Hello everyone! Welcome back to the blog! Today I want to share with you the Top 5 MOST played with toys in our home. I'm talkin' never get put away for rotation, freak out when I can't find them, toys. Follow along and countdown the top 5 toys in our home! I've included links to each one of the toys for you. After all, the holidays are right around the corner! #5. Wooden Peg Dolls These little figures may seem simple (aka boring), but you guys, the imagination that goes along with these is so fun to observe. Because they have no face or details, S has the opportunity to delve into her play world and allow them to be just about whoever or whatever she wants them to be. Peg dolls are a typical Waldorf Education toy, one that allows creativity and freedom. These peg dolls find their way into about every crevice of our home... and maybe her grandparents, as well! What's the best part of these, other than freedom of creativity? Wooden peg dolls are inexpensive and can be designed, if you wish. I've included an example photo down below. Check out some different peg doll styles, here! #4. Baby Dolls S LOVES babies, real or fake! This baby here is a special one. We got S a MALE baby doll about the time O joined our family. We wanted her to have a "baby" she could care for alongside me. Baby dolls are a great practical life toy that help to teach care and empathy. She even has a rocking bassinet that she lays him to sleep in. Baby doll diapers even help develop those fine motor skills! It is the sweetest to see her kiss, hug, and nurse, yes-nurse, her baby. If only I could get her to be that sweet to her bother... #3. Balance Board Toddlers are all about big, gross motor movement and S is no exception. She loves climbing on the couch, throwing the cushions on the floor, and jumping/rolling over them. Balance boards are a great gross motor toy that help build balance and agility. We got ours off this Etsy shop, but you can also find some here. What makes the balance board even better is the ability to use it for other play. Check out some of the ways we use the balance board in our home! #2. Picasso Magnet Tiles Okay, so these are FUN! I love magnet tiles. We have tried other brands, but so far I really like the quality of these. They play into my creative side! As I mentioned in my last blog post, of the little things I do with S in regards to typical "play", this is my FAVORITE. I sometimes use these without her {cue the shrugged shoulder emoji}. S is not quite in the building models stage, but she enjoys us building things alongside her... and then completely demolishing them. She also loves to stack all of the pieces to see how tall of a tower she can make before it topples over. These can be used in SO many ways. We have made baby cribs, cars, castles, peg doll houses, barns, trains, and more! I have a few ideas I want to share involving these in the future so keep an eye out for that! #1. KiwiCo Doctor's Kit I would like to specify that S has 3, yes 3, different doctors kits, but for whatever reason the KiwiCo kit is where it is at! This doctors set is #1 on the list because it is played with several times a day, EVERY DAY. I am not exaggerating. She loves this thing so.dang.much. I am a patient AT LEAST 10 times a day, followed by dad when he gets home, and baby O and any doll in the house can be seen in between. In fact, almost any KiwiCo toy she has received gets played with like this. Although it didn't make the list, she has a steering wheel set that she received a few months ago that is STILL being played with up to now. If you have not tried KiwiCo, give it a shot. Maybe get a box for the holidays or a birthday, I don't think you will be disappointed. I hope you enjoyed our Top 5 Toys countdown. I would love to know some of your child's or grandchildren's favorite toys! Comment below or find me on Instagram to share! @myviewofmontessori This page contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!
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This is going to come as a shock.. I HATE to play. Well, I hate imaginary play. I struggle to pretend. I lose focus quickly. I get bored so. darn. fast. When I hear her say "Mom, play with me" I cringe. Anxiety wells up. Yet, I do it everyday... or at least I try. The teacher in me knows just how important pretend play is for children. I know pretend play offers real-life application, exposure to problem-solving skills, modeling how to handle emotions, and introduction to educational concepts they will later use. But guys... ugh, it is just the worst. It just does not come naturally to me. If I am being honest, I engage in a little pretend play with S. It's like eating the lima beans on my plate... I just don't. My extent for pretend play with S is tea time and blocks/magnet tiles. Those are about as imaginative as I can get. I don't know if I forgot how to play or if I was a teacher to older students for so long that all I remember is a different kind of "play", but activities that involve "learning", and I say that so lightly because I realize now that PLAY is LEARNING for children, are my jam. I love getting down with a good sensory/art project, also! Oh, and don't forget books! Books are a passion of mine. I basically had my own library when I was a teacher. Put some paint, chalk, or play-doh in front of me and I can play for hours. It's the creative side of me. I love putting my rendition on things or ideas. I can turn all 3 of those into an academic lesson in 1/2 a second! Put a doll house/barn with some figures in front of me, and I freeze. What are the dolls/animals supposed to say or do? I have move them around and pretend? Yuck. But like I said before, I do it. I do it for S because I know those little eyes and that brain are so intently watching my every move. More than playing with that barn, she is seeing how I handle myself when asked to do something I don't love doing. She is learning more ways to play from the interactions with ME. Her vocabulary is ever-growing because of the fact that I take at the very least 10 minutes to engage in her play.
