Jacaranda Tree Montessori

A Montessori playgroup in Amsterdam for babies, toddlers, preschoolers

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22 June, 2014 By Simone Davies

Choosing books for Montessori Children

What a lovely weekend – we celebrated the summer solstice for the first time with friends in the Vondelpark, we had friends from Rotterdam to visit, and my mother-in-law flew in today to spend a few days with us. Hope you all had fun too.

Choosing books for Montessori Children

Today I’d love to share my first guest post on a well-known Montessori blog, “Confessions of a Montessori Mom”. Here I share my top tips for choosing Montessori books for Children: http://montessoriconfessions.blogspot.nl/2014/06/guest-post-5-tips-for-choosing-books.html

Let me know what you think!

 

Choosing Books for Montessori children

Filed Under: Activities, Montessori Tagged With: books, Montessori

24 April, 2014 By Simone Davies

Montessori activities for traveling with kids

A mother in class a couple of weeks ago innocently asked if I had written a post about activities for traveling with kids. I had not. And my sister and her family (including a climbing 1-year old and a chatterbox 3-year old) are about to embark on a 24-hour journey from Sydney to Amsterdam. So I decided now was a good time to put together my favourite Montessori activities for traveling kids.

This post has turned into quite a project. Reviews of the suggested activities most welcome. And any suggestions that have been a big hit in your family on past trips are also most welcome. You can email me. Or post to the Jacaranda Tree Montessori Facebook page here.  I also asked the parents on our Facebook page for their ideas – a lot have made it into this post but you can see all their great suggestions here.

So here they are. The ultimate list of Montessori activities for traveling with kids…

Montessori inspired activities

You are never going to keep a toddler or young child quiet for long. But these activities might engage them for a few minutes between eating snacks, walking around the plane, checking the map, and listening to audio books.

  • Soft books with opening and closing, threading and velcro are great for busy hands
  • A coin box with a selection of coins can keep a 16-month old focused trying to master the key and the posting
  • Bring a selection of Schleich animals – nice and sturdy for long trips
  • Fuzzy felt sets or a DIY version are light and entertaining. Limit the number of pieces you bring or you may find yourself picking up a lot of pieces!
  • Options for doodling – magnetic doodle board or aquadoodle or a stamping kit
  • Magnetic sets are also great for confined spaces
Montessori activities to take on trips for toddlers

Coin box – small
€7,27 – amazon.co.uk

Soft Book – My Busy Book
€30 – entropy.com.au

GoGo Creative Magnetic Blocks
€39 – amazon.co.uk

Cra-Z-Art Travel Magna Doodle
€4,85 – thetoyshop.com

Fuzzy Felt Farm Animals
€9,71 – amazon.co.uk

Tomy AquaDraw Travel Drawing Bag
€12 – argos.co.uk

Magnetic Pattern Blocks Set by Melissa Doug
fatbraintoys.com

Schleich Zeeschildpad

dieren-wereld-online.nl

Klutz Thumbs Doodle Book – Finger Print Art Book
crafts4kids.co.uk

Getting crafty

Never leave home without some basic crafting supplies – here are some cute supplies to get you started. Note: no scissors in hand luggage on planes (I might have just done that quite a few times already).

Craft things to take on holidays with toddlers

Travel Journals by SUKIE
notonthehighstreet.com

Playdough recipe Jacaranda Tree Montessori
jacarandatreemontessori.nl

Stabilo Kleurpotloden
vd.nl

3-pak schriftjes
hema.fr

Stickers

One activity you probably hadn’t overlooked. Not only can you find cute animals and travel stickers, here are some other sticky ideas:

  • Washi tape (patterned Japanese paper tape) – this tape is removeable so it would be perfect to make impromptu roads for vehicles, for tic-tac-toe, for tearing into pieces, and sticking on your favourite parent
  • Bandaids – useful if you cut yourself, but also fun for playing doctors, or applying to your teddy
  • Pocket passport – you could make your own or buy a pretend passport for your child to place stamps in and stickers. Love this.

And here are my other favourites…

Stickers for traveling kids

Vehicles Reusable Sticker Pad
€3,61 – melissaanddoug.com

Little London Activity Pack by Clockwork Soldier
notonthehighstreet.com

set of 2 Voyage sticker collection
€4,17 – etsy.com

First sticker book Garden
€6,06 – usborne.com

Jip en Janneke stickers
hema.nl

Washi Tapes De Vlieger Amsterdam
pinterest.com

Hansaplast Universal family pack – a great idea to play doctors, stick on your teddy, on the plane seat, or if you cut yourself
webwinkel.etos.nl

160 stickers animals
ilovespeelgoed.nl

Travel books

Here are some suggestions for books to take on your trip. There are also some of my favourite books for Montessori children here if you are looking for more inspiration.

