awesome!
6 Comments
Anonymous
It is going to take up half of your kitchen. Turn a chair around backwards and stand the kid on it. If they're 18 months or so, it will work….they might fall once, but not after that.
No need for specialized stuff.
Sarah
I think this is great and could be a really fun DIY project for you and Matt to do together.
And although this is not my place to say…@anonymous…this is a blog by someone who believes in the Montessori way of raising children. If you don't like it then don't read it. Your comments over the past few days seem vindictive. You might not use Montessori, but some people do. I don't have children but enjoy reading this blog and getting ideas for "someday".
Christin
I LOVE this idea!! I have a 2 month old and I love reading the montessori ideas on here!! Where I live there isn't a lot of montessori training or people who are knowledgeable about the methods, so I have to glean all I can from blogs like yours and books!!
Beth
The Learning Tower (the name of our brand) was expensive, but one of the BEST things we have ever purchased. We bought it when our first child was about 18 months old and it has been taking up huge amounts of space ever since! Both of my kids love it and use it for so many things. When they were really young, they would stand next to me at the counter and play cook for hours. They did create huge messes, but were safe and infinitely entertained. They also love to eat standing up next to it. Most mornings during the school year they will eat their breakfast on the platform while I get their lunches together. They also scoot it all over the place and they have developed their own systems. For example: scoot over to cabinet, get out cup, open refrigerator, scoot learning tower over, climb in, get water. The tower has helped them become very independent, even if bulky. They have never once hurt themselves using it, unlike the step ladder I use. I agree with the poster that it is big and DOES take up a lot of space, but my kids are now 4 and 3 and really love to still use it. We bought ours, but many people I know got them free or cheap through freecycle or craig's list.
Anonymous
Why not wish *you* were a wood-worker, rather than being married to one?! 🙂
MacKenzie
We have plans to make that same tower soon. I thought I had more time but our little girl is 13 months old but already ready for it. I've used a chair a few times so she can help me rinse things at the sink and she loves it, but has no concept of the danger of walking off the edge.