Show me Montessori

Exploring Open Ended Toys- Shape Sorter - Using CUBOS Play

We recently tried CUBOS-lite, a beautiful and open-ended sorted toy that sparks the imagination! The cube is really lovely and made of soft wood, very easily to handle even for very small hands.

What I love is the the fine and simple design enables shape recognition, cause and effect, stacking, and a baby or a child learn how to open and close an object.



CUBOS are special. Made from Natural maple or Birch, and has a edible beeswax finish. You don't have to worry about a small child chewing on it. The wood earth-friendly, they have a warm texture and the shape is aesthetic. It really looks lovely in our shelf . Chanel is always playing with it!






“The CUBOS shape sorter is a great option for babies as soon as they can grasp objects. The inserts are carefully made with exact precision to ensure they do not pose any choking hazard to the child”

“CUBOS-lite provides hours of endless, open play where the imagination is the only limit!” Cubo Lite- Anson Wong

Our CUBOS as pictured is CUBOSplaycube. For Show Me Montessori readers get the 15% SHOWME15 here

 

 

 

Woodworking Children

  

It's been on my mind for a while to start Chanel with woodworking activities. Finally, during the School holidays we gathered a few tools to create some woodworking projects to encourage her imagination and creativity. Here are some ideas of how to do it at home!

 

 

Above and below Chanel  is creating a star pattern after hammering nails across.  

 

 

Here are a few tools we found for our woodworking projects:

• A Workbench
• Wooden Slice
• Screw driver
• Nails
• Small Hammer
• Hand saw
• screw driver
• cross head
• flat head
• chisel
• spanner
• hex key
• set square
• electric screw drivers
• heads flat head, cross head and hex
• vice

We used this box to storage the materials and we found this store useful for the others materials. 

  

The woodworking bench provides the potential to help children develop important skills in science, engineering, and mathematics and gain a sense of power, satisfaction and accomplishment so that they can shout, “I made this happen!”

 

 

 

There are many woodworking set in the market, however, I feel making our own kit was meaningful. We choose child-size but real tools and quality materials that really give us a sense of purpose.  

Woodworking activities include constructions, putting two blocks together using bolts, washers and wing nuts, using a screw driver to join two blocks of wood, building ladders, cars and many more.

At five years of age Chanel wants to experiment and create, and I would love to get to the point where she can plan, perhaps her own bookshelf design!.

 

 

Sports and Organizing

What sports activities you children do? We have been going to swimming since Chanel is a baby and this is the first time that she completed a self grooming and tidying cycle at the swimming pool. Showering, and getting all the swimming wear back in to place was really easy for her this time and I was happy to see her folding the towels and tidying completing the cycle. Those days of fun practise folding home made clothes squares, was here today, visible and tangible. Take a simple clothe square and make your child play and fold it , then suddenly you realise you have a grown up child who knows how to fold their own garments. 

 

What we are making - First week of December

 

 

We've had a few changes in our schedule the past few weeks and as now we are getting things settled, it is a good time to share what we have been up to this week. We unpacked our Christmas boxes from the attic to decorate the house. Red hats are already out!

 

"Dulce" was the only fish left after his parents passed away a few months ago. Since then we have added 11 more fish. A large family now that Chanel enjoys to feed. Whenever she is near the tank the fish gather all together near her. I definitely think fish and young children go great together.

 

 

Our indoor plants are growing and with them the love for Chanel to water and clean. Above Chanel is using a natural cotton bulb to clean each leaf. This work requires patience and teaches gentleness.

 

 

We picked up some Christmas decorations at our local store. Last year I would have placed them but Chanel this year took over to solve the puzzle. A child's mind and dexterity grow fast!

 

 

It is just a week left until Chanel's Nativity Show at Nursery. She will be singing a song. We worked hard together to make her Angel costume for the day. What I love of making our own costumes is the uniqueness of it, the thought of putting fabric and adorments together. There is also the fun a child has making their own designs. Taste is developed choosing the right fabrics as well as a great deal of patience to try it on again and again until is done!

