Forest Montessori

Montessori From Birth

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Archives for June 2019

The most important Montessori material

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I have been sharing activities that a 4 month old baby can do daily for the past week on Instagram. I will summarize it this week on the blog. Amongst all the ‘activities’, ‘materials’ and ‘things’ I think the most important reminder for me is to do the “best version of me”. Anika seems increasingly aware, responsive and OBSERVANT every single day. Her most interesting activity has been to watch me (and dad). She sees my expressions, how I eat, how I move, my lips when I talk, my hands when I sing,,

I was watering plants and she was watching me with greatest concentration….

I was eating and her eyes didn’t move for few minutes just watching how I hold the spoon and bring it to my mouth…

Every day, every minute I see her looking at me (and hubby) absorbing EVERYTHING! So here is a reflection and  some reminders for me….

  • Stop and talk. Chores can wait.
  • Water the plants with both your hands, like you would expect her to do.
  • Walk around the house with more grace. Do not stomp and run.
  • Sit and eat. Do not stand and eat.
  • Put your chair in (every time!).
  • SLOWDOWN.

I am sure I do many more things in home life, which are not very Montessori of me. But since this very alert little human has her eyes on me all day long, here is a reminder for me to be my most gracious self. 

3 Most Loved Montessori materials in the first 3 months

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I have written a detailed post about ‘Preparing a Montessori Newborn Space‘ earlier. Here is a quick guide to Montessori playroom furniture and three materials we have loved in the first three months.

A Montessori playroom for babies has 2 main pieces of furniture, which are used daily for many years:

  • Horizontal mirror– Easily our most loved and used piece of furniture. Anika has loved looking in this safe acrylic mirror since the first few days after birth. Some uses of the mirror for a baby are: it helps the child to have an extended view of their environment, Anika enjoys the mirror image of the mobiles, she watches her face and tries out facial expressions, she watches her hands and feet move, she enjoys interacting with others through the mirror, she prefers to be held (by a new person) while looking in the mirror so she knows whats happening with her body. Basically I cant recommend it enough 🙂 I love this particular mirror because we can easily move it, does not damage the walls and it can be reconfigured vertically when she starts walking.
  • An infant shelf- Babies are sensitive to order. So having this piece of furniture to store their play materials neatly in trays adheres to this sense of order and they learn from start and things belong to and have to be put back in their place. We got a wooden infant shelf from a local woodsman in Auckland , which will be used for years to come. But a shelf from Ikea or Kmart works well too.

As far as Montessori materials go, here are top 3 that we have used heaps and absolutely loved….

Montessori mobiles have been the most loved in these first 3 months

Montessori mobiles– We have had so much fun with these! They have been marvelous to develop Anika’s concentration. This being our main ‘toy’ for the first 3 months (and even now!) these mobiles have been totally worth its use.

Baby books and these black and white flash cards have been loved!

Baby books– Reading books has been a great way to bond and also form concrete routines for us. Anika loves these books and they are Montessori (real-life images) approved. We also love using these books and the black and white flashcards as our tummy time incentive.

The much loved Lovevery playgym

Lovevery Play gym-this Montessori inspired playgym has been a big hit for us. Anika loved the black and white images, mirror, mobiles…I love that the little guide book that comes with it and tells you how to change the material every few months according to their development stage. It can be used right till she is a toddler.

What respecting a baby means to us- Our do’s and dont’s

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In today’s time, we have some really incredible children (rather humanitarian) advocates whose work is well known and their voices have reached millions of families around the world. Some of my favorites are Dr. Montessori, Janet Lansbury, Magda Gerber, Dr. Shefali Tsabary, Alfie Kohn….

Past 3 months, has been an incredible journey for us as a family. Hubby and I agree and have observed below:

  • How sensitive babies really are!
  • How they can gauge if we truly see them as worthy individuals or not.
  • How they can pick up the energy levels of people, what they say etc even if they dont understand our words.
  • How much more settled, content and engaged they are when respected vs when not.

But well ‘respecting a baby’ can be quite a hazy thing. In the format of do’s and don’t’s, here is what respect means to us regarding our daughter…..

DO’s:

  • We inform our daughter what is going to happen next on a continuous basis, e.g.: now I am going to pick you up…
  • We give her space. Which means if she is concentrating or is engaged in her environment or her toys, we do not interrupt.
  • We observe her to understand through her body language, nuances, expressions and cooes.
  • We model grace and courtesy. Babies are sponges, who absorb every little thing they see.
  • We talk to her and everyone else in soft kind voices.
  • We listen to her and let her know she matters.
  • We give her routines with slight changes every now and then, so she knows what to expect, trust this new world and feels safe.
  • We talk to her directly and not as a third person.
  • We acknowledge her feelings. So instead of saying, “its ok”, we say ‘I hear you are upset, lets…..’
  • We follow her lead and leave our prerogatives behind as much as we can.
  • We do say sorry, please and thank you to her.

DON’T’S:

  • We do not put her in any unnatural physical position. That means, we don’t sit her/ walk her if she cant do this independently.
  • We do not fling her in the air or shake her.
  • We do not tickle her, babies can’t tell you to stop if they dont like it. Plus their nervous system is not strong enough for all the stimulation!
  • We do not put her upside down, same reason as above.
  • We do not pick her up from behind. We come in front and let her know what is going to happen first.
  • We do not scream, bully or belittle anyone, just because we are in the ‘power’ to do so. We make a conscious effort to not just treat humans with respect and kindness but also our family dog and other animals.
  • We do not slap, flick or spank, even as a joke! These days so much is done in the name of love!
  • We do not undermine natural processes. Ex- stinky poo! Cause if not for that she would be constipated!
  • We do not use terms like “good girl.” Good for who? Good is comparative. Good means my child must live their life to make you happy? If she does not please you, then bad girl? We instead use terms like- I love you, brave, wise, funny, kind…..
    “When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created.”- Lao Tzu

In saying above, we always try our best, make several mistakes and learn each time. But we choose to view her as a respected small individual rather than a helpless one. As a teacher, I have observed the below with children:

  1. Only a child that has been respected, can truly respect another being.
  2. Children are a reflection of what we see them as.
  3. Children are also a reflection of who we are. So we as parents constantly work at being our most authentic, loving and kind self.

“Many awful things have been done in the name of love, but nothing awful can be done in the name of respect.”- Magda Gerber.

These are our beliefs and what we have known and learned. We don’t judge other parents (cause everyone has their own way) and we expect to not be judged either. Does this resonate with anyone?