But What Do I Do Instead (of a Time Out)?
You might have been here before (I know I have):
You ask or tell your toddler to do something, and instead…
Show, Then Tell
This is a repost from our private IG group (session families, click to read the 100+ posts over there!), but it never gets old. A simple way to help your child absorb what you are sharing: show, then tell. (Or tell, then show…but not show & tell!) When presenting a new activity to a child, alternate between …
I Promise, You Can
This is a repost from our private IG group (session families, click to read the 100+ posts over there!), but it feels timely heading into the new year. I bought and wear this shirt as a reminder to myself, but I wonder if it could be a good reminder for all of us? If we’re …
When the Simplest Means the Most
(repost from December, 2023, but it never goes out of style!) Especially at this time of year, we read, hear, and think a lot about traditions. It can feel like significant pressure to make childhood as magical as possible by creating new traditions while also keeping up with old ones. A perspective shift to consider …
A Concentration Mystery, Solved
(repost from May, 2023…this has, interestingly, come up multiple times with multiple toddlers in our classes over the last few weeks…there must be some developmental bursts happening!) I wondered a couple of posts ago why kids stick out their tongues while they concentrate, and yes, there is a study! (More than one, actually, with some …
Deep Thoughts + Jello
With arguably the biggest eating holiday we have coming up this week, I’d love to offer a few deep thoughts: > your child may never like green jello salad with cottage cheese > your child may eventually like green jello salad with cottage cheese > your child may eat way too much green jello salad …
Two (No, Three) Kinds of Magic
I wonder if class adults might think there’s a little bit of magic floating around at Clementine, because I’ll sometimes overhear a conversation about something that’s needed (a paper refill, more apples, a missing tiger) and then just sort of appear beside them with it. (Sometimes I wait for a conversation with the child, too, …
Just Some Tape on the Floor
This past Wednesday in the Montessori classroom, it was time to make the jumping square. The jumping square actually holds up rather well through lots of jumping (and mopping), but I peel it away from time to time because then we can add it back. Kids need to move, and I’m certainly not going to …
More Than What It Seems
Mother’s Day weekend, we had two people to whom to give bouquets, and so I had the excuse to buy double the flowers for arranging. (If I’m honest, more like triple–but still cheaper than a florist, and from the heart!) Arranging flowers is really one of my favorite ways to spend time–when the environment is …
A Daffodil Epiphany
I wouldn’t call myself a gardener, more like gardener-adjacent, and either in because or in spite of this, I experience what most would call disproportionate excitement whenever 1) something grows and 2) I can use it. Grape tomatoes, jalapenos, zucchini, basil–all of it tastes better when I grew it, and I’m not ashamed to say …