 

 

 

I grew up with Nativity tradition and I am passing on this with love to Chanel. This is a peek of our setting this year. This time we used our Schleich Farm Animals collection acquired over the years. The white snow is pillow filler.

 

It is the first time we are using a Playmobil Advent Calendar a great set for kids from 3-9. Chanel loved building the cardboard setting and is enjoying opening a door each morning. We will be keeping the cardboard setting from the advent calendar so she can rebuild it again.

 

 

Last year we made our own with a gorgeous kit here. Still in use this year.

 

 

At our nearest local organic shop I spotted this vegan chocolate sugar free advent calendar, made with Xylitol. I believe advent calendars teach patience to children as they have to wait for the next door to open. However with this one Chanel will be challenged!

 

I'd love to hear what activities you are enjoying this week!

 

Building and Creativity Toys under our Christmas tree

I hope you are having a great time with family and friends over the Christmas holidays! We are back home from grandma's. Chanel has spent most of the day immersed in her presents. We have also been in the garden trying to install a new swing! Not easy as we don't have a big tree. The nicest thing between Christmas and New Years Day is that we can really slow down and take the time to enjoy our company and the lovely things we have around. Chanel's (2yrs and 10 months old) gifts this Christmas were a mix of building toys, creative toys, and physical activity toys. Here is my list of our favourite toys this Christmas.

1. Rainbow blocks Chanel loved these. She is using them to play in the sunlight from the windows, to learn about "how blue and yellow come together to make green" and to build houses, playgrounds with colourful designs. They're really fantastic.

2. Blocks units. These building sets are great to enhance a child's creativity, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving, while they can learn maths, and literacy. I am reading this book to learn more the basics of block playing and enrich Chanel's building time and block play experiences.

3. People Who Help Us Block Play Figures. What I love from this play set of figures is that it allows Chanel to freely experiment with building and creating a narrative. They are perfect for block play.

4. Kinetic Sand Box Set. The great thing about kinetic sand is that we can use it indoors in winter time. The sand sticks to itself but not skin and doesn’t mark clothing. We have fun playing with Play-doh but even more now that this one is sand.

Chanel also received presents from family including the most gorgeous Butterfly Garden Jigsaw. I thought she would be too young as it is aimed +4 but she managed to put all the butterfly pieces together. I was looking for a calendar to start teaching the seasons and days of the week, and we received a Calendar Clock Weather Seasons. This is a perfect wooden tool, and it has everything included. She was given a gorgeous flower press, and a new gardening set, a bucket, a new apron and gloves. Bookwise we love "My first Discovery series" and Chanel received Flowers, Weather and The Bee to keep building this fantastic collection. I couldn't resist to offer her a First Book of Trees. It will be a keeper for our nature walks. She can't stop hopping around with the Hopper and cracking nuts with this unusual Nutcracker. We had Christmas socks, games, treats and some character books that will be cherished and loved too.

We have a good selection here to encourage creativity at home with these toys, and now we can show Chanel all the possibilities that can be created with imagination.

We would love to hear about your favourite toys received at Christmas, or your favourite construction, creative or physical activity toys!

 

 

Gift ideas for a three year old

 

 

What kind of toys can parents select for their young child coming to age three? If you are looking for Christmas or birthdays gifts here is a list of gift ideas that would help a child to distinguish the real from the unreal world, to look for order in the world, and to understand categories and processes.

A three year-old child enjoys practical life activities and exploring in nature. Wouldn't you want to give your child the keys to discover the world? I have put thought into compiling this fun list! I hope you like it and find these ideas useful.

CD/Cassette Player. This is a good CD player. It is easy to use, and especially for a child. It can be used for example with a collection of CDs each with different composers.

Children's Dictionary We use this often. It has nice short entries which make it pretty clear what the meaning of a word is.

Bristle Blocks. These blocks are fantastic as children can really do architectural magic with them. If your kids have a brio train set, don't buy any of those expensive add-ons, get these instead - and you can build your own bridges / tunnels / stations / cities with them.

