The Kavanaugh Report

I love putting together a simple, fun Easter basket each Spring for my children. At Easter we are generally more focused on the religious aspects of the holiday, but we still like to play pretend with the Easter bunny, open some small gifts, and celebrate together. I hope these ideas inspire you but also give you permission to keep your Easter baskets simple but fun. Trying to find a few quality items that will bring joy can be a challenge, and I'm definitely running behind this year!  These choices are individual to my children so use them as inspiration. Think about things that will be appropriate for your children and meet both their developmental needs and interests.  Montessori Friendly Easter Basket for Older Toddler  This year Penelope is 3-years-old at Easter. She loves to create art, pretend play, and matching/sorting work. This year her Easter basket will include:  Cat Take Along Sketch Book  + Star Shaped Crayons Butterfly Umbrella Sort and Match Flow...

I always have a hard time with how to describe my newly 3-year-old children. They are sort of preschooler, sort of toddlers, but one-hundred percent unique. A new phase of development is upon, the second half of the first plane of development - the conscious absorbent mind. It's a new phase of deeper exploration and development of skills, of active participation within the environment, and the blossoming of their confidence.  While my-new 3-year-old still has several months before she will start Montessori preschool, I'm seeing so much growth in her that I would share some of the older toddler Montessori activities she's been gravitating toward over the last couple of months.   Fine Motor Control Activities I've observed that so much of Penelope's days are focused on developing fine motor skills. She loves working her little fingers and figuring out the best ways to move. She does this in many ways but some of her favorites include: Magnetic maze toys   Lacing card...

Young children, particularly those under the age of 6, are intensely interested in the world around them. They like to learn about all of the intricate and beautiful realities of the world. They like little details, understanding truth, and seeing the real. Therefore, as Montessori parents (and in Montessori classrooms) we tend to limit the use of fantasy and stick to reality.  However, this can become difficult when trying to pick materials for young children. Realistic books, puzzles, and art after often made "cute" for children. Cars have eyes, elephants are bright blue, animals talk, and the people are often commercialized characters. While there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, it can be nice to offer our children some beautiful and real images as well - and puzzles are a great way to do that.  Realistic Puzzle Options for Montessori Toddlers to use at Home While it takes a little bit of a hunt, there are many realistic puzzle options available for p...

There are so many incredible practical life opportunities available for toddlers. And one of the most interesting parts about having so many children has been seeing what each of my children gravitate towards. Some of been interested in cleaning tasks, some building tasks, and other's kitchen work. They really all have been quite unique. One fun practical work that Penelope has really gravitated towards lately has been making and drinking tea.  Now, I do not come from a culture of tea drinking. Tea is just a fun occasional treat for me and for my family. My thoughts here come from that perspective.  Tea for Toddlers in Our Montessori Home  There are a few reasons that I really enjoy offering tea for toddlers. One, it is a great lesson in patience. We don't use super hot water so it takes a bit longer for the tea to steep. It's good to use work that helps us all slow down, that requires some advanced planning and some waiting. The reward is always worth it. Two it's grea...

As Montessori parents, it's important to understand that we are the prepared adult within our homes. The prepared adult has a lot of responsibility in preparing the environment, setting limits, modeling for the children, and so much more. It's a role that felt pretty daunting to me at first. How was I supposed to be all of these extra things and also the primary caregiver for my children? And it took me a long time to really feel like I could own the role and feel comfortable in it.  I've been a Montessori parent now for 13-years (and a parent for almost 14.) And, while there is a lot of nuance to Montessori parenting, I wanted to share three considerations for anyone using Montessori in their parenting. While there are so many things a Montessori prepared adult can be doing, if you keep just these three things in mind, you'll be in a good position!  3 Daily Essentials for Montessori Parents to Consider  These three things really are essential to your role as a Montesso...