Books for taking on a trip

 

I Spy Little Book (I Spy Books): Amazon.co.uk: Jean Marzollo, Walter…
€5,07 – amazon.co.uk

Pop-Up Peekaboo
€7,34 – amazon.co.uk

Look Inside an Airport (Usborne Look Inside): Amazon.co.uk: Rob Lloyd…
€7,02 – amazon.co.uk

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
€6,06 – amazon.co.uk

Best bags for traveling toddlers

And why not let your toddler take responsibility for their things to free up your hands. These are some cute options:
  • A Trunki – if your child gets tired, they can jump on and you can pull
  • Who couldn’t stop smiling with a cute Bon Voyage purse to keep craft supplies organised
  • There are such cute backpacks around – Fjallraven bags are tough and durable for trips
  • And why not pack a lunch box with compartments like a bento box, or an insulated bag for keeping things fresh
My favourite bags for traveling kids

 

Fukuro Bento Box Pine | Lunch box from Japan
casabento.com

Bag
notonthehighstreet.com

Bakker made with love kitchen dining
littlefashionaddict.com

FjÄllrÄven fjallraven bag
ilovemykanken.com

Trunki Freddie de Brandweerwagen, trunki freddie de fire engine
trunki.nl

Skip Hop ZOO rugzak pinguïn
psikhouvanjou.nl

Older children

For older children:

  • Involve them in preparing for the trip, for example, planning out the route on a map and making a plan for things to do
  • Play games like I-spy, alphabet games and rhyming games
  • Play tic-tac-toe, hangman
  • Bring a pack of cards and play snap or solitaire

Last tips

  1. Spread out the activities you have. You can even wrap them up to add another layer of excitement and open a new package each hour.
  2. One mum suggests Valium (I’m pretty sure she meant for her :))
  3. Another suggests making friends with your neighbours on the plane – perhaps they can take over half way.
  4. Definitely lower your expectations. And take a change of clothes for everyone.
  5. If none of these ideas is working, you can always resort to some ipad games and ebooks. And otherwise try unlimited tv time – after all, the idea here is just survival, and normal rules will be back tomorrow.
I hope that you find these ideas useful and wish you all safe and peaceful travels. It will only get easier as the kids get older. Promise.
And if you have found this article useful, you might also be interested in my other most popular articles:

* Age appropriate chores for children – infographic
* A Montessori approach to toileting
* My top Ikea picks for Montessori children

And be the first to receive new blog posts by subscribing to my newsletter here.

If you have any specific questions about Montessori, please feel free to email me.

Filed Under: Activities, Montessori, travel Tagged With: activities, Montessori, travel

19 March, 2014 By Simone Davies

Hunting for Montessori materials for home

What a busy couple of weeks. My youngest has just turned 12. So we have been busy celebrating as well as applying for a high school(!). It isn’t just a cliche when they say how time flies. I still have such vivid memories of holding her in my arms and her gorgeous giggle. Well, I can still enjoy the latter at least ;)

I hope you have all had a great week. Today’s post is a guide to where to find some bits and pieces to set up some fun Montessori inspired activities for your child. I spend a lot of time hunting for activities, baskets, jugs, and materials that are just right for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. So I hope these pointers help you in locating some treasures for home.

If there are any other items from class that I have not specifically covered, jump over to our Facebook page and I’ll see if I can find a source for you.

hunting for Montessori materials for home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunting for Montessori materials for home

1. Activities
To find a wide selection of wooden puzzles, sorting, stacking, posting, threading activities and musical instruments, you can’t go past the wooden toy shops here in Amsterdam. I drop past these stores frequently and the stock is always changing: https://www.jacarandatreemontessori.nl/our-favourite-toy-shops-in-amsterdam/

Our favourite coin box can be found at stationery shops like Gebroeder Winter or specialist lock shops.

Another activity that is easy to set up at home is a basket full of purses with hidden treasures inside. To find such purses, take a look down at the Albert Cuypmarkt or in Ta Hwa Oriental Art & Gifts (Singel 514). And I find those little treasures hidden inside often on key rings at Blokker and just remove the keyring.

I also love Schleich animals – they are more expensive but great for gifts from doting grandparents. These are available at Intertoys or good wooden toy shops.

2. Craft supplies

For small scissors, painting supplies, Staedtler 3-in1 woody pencils and water colour paints, I love:

* Knutsel & Frutsel – Hoofddorpweg 19-21
* V&D – Kalverstraat
* Gebroeder Winter – various locations
* De Vlieger, near Muntplein

For paper and paint brushes in various sizes, I visit Action, Hema or Van Beek Art Supplies.