I have a secret... I LOVE playing imaginary games with my daughter because I get a peek into her world. I get to see life through her eyes, and it reminds me to not take life so seriously, even if in that moment. You splatter toothpaste all over it as you brush your teeth. You contemplate changing your outfits several times in front of one. You use one to change lanes or check behind you as you weave through rush hour traffic. Mirrors: they are more than vanity When considering toys for children mirrors are often overlooked, but they are crucial to development! Mirrors provide children sensory input and environmental exploration from such a young age. Benefits of using mirrors with babies (0 to 17 months): When babies are born, they can visually see 8 to 12 inches in front of them. This is the approximate distance from breast to mothers face, no mere coincidence! For this reason, babies are interested in faces. This makes mirrors a great tool for exploration because they are able to explore a face... their own! As they detail the movements and facial expressions of the child in the mirror {themselves} they inadvertently learn cause and effect. Mirrors help support head strength when used during tummy time because they are more likely to lift their head and keep it up so that they can look at their reflection, although it is believed they will not recognize it is themselves until about 18 months of age. Building the strength to hold themselves up during tummy time develops the core strength needed to eventually scoot, crawl, and sit up. Mirror use during tummy time also helps babies to explore the environment around themselves. They are able to visually track the items that are reflected in the mirror as their vision improves. They are able to explore the angles of the room, as well! All of these things help with spatial awareness in the future. As babies become more mobile, they will further enjoy the benefits of mirrors. They will crawl up to the mirror to explore the baby being reflected and continue to learn that cause and effect relationship. You might even consider placing a bar across the mirror to aid the child in pulling up and standing, as pictured here. Sensory input will be heightened as they slap and hit the mirror.** **BE SURE TO USE A GLASS-FREE MIRROR FOR CHILDREN** Mirrors and Toddlers (18 months+): I think it is safe to say that almost everyone can agree, toddlers LOVE to look at themselves. Perhaps there is a little vanity involved, but do not be fooled. There is a lot more going on other than a "Check me out, I am adorable!" mentality. Mirrors up to this point have provided sensory input and exploration of the environment for the child. Around 18 months, the mirror now serves a role and purpose. Toddlers come learn the uses for mirrors such as to brush teeth, brush their hair, and to dress themselves. Not to mention, making faces and playing around with the mirror is also a lot of fun! I cannot encourage enough the addition of a mirror in your child's room. As a toddler, mirrors help to support independence as they learn to care for themselves, as seen above. S is mostly independent in her care. Mirrors help S to explore her body, her movements, and her environment. -She has learned that she can see me in her closet when she is on her bed, simply by looking at her mirror. Hello, science lesson in light reflection! -When listening to music, she stands in front of the mirror watching herself dance, oftentimes giggling away at her "crazy" moves. -S practices language, both verbal and facial expression, by looking at herself in the mirror. -S has learned beauty and acceptance of herself by having a mirror in her room. Mirror Options: Wall mounted mirrors are one crucial option when it comes to offering a reflective surface. With that said, there are other options available that might be more engaging or offer unique perspectives for your little ones. I have included some below, with links to the product for you to explore! Mirror Placement: As I bring this blog to a close, I wanted to be sure I cover the topic of mirror placement. So often, as with most items in our home, mirrors are typically placed high up and out of reach for children. More often than not, young children have to either be hoisted up or use a step stool to see themselves. This unfortunately does not encourage independence or exploration. I ask you to consider placing at least 1 mirror at your child's height. Get on your knees, see the world from the perspective of your child. The simple act of bringing down objects to their height not only shows them respect, but acceptance that just like you, they have a role and place in the home. In our home, we have 4 mirrors placed at the height of S or O. One is in her room, another in our bathroom because she has no stool to stand on, another by the front door, and one that can be moved anywhere in the home when needed. This allows S to explore and inspect whenever she feels the desire or need. This gives her liberty. Montessori stressed the importance of creating an environment for children where they felt invited and empowered. To do this, they must be able to interact and engage with the environment with ease. Hence placing mirrors {and other items, but more on that later} at THEIR height. I can assure you, your child will find so much delight in their newfound freedom to explore. As I mentioned before, please be sure to use GLASS-FREE mirrors with small children. Thanks for reading todays blog! Be on the lookout for a new blog post every Sunday!
