A new house and a new bedroom for S.

This past year has been one full of changes for S.  Many of you will remember S. as the child who inspired me to begin this blog.  His mother is a teacher at our school and is, at this very moment, waiting at home for the birth of her (very overdue) second child.

S. and his parents recently bought (and are renovating) a new home.  Here are some pictures of S.' s new bedroom.

The low Montessori-style bed and the set of drawers are the same as in the previous photos of S.'s room.  He can now open the drawers and select his own clothes.  As K. (Mum) mentioned, she puts only a couple of choices in each drawer in order not to overwhelm S. while giving him the freedom and independence of deciding which clothes he'd like to wear.  I also love how low the window is.  S. can easily look outside any time he wishes.

His belongings are set out on a shelf where he has easy access to them.  (It should be noted that these pictures were taken just after the room was put together. The cord to the CD player has since been secured to the back of the shelf unit.)  A couple of cheerful pictures have been hung at S.'s eye level and the space is not overly decorated or accessorized. 

In addition to the set of drawers in the room, there are hooks on one of the walls to facilitate S. hanging up his towel, jacket, etc.  Notice how low the hooks are.  S. has no trouble reaching them at all.

And finally, here is a picture of S. and his baby doll. A lovely way to help prepare a child for a new brother or sister.

 

Thanks, K.!

A Montessori baby gets a little older.........

We've been sent some new pictures from S.'s Mom. 

This first picture is something that many of us have been discussing.  Once the child is able to move by himself that is exactly what he will do.....especially at nap time!  I'm not sure what the solution is but I'll do some more reading and ask a few questions and discuss what I find in a future post.

This next photo is of S. in his high chair.  The initial cost of these chairs is quite high but the investment is worth it because the chair grows with the child.  The beauty of this type of high chair is that it allows the child to be pulled right up to the table facilitating more participation in family life.

Here's a link to more info. about this type of chair.

Lastly, here is a picture of M. banging on a tambourine.  This sort of activity is essential to the development of a young child.  Not only is he refining his fine and gross motor skills while making that lovely sound, he is also developing his sense of rhythm and, if Mom and Dad join in, is discovering how much fun music can be. 

Note the cushions behind him. If he falls over, he won't hurt himself but, more importantly, they don't hem him in. Watching a child learning how to move (and they do this from birth) and then bunging him into a playpen the minute he can get himself from room to room throws up huge obstacles in his developmental path and can be immensely frustrating to that young child.  Now before I sound too holier-than-thou,  I tried a play pen with my oldest thinking it would help me in some of the household chores.  Wrong!  He was so upset that I soon abandoned the thing and did any chores with him in a sling or backpack. When he was older, he was usually right beside me helping.

Rock on, S.!

At home with S. and his parents

Last year, one of our teachers left us to start a family.  Being a Montessori teacher, she and her partner are committed to raising their children within the philosophy.  I shared photos of the baby's room with our Parenting Class and someone mentioned that I should post them on the blog.  We've all seen pictures of  Finn's room,  so, with the family's permission, here are some pictures of S.'s room.  Enjoy!

 The black and white mobile is develop- mentally appropriate and provides visual stimulation.

(See here for more information.)

A mirror attached to the wall beside his bed is so much more interesting than a blank wall.  It gives him another view of his room and lets him see his reflection.  The idea is that the child will begin to connect the movement his body makes with the movements happening in his mirrored reflection.

Another view of the room before the mirror was hung.  Note the low pictures on the wall.  When S. was old enough to lift his head, these gave him another point of interest in the room.  Both the mobiles and the pictures are changed frequently.

Now he's old enough to grasp his soft blocks and lift his head.  In the background is the chest of drawers that his Mom designed and his Dad built just for him. Mom said "I will only keep 3 or 4 choices of shirts, pants, sweaters, in each drawer so that S. can easily choose something to wear and not be overwhelmed with the task of getting dressed."