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Montessori Bread Recipe: Easy and Delicious!
I wanted to share my favorite Montessori Bread Recipe! I remember reading an article one time that was written by a mother who was committed to teaching her teenage son how to cook and do laundry before he went off to college. While I wholeheartedly agree that young adults should be prepared to take care of themselves, I believe that teaching independence, self care, and care of others should start much, much younger. In the Montessori tradition, these “Practice Life” activities start around 18 months of age.
Children learn so much from engaging in Practical Life activities. They build their focus and concentration, strengthen their fine- and gross-motor skills, learn … Read More
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Potty Training in a Montessori Way: Win a Free Book!
Potty training in a Montessori way is very different from the conventional approach. First, we use the adult words for everything as we support our children’s vocabulary development. So we call it a toilet instead of a potty.
Second, we call it “learning” rather than “training,” which sounds like semantics, but it actually highlights a conceptual difference. We don’t use rewards to train children; we set up an environment that allows them to teach themselves how to use the toilet.
Extrinsic rewards like stickers, candy, and other special treats work like magic, but, if overused, they can create children who are dependent upon adults in order to make good decisions. … Read More
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Montessori Topponcino: How and Why We Use It
I started this post a long time ago but never got around to finishing it during the newborn haze. Tate is now 10 months-old! Ten months ago, Henry was a toddler. He had the chubbiest cheeks and the sweetest toddler speak. Now he talks about astronauts. He also says things like “I’m up for the challenge” when I mention that he might want to switch his shoes to the proper feet. (As a side note I don’t normally tell him to fix his shoes, but we were getting ready to do something that seemed safer with his shoes on the right way.) But not too long ago, Tater was the … Read More
