The Kavanaugh Report

My kids go through phases of being really into block play and then phases of not. Right now, we seem to be in a block heavy phase again. I love watching them create with blocks, explore different ways to build, combine, and imagine with them. They are a great way to add pretend play to a Montessori home that is child-led and open ended.  Now, I'm no expert when it comes to block play. For that, I would recommend going to a checking out all the resources from Sami at Everyday with E and J  and her instagram for so much inspiration. But, sometimes it's helpful just to see what blocks make other people's collections - especially when it's not a huge collection of every kind of block.  Favorite Blocks in Our Montessori Home Again, this is not some extensive list of all the possibilities for blocks, not even close! This is just a look at our sets in a house with kids that like block play, but aren't obsessed with it. There are lots of possibilities when it comes to block...

Is Montessori really for babies? What did Montessori herself say about babies? Recently I had a post go viral on Instagram (come follow me there for a lot of real life, everyday fun) and one of the comments made me laugh a bit. See the post was about spills while offering a baby an open cup - the weaning cup - a quintessential Montessori babyhood thing. The comments went a little crazy, as they do on viral posts, but one stood out to me.  The comment, "Montessori was a preschool educator starting at age 2.5," highlighted a very common misconception about Montessori and the method itself. But, this myth remains pervasive in our culture. So often the word Montessori is slapped on products that have nothing to do with the method, and it makes people think it's just a marketing gimmick by companies. It's important to remember that Montessori is not exclusive to preschool, and talked extensively about babies under age 2.  3 Quotes from Maria Montessori on Babies for Paren...

One of my favorite parts of being a Montessori parent is preparing my environment to meet the needs of my children. It's been amazing to me that even small parts of our environment really need to change as my children move from the first plane of development to the second plane. In the elementary years, kids need more space, time, and tools to create big work. They are less concerned with order and precision, and more concerned with their big ideas.  In the early childhood years, everything in our environment is about order and access. That extends to the way we present art materials. Everything is organized and ready for our young children on small trays. The materials are all in one place ready to use. Ideally they aren't gathering too much around the environment and can get to work quickly as they feel called.  Organizing Art Supplies in the Second Plane of Development However, that all changes as children enter the second plane. They no longer need things to be organized e...

I'm so excited to finally introduce this project to the world - say hello to Joyful Seasons: Montessori Parenting, Everyday Inspiration, and Thoughtful Ideas to Nurture Every Season !  For years, I have wanted to create a publication that felt more inline with my everyday parenting experience. I wanted glimpses into what other Montessori parents were doing, lessons on what they have learned, and inspiration from their homes.  PURCHASE YOUR COPY HERE Blogs are wonderful, but they are scattered in a million different places. Pinterest is overwhelming, and other social media is too surface level. Nothing quite fit what I was looking for. I longed for the days of sitting on the couch browsing a magazine - something beautiful and quick, but also informative and impactful.  Dreaming up a Montessori Parenting Magazine While this has been a dream in my head for awhile, I finally made it a reality over the last couple of months. I reached out to some of my favorite Montessori cont...

Children are so fascinating for a lot of reasons! But one of the things that I find particularly fascinating about young children is all the different ways that they interact with the world. Play is an important part in how all children learn, explore, and master their environment. Maria Montessori was clear that a child's work is their play, and their play is their work. As Montessori parents we need to value how our children play and work to understand their play.  For me, an important part of understanding my children's play has come from learning more about play schema. Schema are a patterns of play that children use in order to understand the world around them. In very basic terms, play schema are "the how." How are children choosing to use materials? How are children processing their sensorial input? How are children exploring the materials in the environment? How are the children moving in the environment? Often play schema provide the answers to these question...

Time is a tricky concept for young children. This is especially for those in the first plane of development, that is under age 6. Often, time is just too abstract. Their days are numbered by the sun, by their routine, or by a familiar rhythm. They don't have a whole lot of time or attention for numbers on a calendar or clock. While this changes slowly as children get closer to the second plane of development and their powers for abstract thinking increase.  But, even understanding all of that, the world runs on clocks, calendars and schedules. And, as a Montessori family, I want to help orient my first plane children to our family's schedule. The reality is there are certain days of the month or week that are special. And, celebrating and honoring those days is for everyone!  How We Use Calendars with Our Young Montessori Children First, we want to make our discussions of time as concrete as possible for our young children. I don't just want to talk about numbers on a page,...