Are you thinking of adding a painting easel in your home? Or are you frustrated with the amount of space the easel takes up in your house? Many of the easels designed for children are bright, garish colors, plastic, and oversized. Who wants that as a centerpiece in you family space? Today we want to share an alternative to an art easel in your home. Children love to paint and draw, and giving them a large surface to do so…
I have been speaking with many clients lately about sensorial clutter. We see the piles of papers or the over crowding of furniture, but we often miss the clash of sounds, different lighting, and over crowding of shelves and wall space. Young children don’t miss these things. They unconsciously absorb it. They are not able to filter out clutter like adults can. We will all be taking a break from work in the next few days. I challenge you to…
In my Family Friendly Interiors work, I often encounter families who want to create a playroom just for the children. When I hear this, I strongly urge them to reconsider. A room designated just for toys often goes unused. Children like to be where the action is. They like to be around their parents, even if they are playing parallel to their parents, they like to be near. Humans are social animals and we enjoy company. Rather than a playroom,…
It is wonderful to see how many families are embracing Montessori philosophy and bringing it into there homes. There are many blogs by moms about how this is working for them, some Montessori trained, some self-educated, and all with a unique point-of-view to share. One key element to consider when bringing Montessori home is the prepared environment. The environment is its own “teacher/guide” for children. It is through living in a prepared environment that children learn. Each environment they experience becomes…
I love to cook, bake, eat…but when it comes to packing lunches for school, I feel like I’m always at a loss. I don’t know if it’s the pressure of creating a balanced, tasty, yet convenient lunch that will travel well and not need too much refrigeration or if its the little part of me that hurts inside when I use a prepackaged food item because I was just not prepared enough or creative enough? I’m sure some of you can relate….
My career as an educator started many years ago in a toddler classroom. I had yet to get my Montessori training, but I was doing my best to understand what I was to do and why the children were doing what they were doing. I remember the lead teacher explaining to me that I was to get each child to sit down by themselves and work with one activity at a time. In a class where the children just seemed…
One way to create the perfect space to inspire concentrated play for your child is to have the right table and chairs. This is an important feature that can not be overlooked. It is difficult to purchase and item knowing that your child is just going to outgrow it. However, it is important to keep in mind that the correct size table and chair will support your child’s natural intellectual and movement development, just like the correct size of shoes…