Technology is a huge part of the American culture, and I would safely say in most developed parts of the world, as well. Technology consumes our daily lives. While it provides some amazing services, it most definitely has its pit falls. When I chose to implement a Montessori lifestyle, one of the first things to go was usage of TV. I rarely put it on for S as an infant, mostly for music, but I stopped that, as well. As S has gotten older, I have allowed limited TV ONLY {we don’t do iPads or computers}. Prior to pregnancy, S would watch about 15-30 minutes every couple of days. As pregnancy progressed, I allowed more to cope and to fill the time, especially with COVID. She would average about an hour a day, plus whatever dad would watch {mostly COVID news} which she would glance at everything now and then. That is when I began to see her behavior change. Screens can have a negative impact on children’s brains, especially those under 2. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Medicine, explains screens may unintentionally hinder their still-developing brains. Too much screen time too soon, he says, “is the very thing impeding the development of the abilities that parents are so eager to foster through the tablets. The ability to focus, to concentrate, to lend attention, to sense other people’s attitudes and communicate with them, to build a large vocabulary—all those abilities are harmed.”-Psychology Today As a Teacher, I can attest to some of the negative outcomes Sigman refers to. My students lacked attention to lessons unless they included something on the screen. Interestingly though, those lessons fell second to those that included hands-on work. When my students watched a video or used iPads or computers, many seemed to adorn that "deer in headlights", distant stare. When they completed something tactile, hands-on, their eyes lit up, they wore smiles, and laughs and squeals packed our classroom. I am not saying children should never have screens or be introduced to technology, but I definitely feel it is overly used. And definitely at way too young of an age. I get its allure, it makes it easier to get things done. Trust me, I get it. But I wanted better options. As we allowed more screen time with S, We noticed more tantrums, less desire to be physical, more exhaustion, and so many requests for more TV. That’s when Fun Friday was born. Fun Friday is my "cure" to S’ addiction to TV. Every Friday we watch a movie of S' choice {pre-screened, of course}. We make a night of it all. I make a dinner related to the theme of the movie, we make a special dessert, and we get to eat in the living room. S looks forward to Fridays because she knows she gets to watch TV, but we look forward to it because it is our special family time.
For example, this past weekend we watched Frozen. We made homemade pizza dough and created our own pizzas. For dessert we made a traditional Scandinavian dessert, Kladdkaka! It was delicious! Check out the super simple recipe, here! We even invited Grammie and PawPaw over for the event! While S loves Fun Fridays, she does ask for TV here and there. As a compromise, she will sometimes watch my Montessori bloggers with me. She gets to see their children learning and playing since she isn't getting much interaction with other children right now! Otherwise, during the week she simply plays on her own, we go outside, or I provide activities to occupy her time. Allowing children to be bored really helps to ignite their imagination. It takes time, but it is worth the effort. I want to mention, it is YOUR choice as a parent, and I completely respect that. We have to do whats best for our families, whatever that may be. My aim is simply to inform and share ideas you may find helpful! Check out the pictures of our previous Fun Friday below when we watched Trolls! Time. It’s relative. It’s abstract. It’s fleeting.
