If you get me talking about Montessori, it can be like opening up Pandora’s box. I could go on and on about the brilliance of Maria Montessori and her work. I could tell you countless stories about children who have changed and blossomed before my very eyes. I could tell you about the transformation I went through when I went to Montessori training and what it’s brought to my life. If you want to know more about those things, let’s sit down with some coffee - we may need a couple of hours.
For me, Montessori is not just a trendy buzz word, or a cool way to teach children, but rather a way of life. If you ask my husband he could probably tell you countless stories of me justifying purchases, making changes in our home, and parenting choices with Montessori. I talk the talk, but I also walk the walk, and I thought I’d share with you a few examples of how we do Montessori in our home.
Back in April my family and I sold our home, and moved into an apartment temporarily. We downsized 2000 sq. ft and added a new family member all within a few short weeks. Adjustment doesn’t even begin to describe the experience, however I have worked hard to create a space that works for our family. It was and still is extremely important to me to honor my children’s needs. I wanted our apartment to feel like home to them, and I wanted my children to feel able and empowered as much as they could be.
Play Area
This is my children’s’ play area. It’s in the main living space so that they could do their work in the same place that my husband and I do ours. It’s small, but it does the job.
Activity Mat
This is my youngest son’s (6 months) activity mat. Underneath the blanket is a foam mattress pad cut in half. He spent many hours here playing with the activity gym, and watching himself in the mirror. His older siblings even enjoyed laying on the mat with him.
Toy storage
This is how we keep our toys. Just like we change out the shelves in Practical Life at school, I rotate the toys on their shelf (almost) monthly. This keeps things interesting for them, as well as tidy and under control for us. What I find most wonderful about rotating toys is how the play changes. Once we bring something back out that has been put away for a long time new discoveries are made, almost as if it was a brand new toy again.
Shelf space is limited for us so we get creative. Our window sills are just the right height and offer great opportunities in practicing order.
Art Station
This is the children’s’ art station. The drawers are organized with small bins. Inside there is tape, scissors, markers, colored pencils, crayons, water color paint, paint brushes, and envelopes. They are free to use any of these materials at any time.
Darby and Hewitt’s Room
Darby and Hewitt share a bedroom, sort of. They sleep in the same bedroom at night, but during the day they nap in separate rooms. I needed to create a space that called out to both of them but met both of their needs. Darby sleeps on the top because she is older and can climb up and down the ladder on her own. Hewitt sleeps on the bottom because this is where he can independently get in and out of his bed. On their bed there is only a fitted sheet and a down throw - this is so they can manage their covers on their own, and in an ideal world make their own beds.
This is a shelf in their room where some of their toys are kept. Again, there are things here for both children that are accessible all the time.
This is another shelf that contains a few more toys and some of their books. I personally think there are too many books on this shelf, and would recommend fewer books, rotated more frequently.
Hewitt and Pierce share bedroom as well, sort of. Pierce sleeps in here in the night, and takes his morning nap in here. In the afternoon he sleeps on our bed and Hewitt sleeps in here during nap time. There is no crib, just a mattress on the floor. On top of the mattress is a sheepskin that Pierce sleeps on. This is by far one of my most favorite Montessori discoveries. It keeps him warm when it’s cold, and cool when it’s hot, but most importantly it provides stability for him. No matter where we move the sheepskin, Pierce feels at home. I love it so much I even purchased a second one for his daycare.
This is the shelf in Hewitt and Pierce’s room. (There’s an empty space on the shelf there cuz someone was playing with the big truck that belongs there when I was taking pictures.) The items on this shelf are mostly for Hewitt. In time when Pierce is moving about more we will have toys for him there too.
This is Darby and Hewitt’s table. They sit here for snack, and lunch, and sometimes breakfast. We have a peace flower that is kept here and it most definitely get’s used. On the table also is our Time Timer. I love this timer, we use it to help us get ready in the morning, and to get ready for bed. It’s a wonderful tool that helps keep us from nagging and saying things like, “1 more minute!” because the kids can clearly see how much time is left.
Throwing Target
This is Hewitt’s throwing target. For a while when he was frustrated he would throw things like toys, or shoes, or whatever he could find that was near him. I was committed to taking cues from him, following him, but also needed to guide his behavior in a more positive and acceptable manner. Brilliantly, Ms. Kelly made him a throwing target. It’s felt wrapped around the plastic insert of a picture frame. The balls are ping pong balls with sticky velcro dots all over them. Hewitt loved it, and it allowed him to throw things in an acceptable way.
Shoe Rack
This is where my kids keep their shoes. They can find them when they need them In this picture you can also see their coats hanging. We installed a low set of hooks so that they could have access to their jackets on their own.
I hope this has given you some ideas on how to incorporate more Montessori ideas into your home. Once we move into our new home I will share some more ideas and changes we made to bring Montessori home. I’m more than happy to share more ideas and help guide you if you want to make some changes but don’t know where to start, however we may have to begin by sitting down with some coffee.