Corn on the Cob

This was so fun for me! Her first corn on the cob experience was successful. :)

Beets and Potatoes

Today we cooked beets, beet greens & potatoes! They were a major hit!

Basil for our Pizza

Each Friday, we pick fresh basil for our pizza. In the herb garden, we have three different kinds of basil: purple basil, sweet basil & Thai basil.
There's something about nature and plants that children love. The little ones touch the leaves, smell the leaves and pick a few from their favorite plant. We stay out there for a little while letting the sounds of nature fill our ears... birds chirping in the trees, leaves rustling in the wind.
Then we take our leaves back inside for a little wash, little chop, and they'll soon go onto the from-scratch pizza we make every Friday.

We cannot create observers by saying 'observe,' but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these means are procured through education of the senses.

-Maria Montessori

 

 

Prickly Pear Cactus baby food

Every Friday in my Montessori daycare, I send with each family a basket and shopping list. The shopping lists include things like flour, sugar, eggs, milk, fresh fruits & vegetables, and a "pick-two". The "pick-two" means that the child helps mom & dad pick two fun, new, or adventurous fruits or vegetables for the rest of the friends to try.
Last week, I was very surprised to find prickly pear cactus in one of the baskets! I had never prepared this before, but after some research, I decided to bake it.
The children LOVED it!
Here's how: I washed the cactus and used the sharp edge of my knife to remove the prickles as well as all of the edges. (I watched a few videos on youtube before attempting it myself.) Then, I washed the cactus again, sliced it, dipped it in egg, then bread crumbs, put it into a glass pan, seasoned it lightly, then baked for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Did I mention the children LOVED it!?

Carrots & Corn

I took the girls out to the garden the other day to check on the corn and feel the fluffy carrot greens. A couple carrots were ready to harvest so we brought those inside or our friends.

Morning Waffles & Watching Friends

This morning, she was hungry but she insisted on going outside with her friends.... we compromised by having waffles outside. While there, she so beautifully focused on watching her friends running through the yard, giggling and playing. She sat patiently eating her waffle, dropping it, picking it up again, until she finished eating. Then she was ready to play!

"We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life."

-Maria Montessori

First thing in the Morning

She chose her work and jumped into her first work cycle of the day! (And in case you're wondering, if she loses a ball, she scoots the box to wherever the ball has rolled and continues working.)

"An interesting piece of work, freely chosen, which has the virtue of inducing concentration rather than fatigue, adds to the child’s energies and mental capacities, and leads him to self-mastery."

-Maria Montessori

Nose...

As we were sitting in the yard, this little friend decided to practice her body parts, saying the name and touching them at the same time.... ears, mouth, eyes, nose. There's never a moment children stop learning...

New Sounds

I've noticed that my 10 month old is extremely interested in music lately. My husband has a guitar but neither one of us know how to play. I have felt many times over the years that I wish I knew how to play an instrument - any instrument - there are just so many wonderful studies demonstrating the importance of music to the human brain.
Anyway, I've been pulling out the guitar lately to let my little one strum around and listen to the sounds she's making. I was shocked and amazed to find that as her tiny fingers plucked the strings, she heard the vibrations and looked INSIDE the guitar's body to find out where the sound was coming from.
This has inspired me to pull it out during the week, and I've found that her little Montessori friends are just as captivated by this new activity.