Monti-baby, our journey of montessori from birth
Monti-baby will be dedicated to sharing the implementation of Montessori from the beginning. When S was born, I was not educated in Montessori philosophy, so with O we will be beginning with Montessori from birth. This page will grow as O grows, so be sure to come back for updates on activities and ideas! Follow along with us!
Mirror Play/Tummy Time {from birth}
Mirrors are 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. To learn more about the benefits and uses of mirrors babies and toddlers alike, check out this blog post.
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.
THe munari mobile {3 to 6 weeks old}
As you may be familiar with, newborns are born without the ability to see shades of color until about 4 months. Montessori developed the Munari mobile to meet the needs of the newborn baby's visual development. To provide the distinction of shades, the Munari mobile is comprised of black and white geometric shapes.
In the Montessori's book, The Absorbent Mind, she encourages to see infants as more than mindless beings. She stresses that babies from birth begin to analyze their world. To aid in the visual studies of their environment, the shapes are geometric in order to introduce them to the idea that things in our world are made from linear figures or figures with curves.
The traditional Munari mobile has a specified structure to provide a variety of perspectives. There are plenty of DIY options and templates available online. The Hapa Family Vlog on YouTube is a great resources for this. You can see the original model below.
In the Montessori's book, The Absorbent Mind, she encourages to see infants as more than mindless beings. She stresses that babies from birth begin to analyze their world. To aid in the visual studies of their environment, the shapes are geometric in order to introduce them to the idea that things in our world are made from linear figures or figures with curves.
The traditional Munari mobile has a specified structure to provide a variety of perspectives. There are plenty of DIY options and templates available online. The Hapa Family Vlog on YouTube is a great resources for this. You can see the original model below.
I went ahead and DIY'd my own version of the Munari Mobile. As my blog and IG are titled, this is MY view of Montessori. While I try to stay true to Montessori as much as possible, I do what is best for myself or family. Below is my version of the Munari mobile. While it is not comprised of all of the components in the original design, I feel it still serves the purpose of showing O that shapes in our world are comprised of linear and curvilinear figures. Not to mention, they do not use this mobile for very long so I chose to make it simple. Perhaps I will adapt it to the original if we choose to expand our family further! Check out O using the mobile below.
THE Octahedron MOBILE {5 TO 8 WEEKS OLD}
Next in line in the progression of developmental mobiles is the Octahedron Mobile. The traditional mobile is comprised of red, blue, and yellow shiny octahedrons made from crafting paper. At this stage, babies are prepared to distinguish contrasting colors and can begin to see geometric shapes, making it developmentally appropriate.
The Octahedron Mobile I made is not traditional, but I made due with what I had. I know the blue and purple are not very contrasting, but O loves this mobile. You can see a short clip of his reaction by clicking on the picture below!