Montessori Materials

It's hard to believe, but this is the last week of school for Kale. He'll be going to a summer camp at his current school for eight weeks from mid-June to mid-August, but it is less Montessori focused and more play-based (which is great - the summer should be all about play!).

In September he'll start at a new Montessori school in Casa 1 - a couple months shy of the preferred start age (similar to how he started this school year). We convinced the Director of the school to let him start Casa 1 based on the facts that he's (1) toilet trained, and (2) has a year of Montessori under his belt. I think he's going to be fine in Casa 1, especially since some of the kids from his current class will be there. However, I know it's important for us to stick to our Montessori activities at home over the summer so we don't hand over a wild child in September.

This got me thinking about Montessori materials - the one's we have and can easily find at a toy store, the staples we can find just about anywhere, and the materials we want, but have to purchase from a specialty store. So, I thought I'd share!

I'm not sure if it's because wooden toys are becoming more popular, Montessori is becoming more popular, or if people are just more interested in purchasing educational toys for their little ones, but there seems to be montessori-inspired toys everywhere you look these days! Here are a few we have or would like to have that can be found out toy stores:

1. Plan Toys Beehive / 2. Boikido Seasons Puzzle / 3. Boikido Stacking Game / 4. Plan Toys Sorting Board

One of the really great things about Montessori and montessori-inspired activities is that they don't require you spend a lot of money on materials. In fact, many of the items we use at home are typical household items. Here are a few staples we use regularly:

1. wooden tray / 2. wooden bowl / 3. stainless steel measuring cups / 4. natural sponge / 5. wooden tongs

Finally, there are some Montessori materials that we would love to have at home, but they are only available through specialty stores (at least around here), which means they're pretty expensive. If you're crafty, you can do a little DIY and replicate them - but I am pretty much the opposite of crafty. Here are some we have our eyes on:

1. Buttoning Frame / 2. Pink Tower / 3. Colour Tablets (2nd box) / 4. Cylinder Block (part 1) / 5. Sandpaper Numbers

What materials are essential at your house? Where do you buy most of your things? Are you crafty and have a great tutorial to share?? I need all the help I can get!

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