Montessori Inspired Kicthen

So here's Zires kitchen space, set up for him to clearly see what he can use to move about in the kitchen for himself. We are open about him building independence throughout our home with safe and appropriate boundaries. He has his plates, bowls, cups, a step stool and more at his reach. This space has been awesome for him, he can serve himself a snack and be able to clean up after himself.

Benefits:

- He feels so confident when he pours himself and us glass of water.

- Learns coordinating what he needs to do to accomplish a task.

- Practices grace and courtesy! He loves to serve our guest and his friends snacks and juice when they come over.

Montessori-inspired space

So this is one side of Zire's Montessori inspired room. I wanted to make sure he had a place to come and feel inspired to creatively express himself through play and art. I find myself just wanting to hang out with him in his room many times, the environment calls my inner child out to play too. It also reminds me to keep introducing him to new arts and craft projects and play ideas. 

The area that he's sitting is were all his building toys are, I also incorporated a mirror inspired by the Emilia Reggio philosophy. The purpose of the mirror is to enhance his play inquiry it allows him to see his lego and other toys from more than one dimension, cool concept right?!.  The other area along the wall is his arts and craft area. There he has the essentials color pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, papers, paint, stamps and a couple of other fun things. 

Most of the times he usually takes what he needs and comes to the living room or the kitchen to do his crafts or play because he likes company, and thats A ok. The point is that when he's inspired to play or do art, it is accessible for him to independently get what he needs at any time.

What do you see?

We see a baby laying down looking at pictures. The baby sees dimensions, contrast, lines, textures, and shapes. Learning is in session!

Thanks Jen for sharing this beautiful picture of baby London! chatterboxjenn.blogspot.com

Beans and play dough?

Heres a simple number activity for your little ones to do at home.

Steps:

1. Write a number on a sheet of paper with a black maker. Try to use one sheet of paper per number for visual clarity.Make about 3-5 numbers before starting. 

2. Show your little how to shape the play dough to the number then place it over the outlined number on the paper. Work on one number at a time, this is great for strengthening fine motor skills and number recognition. 

3. Count the number of beans then place them under the paper to represent the quantity .

We worked on tens but this can most certainly work for any smaller or bigger numbers. For example, ages 3-4 you can start with numbers 0-9, then keep on going!

Happy counting!