"What is Montessori?" 2.0 - Practical Living

If you have heard of Montessori, you probably know some terminology.  One of the more frequent terms is "practical life," referring to a set of materials and exercises in the primary and toddler classrooms.  It is one of the more difficult areas for a parent to grasp,  and one of the more important areas for a child to master.  So, why is it there?

Dr. Montessori observed that the daily activities- ones that we as adults see as a chore, are the most beneficial, crucial, and most interesting activities for a child.  The fundamentals of taking care of oneself, the immediate environment and the greater one, cooking, cleaning, moving, not moving, the basic "how to's" are what a child craved.  These activities not only mimicked adult movements but they also had a deep history that was part of the human culture as we evolved to becoming independent.  What was once in a home, became obsolete as people moved into cities.  Over the past century it has only become worse as more and more "conveniences" in the form of electronics and technology have become part of our everyday living.  It helps an adult become more efficient, but it denies the child the opportunity to learn the fundamentals.  Practical Life, therefore, is one of the most important areas and is one of the first areas introduced to a child in the classroom.

What about the home?  In a home, until recently, all that was available to a child was practical life exercises.  If we allow our children to participate in the daily tasks of maintaining and assisting in the home and family life, we give them the opportunity to master these skills.  From eating by themselves, changing their own clothes, helping with dishes or laundry, folding clothes, making the bed, etc, a child masters his own body and is able to function in a mini-society.

As these things are fully available to every child, and for the most part free, somehow, this is still denied, belittled, or seen as a hindrance to the adult's pace of living, or as a potential hazard.  Instead, cognitive activities, flash cards, electronics, and other such "task oriented" things are placed before the child believing it will aid the child's development far greater than simple home chores.  As challenging as it is to incorporate the pace of the child, if we see it as a benefit to them rather than a hindrance to us, we can approach this with a better view and attitude.  All research new and 100 years ago points to the benefits of working with the hand.  So, before we give them something for their minds, let's give it to their hands, as this is the only and most important way it will embed in their minds.


I had meant for this to be a post of images, but alas I got carried away with text.  So, instead of going on, here are some of our daily activities which are not given as lessons, but as part of everyday living.

For more check out kids in the kitchen, and Road to Independence. 
Also, check out The Full Montessori's post on how to LIVE Montessori.  She does an excellent job explaining the developmental planes a child is going through at the 0-6 stage. 

 gardening

 cooking

 saving seeds

 hanging up laundry- cleaning rags. 

 washing their muddy shoes

 washing dishes

 Lots and lots of gardening

 choosing, and packing their clothes and toys before a trip

  concentration

 helping put clothes in the washer

 loading the dishwasher

multi-tasking.  Cleaning and caring for friends.

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2 Year Old Makes Banana Bread

As it is evident from our Facebook page, we do a lot of cooking in this house.  And whenever possible we try to involve the children.  Sometimes, we cook specifically so that the children can make or have a chance at helping or cooking something they like. Most of these are filed under Kids in the kitchen. 

Today, after days of promising the children that we'd make banana bread, I decided to let the 2 year old get to it while the other one was at school.  I used a Better Homes recipe but did a lot of substituting.

For the most part, I have found that the children were drawn to real activities than specific toys.  Even though we have a "Montessori" type toys, the simple daily activities of cleaning, cooking, sweeping, folding clothes, etc are the most rewarding to them and the ones that give them purpose.  They enjoy stacking block and building puzzles but they would drop it in a moment if there was cooking involved.

Hope you're all enjoying the start of summer and find some time for more fun activities indoor and outdoor!

 Started off by letting her peel and break up the bananas (3).

 She used a potato masher but had trouble with it, so I got started and then let her finish up.

 I measured the flour and she dumped it into the bowl.  We substituted 1/2 cup walnut meal for flour.  She measured the baking soda and powder.

 She added the chocolate chips and got started mixing the wet and dry ingredients.  We lost about 1/4 cup of it in the process.  (see flour on right side of photo)

 After, why not treat ourselves to a little sanding sugar that never seems to get used.

 I realized it was a good pincer activity, but most of the sugar was in one spot- se la vie!

 And to finish up, there is the always required washing of the hands before and after.  They like to run to the bathroom for this. 

And finally while the bread is cooking and mom is on the computer, why not get some baking done in the play kitchen.  

