My Favorite Things

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Because the school is closed for the week, I am unable to showcase a Montessori-inspired cooking activity; therefore, I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite things...

Monti Kids is my all time favorite place to get beautiful Montessori toys. Not only do I love their natural and safe toys, but I also am also a huge fan of their educational tutorial videos that provide you with information on how to present the toys to your child to maximize their learning and development. 

The toy timelines are so helpful!

Living Montessori is my dear friend Lisa's blog. Not only is she AMI trained and works as a Lead Toddler teacher, but she is also a mother to a beautiful six month old girl. She shares her knowledge of Montessori theory, as well as her first hand experience raising a child using Montessori techniques. Her blog is an amazingly helpful resource!

Toilet Awareness by Sarah Moudry is my go-to book for parents who are thinking of beginning the toilet learning process with their child. I always hand out copies of these books to my students' families. The pictures in the book serve as great inspiration when setting up your home to support your child's path to toilet independence. 

Simply Real Foods Market is a great option for those who want to eat organic and Non-GMO products. I cannot wait to use their organic honey in our baking activities! One of the many reasons why I love this company: the natural, organic, and Non-GMO foods are delivered right to your home, and you don't need a membership! 

I love this article because it delves into the difficult process of gaining your child's cooperation without using the word "no." Working in the classroom, we try to eliminate the use of the word no. This can be difficult, as it seems as though we are hard-wired to respond using "no." With a little practice and knowledge of different ways to respond to your child's needs, you can support your child's growth and development while also gaining their cooperation!

Making Orange Juice

Juicing is one of my favorite activities to set up for children. When squeezing oranges, children ignite the use of so many senses: sight (the color of oranges can vary so much!), taste (sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter!), touch (the texture is so interesting for a young child!), smell (who doesn't love the smell of fresh oranges?), and hearing (think about the sounds an orange makes when being squeezed!).

You will need:

1. Many oranges (I like to cut them in half beforehand)
2. A container to hold the oranges 
3. A juicer (you can find many versions of the one in the above picture. Remember, the more simple, the better, as this will allow your child to be more involved in the process)
4. A small cup (please use real glass cups with your child. They are capable!)
5. A tray to keep the materials organized (your child is in a sensitive period for order, this organization helps to support it)

It is important to have the items placed in order that they will be used from left to right. This is a precursor for literacy, as children learn to work from left to right.

Remember my student Luke who enjoyed making the sun-dried tomato and feta cheese muffins? He also loves the juicing activity!

To begin with, I present Luke with the opportunity to make orange juice and invite him to get a glass from the shelf. Moving slowly to allow Luke the opportunity to analyze my movements, I take one orange, place it on top of the juicer and squeeze while turning, emphasizing my interest in the fact that juice is being made. I put the orange back into the bowl, pick up the juicer, and very slowly pour it into the glass. I then ask Luke to try the juice I have made and invite him to continue working. 

When showing your child this activity, squeezing the juice from the fruit is an important point of interest.

This activity supports the development of coordinated movements.

What is my favorite thing about this activity? Watching a child reap the benefits of their hard work as they enjoy a fresh glass of orange juice!

You can start supporting the development of your child's coordinated movements at a very young age. The kits that Monti Kids offers are my favorite, as they also come with education videos explaining how to introduce each toy to your child!

Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cheese Muffins

I am clearly going through a muffin obsession. I really enjoy observing a child practice their hand-eye coordination and support the development of their fine motor skills when they transfer the batter with a spoon into the small holes of a muffin tin!

 

Transferring from a mixing bowl into specific small holes is great practice for the development of hand-eye coordination!

I love these muffins because they are savory and delicious, and they smell so good while baking! Also the sun-dried tomatoes and feta and cheddar cheeses can be eaten raw, so your child can taste the different flavors while they are baking. Remember, toddlers are sensorial learners, so experiencing different tastes is very important!

You will need:

1. 1 cup of flour (I prefer to use whole wheat flour)

2. 1 tablespoon of baking soda (I usually mix this in with the flour)

3. 1 cup of feta cheese (I break it up beforehand, so it has a crumbly texture)

4. 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (I drain the oil and chop them up beforehand)

5. 1 cup of cheddar cheese

6. 1 egg (I substitute 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce)

7. 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

8. 1 cup of water

One of my newest students to join my class, Luke, has recently shown interest in baking. At only 19 months, he is able to transfer all of the ingredients into the bowl, combine them, and transfer the batter into the muffin tins. Luke is a wonderful child, filled with lots of energy, so at times, it can be difficult for him to concentrate for extended periods of time. I enjoyed observing Luke focus for over 45 minutes. Additionally, when we all ate snack together, Luke was so happy to share his work with his classmates.

Luke stands up, pushes in his chair, and walks each empty bowl to the dirty dish cart before returning to his work area to transfer the next ingredients into the mixing bowl. This also gives Luke an opportunity to exert some energy.

I hope to soon use Monti Kids' baking set in my classroom. It could also be a great gift for the child who loves to bake! 

Strawberry slicing

Preparing strawberries is such a fun and educational activity for young children. Not only do they smell good, feel interesting, and taste delicious, but they also are nutrient rich and packed with antioxidants! 

I recently came across this article that highlights the importance of having children participate in the kitchen. What stands out to me most is how proud they are after completing their work. While preparing strawberries for our class, it is apparent how hard my student Abbigail works to provide her classmates with snack.

You will need:

1. Fresh strawberries (I usually cut these in half so that they are more manageable) (You can have your child wash them as an extension, or you should wash them as part of your preparation)
2. A strawberry slicer (The one I use is shaped like a strawberry, but all types of slicers work, especially the ones typically used to slice hard boiled eggs)
3. Child-sized tongs
4. A small cutting board

Keeping everything organized on one tray helps support your child's sense of order.

Why do I love having children use tongs? Development of their fine motor control and coordination.

Why do I love having children use the strawberry slicer? Hand-eye coordination, repetition and  the development of concentration, and the need to follow a logical sequence of events. 

Abbigail uses her two hands for different work simultaneously. 

Abbigail works very hard to provide a fresh snack for her community!

I'm still loving the baking set in Monti Kids' level 7 kit. These freshly-sliced strawberries can also be used in any baking recipe!