Bruder . Fantastic realistically models of trucks. We want them all.

Clothes Airer extend for first time washing activities. Chanel uses this often to hang her own clothes.

For exploring nature:

Wood Butterfly Net. Catch butterflies and more with 6-3/4-inch diameter net. Swing and reach easily with the wooden 15-inch handle. Learn about insects and other animal life outdoors while having fun

2 Way Insect Viewer Chanel has been meadow sweeping, and put the tiniest insects and spiders inside this viewer. She was fascinated watching it, and we often spend time in the garden hunting for different types of creepy crawlies.

Butterfly Garden We had this set at home. We had the opportunity to observe butterflies through every stage of their lifecycle. We observed five real caterpillars eat and grow to form their chrysalis and then emerge as Painted Lady butterflies. Chanel loved feeding the butterflies and then releasing them into the wild.

For discovery and exploration

AST Fastime 1 Stopwatch

Thermometer

Weather Station rain

Walkie Talkie

Flashlight

Measuring tape

To help your child to discover building and gardening.

Tool Belts and Kit

Garden Tools

Watering Can

Tap Tap Creative Art Set

Binoculars

Stethoscope

Science Kitchen

To develop rhythm in your child

Bongo drums set

Children at this age also enjoy playing with trains

Brio train these particular sets are lovely. Made in wood.

To build their literacy and vocabulary

Montessori: Letter Work

Map of World Parts We introduced this puzzle at two and I think it will be used for many years more.

I think it is a true gift to receive objects with purpose that help your child to have connection with others and develop an understanding of the world.

If you have a three year-old I would love to hear what they like and what they are playing with.

I love to bring you ideas of toys that give knowledge worth learning, as well as activities for playing that do not involve products. We need to give the opportunity for children to create for themselves. I will be putting some more ideas on my next posts.

Gorgeous Knitted Toys, Christmas Gift Ideas and Giveaway

 

 

I love gorgeous natural materials for children that are really beautiful. Here is Chanel grabbing a lovely knitted toy. She also hasn't been able to put down a bright knitted monkey that her grandmother gave to her. I see kids everywhere carrying their favourite stuffed animals and treasuring them. I also love knitted clothing and figures. When Chanel discovered the fantastic collection of knitted animals and toys that our friend Mariana had made, I had to take a picture of the latest additions and share it with you.

  

 

The soft balls above are especially good for infants. I love all the other designs, as they look so neat and realistic.

 

Knitted toys of natural materials are great for children. During these years of acute sensitivity, it is worth exposing your child to good art and beautiful objects. They can interact with them and use them for role play and be actively engaged. The balls for infants can help them to coordinate their fine and gross motor skills. I particularly love the scare craw above and the Christmas collection that would brighten any heart and house. Chanel loves many of her knitted animals. I have a long list in mind to order!

I have a give away for one Christmas knitted toy. To enter please visit Bolivia Clasica and come back to this blog post and leave a comment in the below comment section. We would love to hear about your views of this Charity's amazing project to support the learning of music for young children.

Please only one entry/comment per person. The give-away is open internationally and will close on 12 December 2015 at 9pm.

 

Mariana can make something really useful and really beautiful for you. To order and see all of her gorgeous knitted designs send an email to mariannacash@mac.com

Thank you for all of your comments. I know Mariana, and her daughter Ana Maria the founder of Bolivia Classic, appreciate all of your kind views and insights.

 

Gifts Ideas for a One Year Old

When a child turns one, she has discovered the capacity of her hands, can hold objects and is ready to move into the discovery of everyday objects in her environment. She is looking for toys that facilitate movement, and that stimulate her mental development. The materials and toys that I have included in this collection encourage a child of this age to be actively engaged, and also to develop sensorial knowledge of the world. You know I love to choose toys and materials that are made of natural materials, that provide valuable, sensorial experiences and stimulate a child's mental development.

