The Kavanaugh Report

It's been really interesting to watch my three oldest children dive into reading and writing work. While they have all attended a Montessori kindergarten, they have all taken wildly different paths when it comes to language work. And supporting their reading and writing skills here at home have meant that I have had to adapt to those specific paths. 

If you walk into my house at any given moment there's a pretty good chance that Penelope is going to be on top of one of the children's tables. She seems to have an describable desire to climb and sit high up. As with all babies, her drive to follow her developmental path is so strong. As a Montessori parent, my job is to sit back and watch that development unfold while upholding the boundaries necessary to keep her safe. 

Children are amazing. They have all these powers to soak in the environment around them like a sponge. They learn to talk, walk, run, and negotiate all without adults needing to do much instruction. For most kids, these are skills they will learn simply by watching the people around them. That is incredible. We adults, and even older children, do not have these abilities. 

Growing up I used to think math was really boring. It's all problems, and no real life fun. And I think that was a product of having math only be something that was ever used, seen, or talked about in my home in the context of "did you finish your math homework?" But, why should other subjects get all the fun? Math is real life, math is interesting, and math can be fun.  In an effort to help my children fall in love with math and numbers, I've used some Montessori friendly math books here at home. Teddy, at 3.5, is suddenly super into counting and numbers. As we have become more intentional about introducing numbers, math books are once again having a moment here. So, I thought I would share a few of our favorite books about numbers.  Counting Books for Older Toddlers and Younger Preschoolers I do not personally introduce counting books to my babies and younger toddlers. I know there are lots out there on the market, but I find them to be too abstract to really spark

This week on our Montessori parenting podcast... Elementary-aged children have big plans and big ideas! It is the work of the second plane child to act on these ideas and as Montessori parents we need to scaffold their success. In this week's episode Nicole and Amy share some of their joy and frustration in supporting their second plane, upper elementary kids when those big ideas come up at the last minute. 

This five kids and holidays thing really makes me feel like I'm falling behind each year! But, with a couple weeks left before Easter, I'm finally putting together all of the things I'll be putting in our Montessori friendly Easter baskets this year.  Like I've said before, Easter is mostly a religious holiday for us. We celebrate with baskets to share our joy in the day, but we don't do huge amounts of things. We want a little excitement for the gift that is Easter but mostly we are focused on our religious celebration.  Here's what I decided to go with this year in our Montessori kids' Easter baskets:  Easter Basket for Young Toddler/Older Baby  Penelope will be 14-months-old at Easter. We are keeping her basket nice and simple since she really doesn't know what's going on.  Lovevery Felt Flowers (I found these used by themselves) Rain! Board Book Felt Pom Poms for her Eggs Easter Basket for Older Toddler/Young Preschooler Teddy will be 3.5-years-

As I think about life lately, I realize that an important shift has occurred - Teddy is no longer really a tiny toddler. I think he really has started to make the shift from unconscious absorber of the environment to a conscious participant working to prepare himself for life.  From the outside looking in, sometimes Montessori homes can look like our days are spent just working on academic work, or constantly trying to learn or do something. But, really, what do 3-year-olds do all day in a Montessori home? 

This week on our Montessori parenting podcast -  In this week's episode, Nicole is chatting with her husband, Morgan, about Montessori parenting. As parents we share how we believe Montessori has influenced our parenting styles, our relationships, and how we have grown together alongside our children. This week, we answer some listener questions and talk about everything from children's sports, to colicky babies and how we make time for date night.  Show Notes... Being a Parenting Team (With Morgan Kavanaugh)   Dyson V11 Azul Royal Visit 2 Player Games for Adults The Age of Rudeness   Thanks for joining me for today's podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share and leave a review in your favorite podcast app.  If you are interested in finding Shelf Help in a podcast app, it is available on  Apple  |  Spotify  |  Stitcher  |  Google  |  Amazon .   *Shelf Help now includes  automated ad breaks. We do have control over the content of the ads and do n

Over the last several years, I've become deeply passionate about natural gross motor development. I'm fascinated by watching babies learn to move without external support - from baby equipment or parental intervention (like propping to sit.) Over the last few months, Penelope has been perfecting her gross motor skills in many ways including pulling to stand. Pulling to stand is just another gross motor skill that most babies are fully capable of learning without any help. 

Easter is just around the corner and I'm starting to think about Easter baskets and the egg hunt. This year, I'm going to have a young toddler at Easter for the first time in awhile. Penelope won't be ready to eat more than maybe a tiny treat. So, I'm preparing some Montessori friendly non-candy filler for Easter Eggs and baskets. I think there are a few great options so that she feels part of the action but the activity remains as developmentally appropriate as possible. 

This week on our Montessori parenting podcast... There are so many things to think about, decide, and hold in our heads as a parent. This week Nicole and Amy are shedding some light on the invisible labor of being a Montessori parent. We explore some general examples along with some Montessori specific examples of this work.  We also discuss how this mental load effects us and how we balance this labor with meeting our own needs. 

One of my absolute favorite parts about Montessori education is the maths curriculum. From preschool through elementary, Montessori math is pure genius. Learning about Montessori math has deepened my own understanding of mathematical concepts which is so cool. And, as I've learned, it's been very cool to use Montessori to introduce numbers and quantity to my own children.