Welcome to a new section of THE BLOG!
When I first had kids, I read up on Montessori parenting philosophy and, to be honest, was not a fan. It seemed so organized and regimented: two things I most certainly am not. Also, maintaining some of the systems it promotes sounded impossible, especially when you have more than one kid at home.
So, in this section, I will be sharing with you the modified, Montessori(ish) things we do in our home that have been beneficial for us, but also realistic and sustainable.
Let me start with some background:
Both of my kids went to a Montessori school starting at 6 months old. When we first started looking for daycare, my husband and I were pretty stressed out about it. We both work relatively long hours, and Margot (my oldest and only at the time) would be spending all day with her teachers. I really wanted to find a place where she could learn, but also get a plenty of love and cuddles.
When we found our current school, we both fell in love right away. The principal’s biggest selling point was her Montessori-trained teachers, but what really won us over was the working vegetable garden, urban farm, and tiny classroom front porches where toddlers could hug their chickens goodbye before scampering back into their classrooms. You won’t be surprised to hear that we signed up immediately following the tour. A few days later, we met with the infant teacher, who handed us a thick book, and a big stack of papers, and asked us to “familiarize” ourselves with Montessori philosophy.
At this point, I remember turning to my husband and giving him that “how do we get out of this / we’re never going to have time to watch Bravo again” look. But, somehow, we both managed to skim the book, read a few of the pamphlets, and buy some basic, at-home Montessori supplies before Margot started school.
And then, something incredible happened: Margot began learning how to do very “grown up” things, at lightening speed. It seemed like every day when I picked her up from school, she had mastered a new skill.
One day, when she was probably six and a half months old, Margot’s teacher handed her to me over the fence and told me she had started using a cup.
“A what?” I asked, looking down at my daughter’s tiny, sausage-roll fingers.
“A cup,” the teacher repeated, in her teacher voice.
She told me that they had been giving Margot the cup for a few days, and that she was pretty proficient in it. She said that I should start giving Margot water in a cup (shot-glass-sized, preferably glass) with breakfast and dinner. I was incredulous. My daughter was pretty sloppy at nursing, which is literally the only thing she has been able to do since birth. No way she could use a cup.
But low and behold, that night, I threw her in her high-chair, handed her a shot glass full of water, and watched as she guzzled it down. When she was done, she gave me an almost “I-told-you-so” look and happily slammed the cup (but didn’t break it!) back onto her tray.
I was officially sold.
For the past three years, we have been trying our darndest to do at home as Margot’s teachers do at school. I have been so inspired by the work that her teachers do everyday, as well as the way kids respond to it, and am definitely a Montessori convert. However, there are some things that four teachers can do in a controlled classroom environment, that I can’t.
Thus, I give you “Montessori(ish),” which I like to think of as the “real mom’s guide” to doing Montessori the best you can, while hopefully allowing you to retain most of your sanity along the way.
I hope to touch on a few of my favorite topics, including toilet awareness, potty training (yes those are two separate things!), home life, self-feeding, and some of the academic stuff Margot and I are working right now in the midst of this wild Covid-19 home school adventure.
I’ll be starting next week with a little post on toilet awareness, so be sure to tune in if you have an under-two year old you want to prep for adventures in potty training.
Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments if you have a Montessori school or teacher you love too!
Montessori Books We Love: (Click to buy)