3. Baskets & Trays

Baskets and trays are perfect for organising the activities on your shelves at home. Again you will need to drop by a few shops to get a good selection but I often have success at Hema, Action, Xenos, Zara home, or Blokker.

4. Snack area

It can be fun to set up a cupboard for your child to help themselves at mealtime, for example, with their own bowl, plate, cutlery and glasses.

Some suggestions:
* I find the small Duralex glasses at Hema or Blokker
* You can find nice enamel bowls at De Emaillekeizer off the Albert Cuypstraat or small metal bowls at Ikea
* Handmitts are handy to have at the ready, available at Hema and Ikea
* You can also find cute tin boxes for crackers at Ikea or Xenos

5. Cleaning

You can also include small cleaning items in your kitchen area, for example, a mop, broom or dustpan with brush. You can generally find these at good wooden toy shops.

6. Furniture

A small table and chair creates a lovely space for your child to sit at with an activity or to eat a snack. Most of ours are from Ikea but we have cut 10cm off the legs.

There is also a detailed post of my Ikea picks here.

Happy hunting all!

I found that once I had small children in the house, I never looked at things in shops quite the same. I still find myself picking up random objects and seeing if their little hands will be able to manage the clasps, locks, etc. I hope I have inspired you a little too in your hunt for some fun materials for your home. 

Do let me know where you have found your favourite Montessori-inspired activities over on our Facebook page. Or let me know what you are looking for and hopefully someone will be able to help you.

Filed Under: Activities, Montessori, our classroom

18 December, 2013 By Simone Davies

FINAL INSTALMENT: The Montessori Gift Guide – Part 4 of 4

Christmas gift guide – Part 4 of 4It has been lots of fun to prepare this Montessori gift guide. I hope you are able to source these online or in a shop near you. If you are having difficulties, please post on our Facebook page – hopefully someone will live in your area and be able to help.So without further ado, here is the final instalment. Drumroll for the 3+ year olds…

3+ yearsFor preschoolers 3+ years

1. Prick pen set
A great activity to prepare for writing. The kids learn to hold the small prick pen and to stay on the line – skills they will need for writing.

2. First composite puzzle
George Luck puzzles are beautiful and just a bit different from your standard composition puzzle. A beautiful gift.

3. Buddha board
You heard me rave about this already here. Using water and a paint brush you can make the most beautiful pictures on this tile. The pattern then dries and you can start all over again. This has been a new addition to the preschooler class since the summer and the kids (and adults!) all love it.

4. Wedgits
This toy offers many possibilities. Exploration; copying patterns; developing your own designs. Very popular amongst the 3+ age group.

And in case you still need some more inspiration, here are some ideas for all ages.

Gift ideas for all ages

 

Montessori gifts for all ages

1. Schleich animals
Strong and sturdy with beautiful details right down to the hooves or paws. They are not cheap but nice to add to your collection on special occasions. I buy ours at Intertoys, although some of the ones in class are even from my own kids – the animals are over 10 years old and still in great condition.

2. Stabilo 3-in-1 pencils
My favourite drawing tool for little ones. The quality is amazing. So easy to make a line and don’t break like crayons do. Head down to Knutsel Frutsel or V&D to find them in Amstedam.

3. Broom, dustpan and brush
The kids love to help with the daily jobs around the house. Make them child-sized for greater success. I’ve seen these in both Imagine and Tinkerbell in Amsterdam.

4. Watering can
Your plants will be well-loved with a kid-sized watering can as a gift. In all good wooden toy shops.

It has been so much fun to work with you and your lovely children – aren’t they just amazing? And thanks for all your support during the year. Jacaranda Tree Montessori is growing and growing and I’m so glad you are a part of it.Classes run until this Friday 20 December and then we will be closed for 2 weeks break. See you all from Monday 6 January.Wishing you all a very festive holiday season. Now go snuggle up with your loved ones and I look forward to seeing you all in 2014.Best wishes,
Simone

Filed Under: Activities, inspiration, Montessori

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The Montessori Toddler book, by Simone Davies


– NOW AVAILABLE IN AMAZON AND ANY BOOKSELLER –
* Learn to understand your toddler better
* Find alternatives to time out and help them become responsible humans
* Get rid of the chaos and set up cosy spaces at home
* Create beautiful Montessori activities for their age
* And more…
<<< MORE INFO HERE >>>

The Montessori Baby book, by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike


– NOW AVAILABLE IN AMAZON AND ANY BOOKSELLER –

* Help you bring Montessori into your home from conception, birth and the first year
* Learn how to show your baby respect the Montessori way
* Set up your home for your baby with a lot less than you think
* See how capable your baby is and learn to follow their interests and timeline
* And more…
<<< MORE INFO HERE >>>

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