On Our Shelves...

First the disclaimer: I realize that I am not a trained Montessori instructor, nor am I as educated in the philosophy as I would like to be someday. This little experiment below, is my attempt at putting some of her theories into practice as best as I can, with the knowledge that I have and with the what my budget will allow. :) I am open to any suggestions or corrections, so that I can continue to learn how to put this into practice for my children.



By the generosity of my Mother-in-law and my Father-in-law, and the expert craftsmanship of my Brother-in-law, Rose Marie was given this shelf for her birthday! Isn't it beautiful! I was so excited, that I actually started to cry. I had been wanting a place for the kids to store their "works," in an organized fashion and that would allow them easy access to them. Up until this point, the works had been either in a large Tupperware box or a cabinet that wasn't very easy for them to get to. So here is our experiment with having our works easily accessible. I have to say, I was a little worried the very first day, but in the end, this bought me an entire half-hour of shower time, to myself, because the kids were so engrossed in what they were doing! Surprisingly, the area has stayed very clean and neat. I think they are getting the idea. :) We will see how long this lasts.

Here are the things we currently have on our new shelf. I know that they should be organized according to practical life/sensorial works, but due to space and age, I have simply separated the shelf as follows: Top shelf are for Rose's works only (mostly because only she can reach it!), middle shelf is for both Sam and Rose and bottom shelf is primarily Sam's but Rose still enjoys working with them as well, which is perfectly fine by me.

1) Weaving work: Both of the kids really enjoy this! I didn't take a very good photo of the entire work, but there is a little basket full of pretty ribbons and the children weave them through the wires to create different patterns. Rose Marie, in particular enjoys this. I can't remember now which blog I saw it on, but I meant to give credit to it. When I find it, I will post it here.



2) Bean Spooning: I think Sam could do this ALL day. He loves the sound the beans make when they go into the bowl. :)

3) Rose Marie's dropper work: She is doing better with this. Fine motor skills are still a bit of a challenge for her, so I thought this one would be a fun way to keep working on them. So far, she is enjoying it.

4) Rose Marie's Letters and Season matching game.

5) Sam's Dinosaur puzzle, animal matching and open close work:

6) Yep...all day! :) Very happy little man.