and CUT!

Presentation:  Food Cutting.

What's up with kids and wanting to cut things up?
It fascinates them, fully occupies them, and seems highly satisfying to them.
Guess that's why it's one of the most basic of practical skills in Montessori: Cutting.
Teach them to do properly what they want to do naturally.
No need for uphill battles, right?

I dunno.
Sounds dangerous.
Toddler + Knife = Worried Mom.

It's ok, let's ease into it.
The set up is really simple and you can get started right away.

The Goal
Learning how to cut using a knife

The Set Up
1)  Small cutting board
2)  Butter knife or dull table knife
3)  Soft fruit:  Melon, bananas...
4)  2 Small plates (one with fruit, one to serve with)
5)  Small apron 

The Presentation
1)  Have the child put on the apron and come to the table
2)  Be sure to have all parts of the Set Up ready
3)  Peel the fruit or have it in wedges already (melon)
4)  Hold the fruit with one hand, knife in the other
5)  Come down firmly with the knife from the top
6)  Do a gentle "see-saw" motion till it clicks with the board
7)  Lift knife and repeat until all cut up
8)  Scrap all loose fruit onto the serving plate
9)  I have Zo put toothpicks (animal ones) in the fruit to serve.

chopping at 2.5.

We first introduced this skill to Zozie at 2.5 yrs old, nearly a year ago. It's been quite the life saver actually at dinner prep time.  If they get fussy, just bust out a banana and have them go at it.  Totally keeps them occupied and content.  So you might waste a banana, but so what?  That 19 cents bought you some quiet cooking time, yes!  He's still at it a year later, doesn't get old I guess. 

Preparing an afternoon snack at 3.5yrs old:

Some age reference if you have a younger one...

Working on some melon at 2 yrs 11 months:


Working on a Banana at 2.5yrs old:
*Difficult to capture since he was aware of the camera*

LAB Work: Mirror Mirror

Work Budget:  Re-used items $0
Time:  15 mins
Location: Our own washroom

So it all started with this little mirror.
It fell out of it's original frame, just a small 5x7 piece, on it's way to the dumpster.  Watching Z one morning, I I saw him tip-toe-ing on his stepping stool in the bathroom, trying to see himself in our vanity mirror.
Yes!  I found it a new home!

In the gap between the faucet and the bottom of our vanity mirror frame,
Zozie's very own vanity station.

I actually wanted to set something up like this for a while but never saw how I could since our bathroom is so small.  We already switched out the faucet handles to be levers vs. knobs so tiny hands can operate the fixture easier.  Also brought in a ducky soap dispenser to replace the messy soap bar.  One of the suggestions of a Montessori environment is to provide a vanity area for the child to self groom.  Sounds cute, could be practical, but where?

The Station
The answer has always been there, right on the counter.  I cleared a mini floating shelf that I used directly on the sink counter.  Placed 3 glass candle cups above, and filled them with various sundries for Zo:  Brushes, combs, lotion, floss, band-aides & Boo-boo cream.  Below it housed 4 small wash clothes for post-wash hand drying.  Everything is within reach for self service.









The Teeth Cup
Right in front of the Station is the Teeth Cup.  A double handles rinse cup with tooth brush and tooth paste inside.  I started to get travel sized toothpaste for Zozie so he could open/close his own tube and dispense freely.

The Stepping Stool
If you haven't already, this is a must in every toddler's bathroom.  A little boost goes a LONG way in self confidence and independence.

The Night Light
We added a Dino night light for night time potty-tunities.  Nothing worst than being woken up to take a toddler potty because they can't see where they are going!












So, in the end, we got a mini makeover in our mini bathroom after all.  Sometimes it just takes a small spark (or a small broken mirror) to get things going.  It's nothing glamorous, and far from fancy, but it works.  Zozie is very happy with his new vanity mirror and station, and mama is ecstatic that she doesn't have to help wipe the toothpaste bubbles from Zo's mouth anymore!  He can see his own messy face now (and fix it)!

Order UP!

Ding, Ding. 
"Breakfast is READY!!!!", he yells from the kitchen.

