Love this!
Fall Activity Time!
I just got through changing out some of the activities that hadn’t been touched in a few days. I added in some pinecone painting, leaf threading, and salt dough ornament making to the mix for some seasonal fun!
Our Area is Ready: Go Time!
I finally finished preparing our area last night. My daughter dropped to her knees when she saw all of the beautiful activities that were prepared for her this morning! After breakfast, she was so excited to wash the dishes that she asked me to bring more dishes! She washed every dish and piece of silverware for the whole family…45 minutes it took her and she enjoyed every second, making sure to scrub away every piece of food, rinsing, then carefully lining things up in the drain. After the dishes were done and her table was clean, it was time for some activities. She enjoyed the process of unrolling her rug and placing the trays on the stand. Animals/continents, color mixing, juicing, and planting and watering her Crocus bulbs were all hits today! I think we’re off to a great start!
Making progress!
I’m nearly finished setting up the area for Madeline! While I’ve been rearranging things and gathering supplies, I’ve been introducing activity trays to test out ideas and see where her interests lie. The more colorful the activity, the more interest she has in it, of course. The challenge for me now is to bring a little visual appeal to some of the activities she ignores. Of course, she can work at what appeals to her. I just want every tray to have a fighting chance!
What we’ve already accomplished: Our starting point.
Though our journey into starting our preschool years at home, Montessori-style, is just beginning, we have already implemented the philosophy of facilitating independence.
One thing that my daughter has always loved is watching and helping us cook. We knew she’d catch right on and get excited about gaining independence for mealtimes. At 18 months, we bought Madeline a table and chair set and a set of dishes, which we cleared out some cabinet space for.
As you might expect, this was an instant hit and she was excited to learn how to handle them properly, set her table, wash them (of course…water!), and put them away.
The next step was simple food preparation; spreading and slicing soft food. 
In addition to these things, she is proficient in most self-care and household tasks. At the age of 3 now, she’s become quite helpful. And she enjoys helping!
I will go into more detail about all of the skills she has mastered and how we helped her come as far as she has in her independence as time goes on. For now though, this is our starting point.
Starting My Journey Into Montessori Homeschooling!
I’m doing it. I’ve been reading books, blogs, Pintrest boards, magazines, and Facebook posts about Montessori education for the past 1.5 years and I’m finally ready to set up my shelves and assemble activity trays for my 3 year old daughter, Madeline.
I’ve already incorporated some Montessori aspects into our lives over the past 1.5 years. My daughter has her own cabinet in the kitchen for dishes, a table and chairs just her size, a small hamper and laundry basket, and many other things around the house that help her be independent. The shelves and activity trays are a natural next step for her!
Space is an issue in our house, as is our 10 month old son, so there will be plenty of workarounds that I’m sure some readers will find useful. Also, kids are expensive and money is already tight, so I will be doing this on a budget.
Thank you for reading and I hope you will join me on my adventure!
Reach for Montessori 