The resulting loaf: a dense looking- amazing smelling, hopefully tasty banana bread.  It didn't rise quite as high and I'm assuming it's due to the walnut meal. 

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Dirty Hands, Big Mind: A Lesson in Gardening with Children

Recently, a friend emailed me and asked me to give her some ideas on setting up a gardening lesson.  I thought about it briefly but had a lot to share with her.  I figured it would also make for a good post.

There is one thing I'd like to highlight.  When you introduce a child to gardening be ready to get dirty.  Both the child and adult must get past any squeamishness and be ready to get their hands dirty.  Using tools and gloves will only distract the child from the most important lesson: DIRT.  Dirt aka soil is an essential ingredient in gardening (hydroponics aside).  Working with soil involves your hands and getting intimate with it.  You need to connect directly and develop a love for it.

Besides getting dirty, there is another very important and vital aspect to putting your hands in and getting them dirty.  This is a sensory experience that most people area lacking today.  The dexterity, fine and gross motor coordination that gardening requires will help a growing child's brain develop in so many ways. Dr. Montessori said, the hands are the instrument of the mind. Homunculus is the perfect image of the relationship of the hand and the brain and other ways in which our senses contribute to brain development.  

The same goes for the feet.  Keeping children in shoes all the time, even outside,voids them of the opportunity for the neural connections where the senses imprint minute details.  These area all important aspects of sensory integration. 

Some further reading and links:
Sensory Science: The Mind/ Body Link
The Absorbent Mind and the Sensitive Periods
Sensory Development and Integration for Babies and Toddlers
 I have always enjoyed this site below.
Zero to Three- Brain Map

Here is my suggestion for an activity or "lesson" in gardening:
- I'd suggest starting with this book How a Seed Grows.  It's a great "lesson" to help guide the kids.  Also, it has step by step instructions that the kids will understand on how to start a bean in an egg shell.  Make sure your shells are at least 3/4 instead of half.  If this is not possible, then collect toilet paper rolls tape paper on bottom and fill with dirt. If this too is too much, then have them collect yogurt cups and punch a few small holes in the bottom for the water to drain out.  You can also do a few extra so you can pull out and show them the roots and such, or grow them in a small plastic cup. 

-Start the bean seeds in the shells and water ever so little.  Best would be a spoon or dropper or small pitcher. Initial watering needs to be deep and thorough, soil should be moist all the way down. You can keep the shells in the carton too.  I suggest a bush bean variety over a vining one.  Blue Lake Bush beans and Yellow wax are good ones.  This way they also see that beans come in different colors. 

-Give this as a small group lesson.  It might be too much to keep doing individually.  It would be a good activity to have a mix of all 3 ages and so have 3 children.  It might be a little too challenging for the little ones so if you have 3 with you then you can have them guide each other.  I have done this with my girls by age 2, but that's only 1 child every 2 years :)  I also suggest putting down lots of newspaper on the table and having them use their hands and fingers to push down the dirt and seed.  The most important lesson you can give a child about gardening is that you need your hands to do it, and getting dirty is part of it.  Tools and such tend to distract them and they can loose focus.  Once the seeds start and you start to transplant, then you can introduce the tools.

-You will need at least 5-6 hours of warm sun for your seedlings.  If not, at least 3 hours and you can help them germinate faster with heat underneath or close by.  You can create a "greenhouse" by getting foil trays with a plastic dome, or buy one similar to that at Lowes or some other gardening/hardware store.  They can help the seed start.  It should take about 10 days max and then you can work on transplanting. 

-An "additional" exercise would be labeling the plants, so the children know what type of bean they grew, so each tray/carton is Blue Bush or Yellow Wax.  You can write their names directly on the egg/container in marker.

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Heirloom Tomato Seeds - and Kids

Starting heirloom tomato seeds is like having a child.  You tend to them daily, watch them grow, caring for them ever so lovingly.  Making sure they get the right nutrients, sun, and enough time outside.  You move them ever so gently and then, let them flourish on their own outside.  You give them the room to grow and bear their own fruit.  You are proud and happy to see them do well.

Yes, this is a bit excessive, but I am obsessed with tomatoes and my children.  We got started on both about the same time, so having my children involved in the process is even more dear to my heart.  I started 4 years ago with my oldest daughter, and yesterday with my second.  I love sharing this activity with them.  It's been a joy to see them as excited and interested and also developing a pallet for the varied and gorgeous tomatoes out there.