Your child may be starting to walk. Toys that can be pulled and those with wheels are favourites at this stage. Stacking toys like Duplo and simple puzzles allows them to learn specific ways to use them. Each item here teaches a concept, and it has a purpose.

When creating spaces for your child's toys, it is a good idea to display them in accessible shelving and baskets for storage. This will allow them to learn and to maintain an organised environment for themselves. If you don't have a low shelf and storage baskets at home this may be a good time to get one.

Gliding Car

Pound roll and play

Wooden Rainbow Sound Blocks

Classic Baby Beads

Wood Building Blocks Set

Wheelybug

Sippy Bottle. Environmentally friendly

Lego Duplo Creative Play. Chanel is still making the most of this set at two years.

Percussion Triangle

Paddie Rider

Pull Along Duck

Shape Sorting Cube

First Crayons and Watercolour. The best crayons for toddlers

Jack In The Box

First table and chairs

Lolipop Hand Drum with Mallet. Instruments are great gifts to encourage a love of music from this age.

We have enjoyed the quality and functionality of all items here and Chanel is still using many of them at two. I believe it is great to receive gifts for your child that enhance her life in any way. I hope this list inspires your gifts ideas and can be useful to your child as it was to us.

 

Gift ideas toys for Babies Montessori

 

A baby from birth to one year is in the first sensitive period and is looking for new experiences. He learns to grasp, touch, turn balance, crawl and walk. He also becomes fascinated with the sensorial experiences taste, touch and smell. Infants don't need many toys in the early months. However, as they grow they need stimulation.

I have included a collection of toys and materials for babies and infants that are beautifully made and encourage their movement, imagination and can be actively engaged in one way or another.

An infant absorbs everything in the environment, and is aware of colours, patterns, textures, and sounds. We can foster from the early years an appreciation for beautiful things and cultivate a sense of order. Infants develop skills and talents influenced by their surroundings. Books with real animal illustrations, and pop-up toys allow them to learn by repetition. Toys should be rich in colour, and texture, and have a purpose. Clothing made in fine cotton allows the skin to breathe and allows them the freedom to move around and explore. If a baby has started to crawl, then soon he will be walking. Baby walkers will support his need to move around and it may be a good time to provide one.

Rattle Grasping Toy Star

Mini Rainbow Rolling Wheel.

Skwish

Owl Babies book is still a favourite of Chanel's at two years.

Baby Walker

Elave Baby Oil

Wooden Mobile

Pop-Up Toy is a fantastic toy for learning the colours and is fun to use.

Baby Brush

Glows in the dark - infants and toddlers love everything that glows in the dark.

Soft Body suit is a lifetime favourite.

It is a good idea to look for toys that engage a baby's mind and body. Home made toys or materials that can provided sensorial games and experiences like discovering music, teach primary or secondary colours. Try to find toys that support your baby's development, that are made of natural materials.

Chanel is reaching three years and her interests have developed. I am providing toys and materials that allow her to think, concentrate and complete a cycle of activity.

If you have any toys or materials that can be added to this list, it would be useful for everyone in the future. Please leave your ideas or any questions in the feed of this post.

 

Environmental play house that does more!

 

I love involving Chanel in every area in the home where she can use her creativity. Interior design is not an exception! Through the use of open-ended toys such cardboard, dolls, blocks, and art materials, children learn how to think and follow thoughts using their hands.

You know I love to include toys and games at home which bring educational benefits. See this recent post for an example.

We have recently included this great child-sized cardboard playhouse. Chanel has been wanting to decorate her own space. She has gradually incorporated leaves, plants, furniture, light, animals, books, clothes, and art. I can see the engagement and the innate creativity that is used and explored when using these materials.

 

Chanel used these stickers to place her name and other house features on the door.

By dressing up dolls and soft toys she is learning skills without knowing.

We have heard a few songs coming from her house. I think Chanel enjoys her own company.

Shadow animal lights are entrancing.

I love materials which make the child explore their own preferences. Our home is already decorated but needs improvements. Now she has her own to build, challenging her mind as she plays further!