Another new addition to our home classroom...THE BELL.
Found this little retro gadget at our local Homegoods for 3 bucks.
On many days, this sound wakes us in the morning.
This is when Zo can't wait for his lazy parents to get out of bed to serve him breakfast.  A hungry boy has got to take matters into his own hands.  Mama needs those extra minutes in bed somedays...ahhhhh strreeettchhhhh!!!

My early efforts in building towards his independence in the kitchen is paying off (yippee!).  We have found cereal bowls set up for 3, toast, or eggs cracked in bowls for me to fry, ready on the table when we have answered the bell.

I think he really likes the power of the DING.
Dalee and I jump up like it's the Tardy Bell at school, Geesh.
Talk about rude, but sweet, awakening...

The Breakfast Cereal Set Up:

Weeeee!

This is Zo's ride...the WeeRide.
In the world of "Toddler Cycling", there are 2 basic schools of thought.
The training wheels vs. The balance bike.

We picked the Balance Bike (or Glider), the idea being more in-line with our Montessori Homeschool.  Always, just try the REAL thing and practice till you get it, no training wheels (in this case, literally).

Easier to learn how to pedal than how to balance, right?  So naturally, we opted for the harder task first.  The cool thing about this cool ride is that they can start trying at 2 yrs old.  Short little legs?  No problem.  The training wheel bike needed slightly longer gams, which Zozie didn't grow yet.  At first he walk around with the bike between his legs alot.  Soon after a few months, at 2.5, he started to sit down on the seat.  Then the magic happened.  He walked while sitting.  That evolved into a faster paddle and before we knew it, he was gliding...Weeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

Like our homemade-classroom tools, we take the jist and come up with an inexpensive version.  In this case, we went with the WeeRide for our Balance tool.  This is a tiny metal bike with 10" foam wheels that don't need inflation.  It comes with a hand brake for a basic introduction to this hand motion.  We are adding our own bell.  Wooden versions like Skuut run $100, other aluminum ones go from $100-$200.  For us, $22 sounded perfect.  Just in case he didn't take to it, no big loss.

Needless to say, Zo absolutely LOVES his WeeRide.  At 3, we now take family rides and go to stores together on our own bikes.  It's really a funny sight when we are all out.  Most people can't believe they are seeing a bike that small with an even smaller boy on it.  They often don't notice it's a pedal-less bike until we point it out because of his sheer speed.  Z asked for his own lock so he can lock up at the racks like us.  A simple 4 digit combo lock from Target ($5) did the trick.
Like Z says, "C'mon guys, let's Wiiiddde!"
His riding skills?  Check.  His "R's"?  Still working on it.

His favorite "down grade" outside our front sidewalk:

The Slicer!

Presentation:  Egg Slicing.

We learned how to Crack em' already.  

And now...we Slice em'!

Eggs are amazing things.  It's one food that offers endless teaching opportunities.  That fragile shell:  You can crack it, peal it, paint it, dye it.  Its existence in different forms:  You can boil it, beat it, slice it, mold it.  The malleability of it is incredible.  It truly is a fabulous Wonder Tool!

I picked up an egg slicer a few weeks back at a garage sale for 50 cents.  A new way to mess with eggs, gotta have it.  I've never used one before this but it seemed an obvious Montessori tool the second I saw it.

Continuing on the road to self reliance, little gadgets often add to Zozie's repertoire of skills in the kitchen.

Goal
Learn to slice eggs with an egg slicer

The Set Up

1)  Egg Slicer

2)  Small Plate (2)

3)  Napkin

4)  Hard boiled Egg(s)

Presentation

1)  Take a hard-boiled egg and crack on the edge of a plate

2)  Rotate the egg until it is evenly soften for peeling

3)  Start the peeling process and place shells onto one plate

4)  Continue until shells are gone then wipe hands on napkin to remove extra chips

5)  Place the egg on the slicer horizontally (The yolk stays in more)

6)  Hold the slicer bottom half down with left hand

7)  Gently with the right hand, bring the wire slicer down onto the egg, slowly.

8)  Push down all the way until it clears the egg.

9)  Remove the egg gently and place on the serving plate, serve.

10)  Repeat if the child wants to try another egg

This has been an exciting part of serving eggs for Zozie.  He'll sometimes "splay" the slices to present it like a flower afterwards.  The cool-factor of working with something that you can then EAT is still a big hit for a toddler.  So from boiling, to cracking, to peeling, to slicing, to serving, it's a complete work cycle that he can see from beginning to end, and best of all, participate in himself.  