Time is a funny thing. In a minutes time you can: 🔹wash a plate 🔹wipe off your bathroom mirror 🔹reheat leftovers All of those simple, minute, things take the same amount of time to achieve. Now consider the following situations also lasting 1 minute... 🔺running up a hill 🔺holding your breath 🔺watching your child having a seizure That was our reality just one week ago. One minute would have been a sigh of relief. One minute would have felt brief. Our reality was not 1 minute. Our reality was a seizure lasting over 30 minutes. Our reality felt as though it were lifetime. Our reality completely changed that day. This blog post is the hardest for me to write, but I feel it’s important to share. If you relate to this story, please reach out. I would love to hear from you, share experiences and research, and just support one another. I will share an account of what I hope to be worst day of my life because I can’t bear to imagine anything worse. Our Friday evening ended like any other, dad putting S to sleep after her bedtime routine. She was fine, healthy, absolutely no warning signs. In fact, S woke up at 2 am needing to use the toilet, still completely healthy. Saturday morning I woke up early to bathe before everyone woke up. I took my time, feeling like myself for the first time in a while. We were going to my in-laws for breakfast, so I began to pack the kids bag. I had to go into S’ room for clothes so I quietly tried to wake her up. Like so many other mornings, she didn’t want to wake up so I decided to give her a few more minutes. I grabbed clothes from her closet and stepped out. About 15 minutes later I sent in my husband to wake S up. This is when our nightmare began. I was outside when he came to me running saying I needed to come in NOW. As I ran inside he yelled "Something wasn’t right!" S was in his arms. My heart immediately sank. He showed me her face. Her eyes were open, pupils completely dilated, twitching from left to right, and her arms were convulsing. As soon as I saw her state, I knew it was a seizure. In a panic he asked what we should do, so I yelled to go to the hospital, now! It took 1 minute. 1 minute to find our baby in that state. It felt like a lifetime. In a whim I grabbed O, put him in his car seat, and ran to the truck where they were waiting for me. From finding her to loading O in the truck took probably 5 minutes. The drive to the hospital is about 10 minutes, in which S continued to seize the entire time. Initially she was able to sit up, seizing, but then her head dropped and she began to drool profusely. The stress and tension of that car ride set off an immediate migraine. Tears streamed down both our faces, there was yelling and screaming begging for lights to change faster. We were petrified. We were petrified we might loose our baby on the way to the hospital. We were petrified that if she did make it, the brain damage she would sustain from such a long seizure would be irreparable. The drive felt like forever. Once we arrived, I ran to the ER, and the most amazing nurse took S from me and rushed her to a room where doctors and nurses began to work on her. My husband and son could not be with me, to help me cope through this due to COVID so I stood alone, weary, absolutely heart-broken as I watched for another 15 minutes as the medical team was finally able to stop the seizure. That, that made time seem infinite. In that moment I wanted so badly for time to stand still. I wanted to go back to 2 am when I kissed S goodnight and told her she was brave, she was strong, and could go back to sleep on her own. Instead I wished I had held her tight and stayed so I could be there to protect her. In that moment, every part of me felt guilt and blame for not being there when it happened, for not seeing warning signs I believed there were. Once S was stabilized, the doctors did a CT scan and toxicology report to be sure there wasn’t brain damage/or injury nor the presence of medications she shouldn’t have. By he grace of God, everything came back normal. She suffered no brain damage. S was later transported to the children’s hospital on the other side of town to continue running tests and to be monitored. It was 9:30 a.m, when we arrived at the hospital with S, because of meds, she didn’t wake up until almost 4 p.m. that afternoon. Seeing that sweet girls eyes and smile made the world right again. After an immense amount of prayer, a CT scan, 2 toxicology reports, and MRI, and spinal tap, an EKG, and EEG, a myriad of questions, and so many other tests, it was deemed an unknown cause for her seizure. Because of the length of her seizure and the difficulty of getting her out, S will need to take anti-seizure medication for at least 2 years and we must carry emergency seizure medication with us at all times in the event she has one despite being on meds. More precautions will have to be taken in regards to play and water now that she has experienced a seizure. This will be a hard one for her since she is so active, but we will make due. Our life has completely changed as a result of this event. We are more thankful, more loving, more cautious, and just more trusting in the power of God. S is doing wonderfully {in fact, she experienced another explosion of language upon coming out of this?!}. She handled the hospital stay and testing so well. You would have never known she had a seizure. Unfortunately for her father and I, and grandparents too, we won’t be the same. Time. It’s relative. It’s abstract. It’s fleeting. Time is a precious thing. It took one minute, one minute to completely have our view and appreciation for the life of S to be transformed. In a minutes time, I thought we had lost all time with her. I never want to feel that again. We have always called her our baby angel, but there is no doubt now that she is our blessing. |
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