MONTESSORI SENSORY ACTIVITY: SMELLING JARS/ BOTTLES

We have many senses (five being the most commonly known ones, but there are at least 7, and in the Waldorf system, I was told there are so much more) – and they all serve different purposes. In Montessori education, refining of our senses is important because children shape their intelligence through their senses – visual, tactile, auditory, gustatory, and olfactory impressions help a lot with brain development. Vestibular and proprioception, senses related to balance and knowing our location and […]

Continue Reading

PRINTABLE: BUTTERFLY MATCHING WORK

This butterfly matching work is pretty popular in Montessori communities. It’s such great work for young children – looking for the other half of the butterfly, or doing memory work. My son rarely touches the puzzle printables I introduce to him because he looks for that click store-bought puzzles make whenever he builds his puzzles. But the moment I showed this to him, he kept wanting to do it. We play our butterfly prints in two ways now that he’s […]

Continue Reading

MUSICAL STORYBOOKS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN (OUR FAVES AT HOME)

Since many of you ask the books we use where our toddler presses a button and music plays, I will share the books with music that we all love at home. I have mentioned in one of my blogs that we also love books that are from songs, like If You’re Happy and You Know It, or the classic The Wheels On The Bus — there really is something about music that children love and are drawn to. My son […]

Continue Reading

BATHROOM ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Do you have a young child who does a lot of delaying tactics or simply refuses when you say “It’s bathtime!”? Normally, it’s effective to tell a child beforehand about an event that’s about to take place. “Son, we will take a bath in 5 minutes.” Then, give a choice. “Would you like to take a bath in your bathroom, or Mama’s bathroom?” “Would you like to play first, or read while waiting?” “Would you like to choose which towel […]

Continue Reading

DIY: I SPY / MATCHING/ SOUND GAME

Jasmine of Three Minute Montessori shared her DIY I Spy/ Sound Game last January, and her post gave me an idea to make our own using what we have at home. WHAT I USED: * Reusable Water Bottle we don’t use * Our miniature animals (THIS and THIS, also available locally via The Parenting Emporium) * Beads HOW WE PLAY IT: * We simply shake and play I-spy. * I have a basket for one set (from the Wild set), […]

Continue Reading

TODDLER KNIVES: THE TOOLS WE USE AT HOME

In Montessori families, it is not unusual to see toddlers working in the kitchen. For some, knives are introduced at around 12-18 months of age, while for some, it’s introduced at around 2-3 years old. I understand the worry — so, if you are not yet ready to introduce the knife to your child or feel that your child still needs to do fine motor work before you can do actual slicing work, do remember that there are many other […]

Continue Reading

MANILA FOR KIDS: PHILIPPINE AIRFORCE AEROSPACE MUSEUM AND AIRCRAFT PARK

My son loves helicopters. I believe it’s because he’s exposed to it almost everyday. We live near the City Hall where there’s a helipad, and almost everyday, we would hear a helicopter flying in and out. One time, he told me: “Mama, I want to ride a helicopter.” I remember about this air museum near the airport that I found out about way before I got married, but the thing is — I have never visited it. I finally had […]

Continue Reading

DAYTRIP FROM MANILA: PALAYA NATURAL FARM

While doing our roadtrip in Tanay last December, we stumbled upon signs for Palaya Natural Farm. Being the impulsive couple that we are (when traveling), we followed the signs until our hunger betrayed us and we could no longer go on. I vowed go come back and so, we did! Reaching Palaya Natural Farm is an adventure in itself. While I messaged them on Facebook shortly after we came home from that roadtrip, it wasn’t until a few weeks later […]

Continue Reading

GROSS MOTOR MOVEMENT TOOL: YOUR GOOD, OLD LADDER

Gross Motor Skills — I cannot even begin to stress how important it is to allow a child work on this (For a quick read on what they are and why they’re important, click THIS). By nature, they know. They know they need to move in all sorts of ways (from walking to running to skipping to moving side to side to…falling, yes falling!) so that they can acquire the skills necessary for their own development, and sometimes, as parents, […]

Continue Reading

MANILA FIND: A RESTAURANT WHERE YOUR TODDLER CAN MAKE HIS/HER OWN PIZZA

The other night, our toddler suddenly told us: “I want to eat in a restaurant.” It’s a good thing we really weren’t planning on having Daday cook dinner for us because she had to go somewhere, so we asked him what he wanted to eat: “Pizza and Fries”, he said. We finally got to eat in Amare La Cucina in Baguio last December (it had been there quite a while, and had been on my list forever – but only […]

Continue Reading