This year I did not buy new seeds from Tomatofest.  I love the huge variety they have the 90%  or more yield from the seeds.  It is a bit more work than going and picking up plants from the nursery, but it's so worth it. 

I look forward to updating and sharing how this years crop will do.  As I mentioned in my previous post, last years heat was disheartening for the tomato crop.  There is nothing remotely OCD about me, but when it comes to my tomato seeds, I'm over the top!

This year (so far) the varieties are:
Evergreen
Black from Tula
Cherokee Purple
Eva Purple Ball
Black Cherry (the most popular so far)
Candy's Old Yellow
Blondkopfchen
Belii Naliv
Moskovich
Golden Grape
Big Rainbow

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Using a utensil- practice activities.

The simplest act of using a utensil begins when we introduce solid food.  I started both my kids around 6 months.  I loved the IKEA play set which contained real spoons and dishes.  They were the perfect size for infant portions.  As the gained better motor coordination, I gave them one spoon to their hand and I fed with another.  Soon, as they developed their abilities they were able to eat on their own around 12-14 months.

The emphasis for utensils is cultural.  Dr. Montessori pointed out that we are a product of our time and place.  Where and when we are  shape who we are.  Forks and spoons are a huge part of the Western etiquette for proper social behavior and table manners.  As an adult, it is our responsibility to help our children learn these social norms to adapt into society.  Many other cultures, including my own, use their fingers or chopsticks for meals and many different etiquette are part of those cultures and social norms. Because of this, I have allowed my children to both learn to eat with their hands and utensils, we're only now considering introducing the chopsticks to the 4 year old who has shown a great interest in it.  I'm working on getting the starter set!


Another aspect of table manners is also washing your hands before and after meals, and sitting while eating.  These are often seen as unnecessary or something that will come later as the child grows older.  Unfortunately, this is not true.  It is far more challenging to change habits when we don't start early.  Using wipes to clean an infants hands continues and a child then waits with their hands outstretched for it to be done for them.  Instead simply carrying them and washing their hands under running water will be as effective.  (I hope to do a pots on Washing Hands soon).

When I was teaching I had a little boy who was almost 3 whose mother asked me if she could come in at lunch time to feed him. I explained that it would be best for him to learn to eat on his own and by being with his peers who varied in age he would adapt quickly.  She called me everyday for weeks to see how he was doing.  When I said he had a lot of trouble sitting down for the meal she asked me if I would hold him and feed him.  I explained this would be impossible and it would be unproductive to his development.  It took a long time for this little boy to adapt, mostly because he wasn't expected to do the same at home.  He was fed all meals either in a high chair, or dinner which was in front of the TV so he wouldn't walk around as much.

My point in this story, is that it is in the home that the child learns the most basic and vital life skills that will serve him for the rest of his life.  Taking a little extra time and effort in the early years will benefit them greatly when they reach adulthood.

I was told a few years ago by a very close friend that she felt ill equipped with carrying on simple things like cleaning and cooking and how to care for herself as an adult because most of her life her mother did everything and never asked that the children help out. (see Road to Independence)

In many ways, we have to let go of things being perfect all the time, or things being messy, or things not being done the way WE want.  It's not about us, it's about the child and what's best for their development.  The only thing that will be perfect is the joy the child will have when he knows he did something all by himself.

 In this "presentation" two similar bowls and a small spoon are set up as above.  I spooned all the peas from one bowl to the other very slowly so that she could see my movements.  Once I was done, I moved the bowls back from full on left and empty on right, and then moved the tray in front of her so she could carry on. 

 This is a lesson in the Primary classroom, it's usually for a child between 2 1/2 to 3.  My little one is just 2 but I was aware of her abilities and felt confident in giving this to her.

Towards the end, she ended up pouring the grains from bowl to bowl.  Depending on who you ask, some might say to stop the activity, but recently when I attended a refresher course, it was also pointed out that if the child is engaged and seems to be concentrating and "working" then we should allow them to go on.  If they are misusing by banging and throwing then there is no purpose and it would be wise to ask them to clean up.  As you can guess, after a while the peas ended up all over the table and floor and so it resulted in cleaning up.




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