Another chip in the O'Independence jar, CHING!

A little slice of our slicer:

BLOBhead.

Meet BLOBhead.

Zozie's latest creation.
He drew it, then named it.

BLOBhead has a bright mooostach.

He also drew some friends for BLOBhead.
I think matching family Tees with BLOBhead on them are in order?

BLOBhead's Brother with Eyebrows.

BLOBhead's Friend:  "Sad Spider" with tears.

TO DO.

Got a million things on your mind?

I Do.  Man, I sure do.

For those who know me, I'm a HUGE list maker.  

My mind is always swirling with endless thoughts.  Like a messy closet, it's good to just routinely clear out and re-sort.  That's how I see "THE TO DO LIST."  Dump out whats floating, sort out the thoughts by priority, check it off as needed.  Knowing what's ahead settles stress and anxiety and avoids the undue burden of keeping it all in your head.  

When life gets tough, grab a pen and paper.

Such is the curriculum of "Tools of the Mind", a particular teaching technique as mentioned in the book Nurture Shock.   

"TOTM is a research-based early childhood program that builds strong foundations for school success in preschool and kindergarten children by promoting their intentional and self-regulated learning."

Key Words noted?  Intentional Self-Regulated Learning.
Wow, right up my Montessori alley!
It's not so much completing the goals of all the presentations I show.  That's just the details.  The REAL joy is  that my child is learning how to govern himself.  I want to give him tools that are helpful to his success in daily life, to make good choices, to know what is best for himself.  For as cute as it is to see him sort marbles, I'm the happiest knowing that he's learning reasoning skills and an understanding of the physical & conceptual world in order for him to resolve problems that arise, WITHOUT my assistance. We all know that we can't be with our children forever, so what do we want to leave them with?

The TO DO LIST works for me, so why not for my toddler?  I found a calendar that breaks out the day into hour-slots.  This works best since we can list a task for each hour.  A black pen for me to write events, a green marker (or your choice) for him to cross out as he completes the task.

Goal
A conceptual understanding of time and sequence of events

Set Up
1)  Daily calendar that has hour breakdowns
2)  One black/blue pen
3)  One colored marker

Presentation
1) Have your child come close next to you
2)  Talk through the day's events and start with breakfast
3)  Go slowly and narrate each task, ask the child if that's a "good thing to do?"
4)  Once they agree to the task, write it down
5)  Feel free to verbally spell words out as you write them.
6)  Draw pictograms or symbols next to the task to trigger child's memory
7)  As items are complete, invite the child to come cross out each task so he gets a sense of time, progression, and sequence of events

"What's Next?"
After the first few days, I realized that I needed to draw "Pic-to-grams" next to my list items.  I'm not an artist, but my little chicken scratches helped tremendously.  Since Zozie can't read yet, it was difficult for him to refer back to "What's Next?"  Once I started to draw little symbols while saying the task, it stuck like HONEY.  Zo would be able to recall events that happened a week ago, simply by "reading" his list and seeing the pictures. Example:  I drew a small cat face next to a playdate where the host house had a cat in their neighbor's yard...a week later, Zozie saw the appointment and said "I already played at N's house last time!" just by seeing the cat's face.

Less Conflicts
The results were immediate.  Zo would wake up in the morning and ask for his list.  "What's on my list today mama?"  If I say an event, he would ask if it's on our list, or what time it's on our list.  And if he deviates from what we write down (not wanting to get dressed, or not eat dinner yet), I would refer him back to his TO DO list and he would actually comply!  *Shock*  "It's not time for puzzles Zozie, the list says it's time to get dressed, right?"  "Oh yeah, right!" (Then he goes to get clothes).

Open Slots
Of course there are "open" tasks as one can't possibly schedule out every second of the day.  In those times, I write down the "biggest" task (ie. Play with trains), and if he happened to do a few other things, it's not a deal breaker.

The peace and clam that comes with knowing what's next is incredible.  A simple list, created with a child, for that child, clarifies the confusing world.  Again, intentional & self regulating.  A perfect pairing with our Montessori homeschool!

Crossing off the TO DO list: