How the Danish Concept of Hygge Has Inspired Me to Do Less

I first heard about the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced h(y)oo-guh) on a homesteading podcast a few weeks ago. (Don't even ask why I listen to podcasts about homesteading!) While there is no English word that directly translates, it is defined as:

"a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture)"

...and when I saw an online professional development course offered on adding hygge into the classroom, I was intrigued. I am adulting so hard right now that this is actually the only thing I bought on sale over the Thanksgiving weekend!

I have always had an appreciation for spaces in classrooms and homes that are aesthetically pleasing. I have not, however, always had a talent in implementing that. I get what I call Pinterest or Instagram Syndrome and from there, complete paralysis. Additionally, setting up shop in a small space and on a limited budget and with lots of little people involved brings forth unique challenges. I went into this course thinking I'd get some design ideas (and I did), but more of what I got was the distinct desire to do less.

I can remember some years back when I was running a peer group for parents and professionals working with children that "after hours" on session, a woman I greatly admire who was in her late 40s at the time shared the following:
"When I grow up, I want to do less." 
That expression stuck with me like gum to the bottom of a shoe.

Hygge is a word that is hard to pronounce, harder to define, but easy to implement. It is more about adding in elements that bring you joy and comfort rather than banishing everything that does not. It is more about connecting the sacred to the mundane rather than saving "special things" for "special occasions." And in these darker months, I have such a desire to draw in. Such a longing to slow down. But there's such a lengthy list of things to do from which very little, if any at all can be crossed off.

So I gave myself permission to drink tea while I do afternoon carpool. To knit while my children are still awake. I put in the effort and time to set up our play space with some of our favorite traditional December play themes. I even created a teeny tiny cozy corner for the kids to read and snuggle up in. And I also "cleaned up" the Eiffel Tower of STUFF on the side tables next to my own cozy space on the couch. And by "cleaned up," I mean I stuffed it all in a tote bag in the back of a closet location that shall not be disclosed. Because it was more important right now to turn on my salt lamp, light a favorite candle and be present with the people I set up this home for.

These winter months are filled with reasons to celebrate. Holidays, birthdays, gatherings and more. It's a great deal of fun and not necessarily designed for those of us who may be more introverted. So I cling to a favorite mug and the soft textures of wool yarn and re-reading the Little House on the Prairie books for the millionth time because I want to do less. And today--I will!

Today, the boys will have a coveted movie night. They will probably want to watch it in their new Cozy Corner. We will drink hot cider and eat peanut butter toast for snack. I might "get stuff done" or I might just slip my feet into some really warm socks, sit on the couch and snuggle up with a cozy kid or baby or ball of yarn...

Maria Kondo would probably have a picnic at my house. I've been told my living room resembles a preschool classroom; I take this as a compliment. But truthfully, following "rules" of interior design is not my strong suit. I'm a both/and kind of gal in every sense of the word. Which is why the concept of hygge speaks so much to me. There's not a specific definition of what is in the environment but rather the meaning that it holds to each person in that space. There's not a regimen of things to do but rather a feeling of contentment that should be present regardless of what you are doing. So I won't be minimizing my book collection to only 30 volumes (I balk at the thought of this), but I will be clinging more closely to things that spark joy in me and the people who spark joy as well. I love that the concept of incorporating hygge into a space involves making that space accessible to everyone in it (how Montessori of the Danish to include this!) I do have a decent skill set in setting up our home to be functional for the kids and sometimes the adults--but what gets lost in the shuffle sometimes is my own presence in it.

So today I will do less. And maybe tomorrow, too. And perhaps I'll play a bit instead of just watching from the sidelines. And maybe you will try it, too...

Happy Playing!

Setting Up a Home Atelier for Your Budding Artists

Way back when I was promoted from Classroom Teacher to Play-at-Home-Mom, I was inspired to nurture my then two year old aspiring artist. In short, this meant having our art shelves stocked with materials accessible to the shorter members of this household. But as we increased in family size and more of those short people became busy and mobile, I have admittedly fallen a bit short on art center inspiration and implementation. We go through phases of being quite crafty and even engaging in fun and exciting process art activities. We've even studied various artists. I would say that while my kids have such a beautiful and inspiring confidence in their artwork, my own deficit in the area is a lack thereof. I do recall my own fearless creating as a child and somewhere along the line, I intuited that art must "look a certain way," which mine did not and from there I chose creative activities I feel more confident in but largely abandoned that open ended style of creation. I even felt rather inhibited as a teacher in this area. Art was probably for the art teachers, and while opportunities and materials were always available and accessible to my students, I did not necessarily devote as much energy and time into that corner of the classroom.
I do realize in watching my own children as well as my students that most children begin with a sense of wonder and spark of joy when it comes to art. There are surely a variety of colorful personalities within that and many shades of each one. Some children are inherently drawn to drawing. Some are not. Some feel a great deal of confidence and ambition while others are hesitant and reserved. Some will mass produce masterpieces and others are minimalists both in approach and production. But regardless, to me, the greatest importance was the experience itself--whether it was directed or child led, whether it was picture frame worthy or just some scribbles that needed to come out on a page. I worry, however, about children losing both opportunity and confidence in creating art. This, more than anything else, inspires me to preserve and support my own kids' spark of joy in it.
I've increased my own research and studying of teaching and promoting art to very young artists. I also jumped on an opportunity to take an online masterclass in the subject. And while there are so many approaches to art in early childhood and so many pedagogues overall, I am very eclectic overall. I do, however, really appreciate the Reggio-Emilia approach to setting up an atelier [fancy-schmancy word meaning a studio or workshop for one to create and design]. And since I always need yet another project on a Sunday, I tackled our own art shelves at full force and created our own family atelier.

So come on in and take a peek inside our playroom, a space not only for play but also for creation and exploration!

I sent my husband and the kids on a mission while they were at Walmart to bring home paint samples in all of the rainbow colors plus black and brown. Taped to our shelves, these help navigate and designate space where materials for mark-making in each color are stored. Separating colors and color groups helps them to be visible and easily accessed. It also encourages more planning in artwork as the children will need to think about what colors they want to use and what materials as opposed to picking out of a container full of all different colors or mediums (which also has its merit). It can encourage mixed medium work as opposed to works done all in crayon or marker alone. 
For Y it is also an opportunity to work on learning his colors. Many young children struggle with color names and identification because they are rarely isolated in our environment. Furthermore, one word, "green," can describe a multitude of shades and hues. In that sense, I never worry when young children confuse color names or have a harder time identifying them at first.
When it comes to artwork, we often see a plain piece of standard size white paper. For some art and artists, this is adequate. But for some artists who may be more reluctant, I've found that size matters. And color. And texture. So I like to include as many "canvas" options as possible--even canvas itself and temporary art surfaces like mirror trays or empty frames. I also have a hard time setting out this many options if I store them horizontally, as the only thing visible would be what is on top. I used to keep a three-tiered tray of papers for writing and drawing, but even that was limiting. Using a file sorter was the perfect solution. It is able to hold a variety of papers, trays, frames and canvases so they are easily seen and accessed. I included white paper in heavier marker weight, newsprint weight, photo paper with a glossy finish, graph paper, black card stock, colored cardstock in a variety of sizes, origami (origami lovers are cringing), tracing paper and canvases in a couple of sizes. 




I also used the file sorters to store mirror trays, empty picture frames and paint trays. Also accessible are a jar with several kinds of scissors, a bowl with glue sticks and a variety of tapes, a tape dispenser with clear tape and a couple of bottles of liquid glue.
I keep our family's sketch books and some stick bound journals we made accessible on another shelf for works of art that they wish to preserve in that way rather than on a wall. I love sketchbooks and journals for their ability to capture the story of their artist/author over time. It is so special to be able to look back over the months and even years and see how we have grown and changed. It is also a great portable option for taking art on the go, a topic I look forward to exploring and writing on more in the future.

 I like offering as many "real" art materials to children as I can, so while we do have the standard crayons and markers and colored pencils available, they also experience quality chalks and oil pastels and charcoal pencils. These tiny plastic drawers are a great storage option and the recycled sushi trays above them are great for transport of chosen materials from shelf to work surface. They can be used for paint, loose parts, drying smaller works of art and more. They are also a great way to encourage portion control when it comes to collage materials. Empty glass bottles are readily available for the boys to fill with water when they paint. A couple of mountable hooks stuck to the side of the shelf hold some art smocks should the boys want to cover up. Y is always game for sporting a smock (and just about any type of uniform for that matter). S does not like to cover up and unless we are using a permanent medium that will surely stain or wearing something that one of us would mind getting stained, I don't push it. I also stack a set of art mats (dollar store vinyl placemats) and larger trays for protecting/designating work spaces. And that brings me to the paint...

Tempera paints are now set out in condiment bottles and a jar is stocked with a variety of brushes and tools for painting with. A few watercolor pallets are also ready for use. This was the area that first and most drew the boys in. It is also the area that so far has required the most troubleshooting and I'll be sharing more about that in a future post.

Another area that I'd like to expand on in the future is our shelf of loose parts for design and creation. I currently have jars stocked with beads, sequins, plastic gems and assorted buttons. The boys, seeing the beads at first, were initially inspired to create jewelry and asked for beading elastic. I'd also like to include some wire working in the future. I would love for them to explore loose parts for the purpose of design in addition to creating permanent pieces. Y naturally does this whereas S already has an association with these being used solely for crafting in a more "traditional" sense. Some creative provocations and invitations would be a great way for us all to expand our pallet here. This is also a shelf that will likely shift more frequently. Some materials will probably always be out and available and others I'd like to rotate and change to follow our interests over time.

There are many kinks to iron out. The boys are showing me what needs to be added, what needs to be altered, where I have lacked in giving over a lesson and where I have become too rigid and overbearing. But this journey could not have begun at a more opportune time. Y has always loved artwork and using different mediums to create it. More and more he is also embracing his growing independence and being able to do things "byself," as he puts it. He has become increasingly confident in drawing lines and even circles. He also has observed from his brother that these things go together to represent other things, so he will take his crayon or marker or paint to the paper and say "this is a vacuum" or "this is a snowball." Sometimes his picture somewhat resembles his label (as in the case of the snowball, which was indeed a large circle) and other times it does not (as in the case with the vacuum, which was a long, zigzagging brown line across the page or paper).

S has always been a bit less prone to art activities. He will participate in a directed activity, he sometimes even would choose to make something on his own, but if given the choice of something else to do, he often would pick that something else. There were also certain mediums he was more drawn to than others. He has always enjoyed beading and sewing and sculpting--any type of very fine motor art and the engineering end of it as well. He also always loved cutting (and was quite proficient at it early on) and hole punching and gluing. He was not as confident in drawing and writing, but when this guy gets his confidence, he rolls with it. Sure enough, kindergarten has taken him to new heights of writing and drawing. And that confidence and its accompanying interest level have also spilled over into other art forms--especially painting and messy art. These used to be areas he'd be hesitant in at first. He really needed time to be able to ease into it and options to wipe/wash hands as he worked.

Before beginning my atelier overhaul, I considered what was most important to us in that space. I knew I wanted the space to be accessible--for the boys to be able to easily take what they need, use it and return it to its home. I wanted the space to be aesthetically pleasing to inspire and nurture the beauty that is a young child's creation and design. I also needed to consider our overall space, being that this is just one component of our home and that our home happens to be rather small. An atelier is never a stagnant space and especially in working with a home environment, and a smaller one at that, there would need to be ways for the boys to easily transport materials from here to there.  I would need to provide the right materials to get from conception to creation to completion and clean-up. And, as I would quickly learn upon its first unveiling, it would require a quite a few other supporting measures as well, but that's a topic for my next post...


If this happens to inspire your own redesign of a home or classroom art space or even if you'd just like to read more on the subject, I love this article on How to Save Space with a One Shelf Atelier by Sally Haughey of Fairy Dust Teaching. In addition to working with a small space, I also operate on a restricted budget. I did not go out and buy a whole bunch of new supplies. Short crayons work just as well as longer ones. Swinging for higher quality supplies when possible does save you in the long-run, and you can save on these by taking advantage of sales, coupons and even secondhand shops. Thrift stores and the Dollar Store are great places to find containers, trays, some art and craft supplies, loose parts, frames, and more. Friends and relatives might also be a good resource for donations of supplies and recycled materials. And don't discount the hardware section of your local big box store or even your local hardware store itself! Nature is always a ready supplier of useful materials for creative work. While the aesthetics of an atelier space and the supplies within it are of importance, the most important thing is what happens in that space. An atelier is a space for creation, design and, of course, play.



I'll be back tomorrow with some additional tips (and trials) of setting up a home or classroom atelier. And until then...

Happy Playing!

An Updated Peek At Our Playroom!

Ch-ch-ch-changes! Spring is in the air (with the exception of that slushy white stuff that was also in the air this morning) and it was time for a playroom revamp, especially after a long holiday at home. In other news, Y is very mobile these days. He may not quite be walking independently yet, but he sure gets around and into everything. For S, this is a mixed bag (kind of like that "Spring" weather I mentioned earlier). Y is very playful and loves nothing more than to join his big brother in all of his escapades. S enjoys the company sometimes. Other times, he feels frustrated at his little brother who is now able to get into just about everything at his level.

When S began to move around this much, he was quite a bit older. He understood when we told him "no," and his personality was such that he was most content playing wherever the adults in the house were with whatever was set before him to play with. Y has a different personality. He is most content playing EVERYWHERE with EVERYTHING. Whereas we used a baby gate maybe once or twice with S, Y is faster than the speed of light and sneaky to boot.

We have made some changes in the house to best accommodate these exciting milestones, one of which is that the boys are working toward sharing a room now. S is thrilled about this change. Y is learning to be thrilled about it. S even helped set up the new mattress, pick out sheets and offered his stuffed Lightening McQueen to Y (a toy he chose with great ambivalence upon giving up his pacifier last summer). Mattresses directly on the floor are easy for both my boys to access and Y has already mastered safely maneuvering on and off. In related news, staying in bed is not currently his forte.

Changes in our playroom were also a necessity. Y has discovered with great zeal the joy that is dumping things off of shelves within reach. Particularly art supplies! I could spend all day moving things up higher and higher, but that would leave things out of everyone's reach (S included), be boring for Y and probably be exhausting for me. Creating a space that is conducive and accessible to both boys seemed a more practical approach at this point. S has loved being able to access and lead art projects on his own. Although, after quite some time with our art center looking the same, it needed a little sprucing up and our new set up allows S to access art supplies from the top shelf and Y and S to access items from the bottom two shelves. (See photo below.) I know it is only a matter of time before Y does manage to get to that top shelf, but for now, the set up works perfectly and we will traverse that terrain when we get there.

Introducing the new and improved art center & toy shelf!

 I love these plastic drawers. For one thing, they are space creators--even though "losing" two rows of shelving limits the amount of space for art materials in our art center, the use of drawers creates room for more without taking up additional space. Our small drawer set is home to options for coloring. Right now we have colored pencils, crayons and skinny markers out, though I like to change it up a bit and rotate in some of our other supplies when I notice these get a bit "stale." I also used a stacking tray organizer (Dollar Tree) to create two rows for paper products. We have solid paper in white and pastel spring colored cardstock out right now as well as some bird coloring and tracing sheets. I keep our scrap paper tray on a shelf that Y can reach as he also loves to explore, dump and tear scrap paper and those are skills I don't mind him cultivating right now! There is room alongside and above our smaller drawer set for our family's sketch books and some writing utensils.

 In our larger drawer set, I stashes some new Spring themed materials like beads and beading elastic for my little fine motor lover. S was thrilled with these! He made a necklace for himself, one for me and has a date with his Tatty to make one for him tonight! Using real beads and materials with little ones might seem strange, but this is a great way to practice those fine motor skills and "real" art materials carry a true sense of value to our budding arts. We show that we respect their creative process and they tend to treat these materials with reverence as well. This, of course, does not mean that you must spend a fortune. You can find quality art materials on discount at big box stores, secondhand stores and dollar stores. You can also find clearance items and purchase with coupons at craft supply stores.

Spring is in the air and we love collage opportunities here. A selection of Spring themed stickers, gems, and floral fabric scraps invite all kinds of creations. I stashed a small stack of pastel toned felt rectangles with embroidery floss stitched to the top to create blank banners. Creating pictures and collages on paper is always popular but sometimes offering an alternative medium (like felt, fabric or even artists' canvas) can inspire artists young and old.









Additional staples like tape, glue, scissors and paper edger scissors are stored in the bottom drawer along with some Spring themed additions like floral patterned tape, roller stamps and a leaf-shaped hole punch. 

I must say that as much as I adored the "open container" look on the shelves before, I love the tidiness and accessibility of the closed drawer look now! Our bottom rows are home to some favorites that both boys can use and appreciate. I attached a laminated print of a Spring themed painting depicting a bird in a blossoming tree. I love including "real" art in our art center to inspire the artists in our family. I used to set out a glass picture frame with art in this area but now a laminated version affixed with Velcro makes it accessible and safe for both boys to remove and appreciate. Y in particular has taken a great love of removing laminated labels that are attached to other areas with Velcro! Both boys love the colorful nesting boxes I saved from their Purim shalach manos (Dollar Tree) and a basket of plush ducklings alongside some bird and duck themed books perpetuates the bird and Spring themes that have infiltrated our play here. The bottom shelf is currently home to some Bristle Blocks, Magnatiles and toy trains. Both boys are loving the set up and both are far less frustrated now!

Meanwhile, our main toy shelf (pictured at the top) is currently storing items to inspire small world play that is safe (with supervision) for both boys. Extra small items are stored on top including a Playmobile playground set S recently got (and does not want to share) that he knows he must play with at the table. The middle shelf is an expansion on our bird theme that includes bird figurines, tree blocks, tree cookies and driftwood blocks as well as some artificial nests, eggs and a small collection of stones S and Y recently brought home from the Science Museum. As with any small items, it is important to carefully supervise and consider choking risk. The bottom shelf is storage to our dollhouse furniture, a doll family and our wooden barn--items both boys can safely play with together.

In considering spaces that are shared by multiple ages, creativity, ingenuity and patience are required! We want our home to reflect the developmental and play needs of both of our children. We also want it to be inclusive and accessible to both of them while reflecting their current interests and curiosities. Now, if I could just also synchronize their napping schedules...

Until then...

Happy Playing!

The Montessori Inspired Home: The "Write" Stuff for Pre-Writers

If you've followed our home preschool journey overall, and in particular my Sneaky Reader posts, you know I love to sneak educational activities into daily play and routine like Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld sneaks vegetables into her kids' favorite junk foods. I'm all about exposure through child-led play and exploration. I'm a huge fan of creating lifelong lovers of learning and not getting into battles over meeting "developmental goals" when a child displays reluctance. I have a passion for the early reading experience and an equal passion for reading's brother from another mother, writing.

Maria Montessori was actually a huge advocate for teaching writing before reading. I am not as strict here about order of operations or even about the tools we use to get the job done. What I care most about in exposing toddlers and young children to the beginning stages of writing is that they feel empowered, successful and inspired to do more. Some children do love worksheets and coloring books. I think there is certainly a place for those, particularly when building skills in following directions, working on strokes, lines and basic shapes and other important foundations of early writing. In my classrooms and now in my home, I love to offer a variety of opportunities for writing.

One of the first words a child learns recognize, to spell and to write is his/her name. 

I like to provide a variety of materials and methods for learning this! We use songs/music, letter manipulatives and more traditional writing materials as well.

I have a vivid memory of learning to write my name. I remember the song my mother made up with me to remember the spelling and I remember practicing the letters on a small memo pad in my babysitter's basement one afternoon after kindergarten was through. Some of my favorite days of teaching were the ones I was able to witness and share in the success of a student learning to write his name for the very first time--not because I had drilled and enforced tracing and connecting dots and copying--but because he decided he felt ready and pursued the challenge independently. What I did do in the background is provide a variety of toys, tools, tasks and materials to help build those tiny muscles in the hand, strengthen the larger muscles in the core and upper body, develop the necessary hand-eye coordination, and prepare my students for independence and success. These are the core values of the Montessori method of teaching writing as well. She felt strongly that all of the early activities of infancy and toddler-hood were either directly or indirectly aimed at preparing the child's hand for writing. She did not feel children needed adult direction in learning the skills of writing as much as they needed opportunities to naturally prepare for and achieve the skill.

Multi-sensory exploration of letters is an important part of pre-writing--check out some of our favorite alphabet activities here

As a parent now, I share the joy and excitement of seeing S grow into the stage of noticing shapes he creates when he scribbles. He is seeing that he can make a circle and a circle can represent a mouth or a pool or a whale... The process of realizing that shapes and symbols can represent objects is one of the earliest stages that will lead to understanding that letters can make words! Whether we realize it or not, early tasks like transferring, doing puzzles, painting, even learning to use buttons and other fasteners--all prepare our children for the later task of writing! I would add in that gross motor development through plenty of outdoor play, music and movement and a variety of physical activity opportunities also prepare early writers by strengthening their core and upper body for the vital task of being able to sit and maneuver a writing utensil efficiently.

A current peek at our art/writing center: I have a plastic caddie readily stocked with a variety of writing utensils, accessories, journals and notebooks for writing. I swap out materials like types of paper (right now it's homemade letterhead with S's name and address), chalk/chalkboard tablet, recycled materials for crafting, scrap paper for cutting practice and collage, paints to bring to the easel or for table work... I always stock crayons, markers, colored pencils and art mats.

And while my home is far from being set up in the traditional Montessori style when it comes to writing and art materials, I do put a large focus on making a variety of supplies accessible to S (Y will have his time soon enough!) and a plethora of ways to use them. I must confess, I love school supplies. The best times to shop for them are at the beginning of the academic school year (like right now) and just before the end of the academic school year when summer vacation begins. I would not encourage anyone to go out and sell an arm and leg and first born child in order to stock a writing center for your whole family, but do keep your eyes open at discount stores, dollar stores, secondhand shops and even online for some great sales on traditional and less traditional writing supplies. Here's a list of some of my favorites:

A closer peek at our writing caddie

I am in love with these Ticonderoga brand golf pencils with erasers! Perfect size for growing hands and no frustration over not being able to readily erase a mistake.

What to Write With:
There are many opinions about writing utensils with pre-writers. Some folks say to start with wider utensils that have a softer medium for immediate success--like crayons or markers. Some say to start with wider or triangular grip pencils. Some say to wait until the child's hand is ready to hold a standard pencil properly before introducing pencils at all. Others suggest supportive devices like grips and cushions. There are tools to support early grasps (like giant crayons that fit into a toddler's closed fist), and folks who strongly believe against these as they feel children should first perfect the pincer grasp before being introduced to writing utensils. Some folks prefer not to introduce pens until children have mastered pencils as they are harder use, requiring a perfect angle to produce ink. I say, offer and observe. If your child appears frustrated by a particular tool, offer support or an alternative. If your child is fascinated by your pen, offer him his own!

• pencils: standard, golf pencils (these are great for little hands and even come with erasers now, who knew?), wide pencils, triangular grip pencils, mechanical pencils
• colored pencils
• crayons
• markers
• pens
• charcoal pencils, oil pastels, chalk, bingo dabbers, creamy crayons/slick stix, window crayons, bath crayons, dry erase markers--it's starting to sound like art class now, but art is an early writer's best friend!
• paint & paint brushes, Q-tips, toothbrushes, sponges

I love getting creative with vertical art and writing opportunities. Peeling and sticking stickers is a great way to practice fine motor skills. A sheet of easel paper/craft paper and an envelope to hold some stickers plus a bit of masking tape is all you need to set up this invitation to peel and stick!

Easels are a more traditional vertical work setup. I like to keep an old t-shirt accessible as well for covering up clothes before painting and I especially like using our easel (which was a great gift from Bubby that is easily transportable) in our kitchen so S can paint over an easy to clean floor while I cook! 

What to Write On:

• paper--lots of it, scrap paper, white paper, lined paper, graph paper, primary composition paper*, notebooks, memo pads, legal pads in smaller sizes (great for smaller hands), easel paper, butcher paper/craft paper, construction paper, sticky notes, index cards, binders with loose-leaf paper, small clip boards with paper cut to size or similar sized notepad, blank cards & envelopes
• recycled notebooks, office pads/forms, shopping lists, postcards, greeting cards, junk mail, envelopes--these are especially great for integrating writing activities into dramatic play (Through dramatic play, even a tiny cashier can write receipts, a young doctor can write patient charts and prescriptions, your budding librarian can stamp and write book slips, your little police officer can write tickets, your aspiring mail carrier can write and package letters, and your chef-to-be can take orders and write menus!)
• sentence strips & index cards can be used to write words early spellers are asking how to spell/copy or words/names you wish to familiarize them with. I am a huge supporter of a print-rich environment even for pre-readers. Labels are not just for clothing! S and I will often search signs in public for letters that are in his name--this is a great activity for waiting in long lines!
• chalk boards/dry erase boards and magnetic doodle boards--these are great in tablet size for seated use or traveling and also great for vertical use in a larger format. I love chalk board contact paper and there are also chalk board paints available if you're feeling adventurous enough to offer up a wall!
• disposable paper tablecloths--we are not yet at the homework phase of parenthood, but how cool would it be to be able to support your young scholars while including/occupying your scholars-in-training? With the drop of a simple disposable paper tablecloth you can provide a writing surface for math problems or spelling words, a doodle surface for your scribblers, and a clean surface beneath it just in time for dinner! No need to dispose of it after one use, either--just fold it away in your homework bin for next time. This is also a great accessory and activity for your next house party!
• blank books, albums, sketch books, journals--nothing feels as good as being published! Let your little writer be her own author and illustrator--you can even craft your own book using cardstock/cardboard and paper.

* Primary composition paper can be purchased in notebook form or loose leaf form. You can even do a google image search and print a variety of free templates off the internet. It provides wider lines, sometimes color coded to help early writers form letters, and I favor the versions with a blank space for illustrations. Alternatively, regular lined paper can be used with two lines at a time for early writers who require more space for letter formation.

Got a budding architect? Sneak some graph paper and crayons/colored pencils next to his Legos and watch him design his own blue prints or capture a favorite building through art before it gets taken apart and put away. 

Where to Write:

• Take a seat, stand right up or get down on the ground! Children should be seated at a table or desk that is an appropriate size to support their stature. It is hard to write when you can't reach the table! In instances when a properly sized seating scenario is not available, I prefer to offer standing opportunities (as in standing to write at a table that is of the appropriate height) or working on the floor (on the tummy, elbows bent) or vertical opportunities (at an easel, on paper on the wall, on a chalkboard or white board, or you can even make your own table-top easel)
• lap desks are great for homes that are short on space or furniture! I see them frequently at craft supply stores and even secondhand shops. Plus, they are easily transportable
• Don't forget the kitchen sink! or rather, the bathtub--yes the tub is a great place for writing with bath crayons or markers or paints or in shaving cream or sending secret messages through steamy mirrors, doors and windows...
• Get off my back! Practicing letters on each other's backs is currently one of our favorite bedtime activities. S loves to use his finger to spell his name on my back (even though he's not actually forming letters yet) and I love to spell his name or the write the ABCs or "I love you" on his back. Bonus: it's super relaxing and usually puts even the wildest of wild things to sleep afterward.
• the sidewalk--just grab some chalk and go! No pavement? No problem--grab a stick and hit the dirt or sand!
• screen time: there are a variety of great apps for practicing early writing skills and never underestimate the value of a simple word processing program for practicing letters and words through typing

Accessories & Accoutrements:

And last, but not least, a list of items worth honorable mention--both traditional and less traditional:

• shaving cream, finger paint, play dough, clay, sand, salt/sugar or cornmeal are all great mediums for practicing lines, shapes, letters and words
• recycled computer keyboards, calculators, phones--these are great for letter and number recognition and a fabulous addition to dramatic play setups
• alphabet manipulatives in a variety of forms--blocks, stamps, foam, felt, beads, puzzles, games, cookie cutters, alphabet pasta or cookies, scrabble tiles
• magnetic letters and magnet board, vertical magnetic surface (washer/dryer, fridge, door)  or cookie sheet--I'm giving these manipulatives a league of their own because I love them so much!
• pencil boxes and pouches for writing on the go
• stickers, stamps, scissors, tape, glue, erasers, pencil sharpeners
• recycled magazines for cutting out pictures, words and letters
• scrap paper for cutting/tearing
• posters and artwork with the alphabet and later, words--you can even make your own (and enlist your early writers' help!)
• dry erase pouches or sheet protectors to turn your favorite coloring pages or worksheets into a reusable activity
• baskets, trays, recycled jars/cans, boxes and containers for storing materials
• magnets, tacks, clothes pins/string, picture frames, albums, binders or blank books for putting writing on display
• books, books, and more books--let's not forget that brother from another mother, reading together!

I'm sure I left things out and that there are many more that could be added. And suffice it to say that you do not need all of this! I do not keep all of our writing materials out at one time (that would be overwhelming) and many times it can be helpful even with what is out to select just a few crayons or pencils at a time, the necessary amount of paper, and a plastic tray or basket for carrying those materials to a work space. While I keep our writing and art supplies generally in one area, I sometimes sneak writing opportunities into other areas. I rarely leave home without a pencil pouch containing a small notepad and something to write with--you never know when something will be worth writing down on the go (or on the stop and wait...)! And my last bit of advice toward giving our early writers a great start: let them see you write! Whether it's a shopping list, a to-do list, birthday cards or lunch box notes, wish lists (a great tool for the little one who wants everything at the store) or just getting down and scribbling together (this NEVER stops being fun), write often and write together!

Additional Resources:

Here are some more great reads on writing!

• http://www.mamashappyhive.com/montessori-prewriting-activities/

• http://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-crafts-activities/45864-montessori-writing-activities/

• http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-preschool/43985-montessori-materials-used-to-teach-writing-to-montessori-preschool-students/
• http://therapymommy.blogspot.com/2011/08/prewriting-shapes.html
• The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing At Every Stage from Scribbling to Forming Letters and Writing Stories by Jennifer Hallissy

I also recommend checking out the information and books about the curriculum method, Handwriting Without Tears

Happy writing, and until then--most importantly--happy playing!

The Montessori Inspired Home: The Bedroom

If you know me at all, you know that I believe sleep is sacred. I know (from experience) just how many years you can go without quality sleep before you're really in trouble... That said, when it comes to setting up sleep routines and bedroom structures I am a firm advocate for only one method: do what works for you and your family so that everyone gets the best quality rest. I definitely advocate for sleep safety and good sleep hygiene. Having a predictable bedtime routine is a good idea, whatever that means for you and your family. Starting that "unwinding" process earlier rather than later can be a good idea. It can be helpful to avoid screens like computers, phones, TVs and tablets for a couple of hours prior to sleeping and many doctors also recommend to avoid eating and exercising close to bedtime as well. That said, some children (and adults) sleep best with a bowl of cereal or a banana before bedtime. I never would have thought roughhousing playfully before bed was a good idea, but I have a toddler who really does well to release the energy of the day in that way and sleeps like a charm afterward. S began his sleep journey in a bassinet in our room. Two months into it, he transitioned out of the room. Three months later he transitioned into my bed! At about 15 months he transitioned into his own bed and he's been there, through the night, ever since. With him, we never did any type of sleep training; he really transitioned independently and we did what worked best for everyone at the time, making sure to revisit and reassess if and when that changed. Y began sleeping with me but sleeps best in a bassinet and not sharing a bed. Go figure!
When it comes to the bedroom itself, again, I believe families should do what works best at the time. Some children do fine with toys and books being in their rooms. Some children need to have only the bare essentials in their rooms in order to be able to focus on sleep and not get distracted by playing. I am a firm believer in not using screens in bed/bedrooms because that works for me, but if you feel differently, do what works for you! Bedtimes and nap times are a time of separation for our children and as a result, many children have anxiety around sleep and around that separation. Some children may struggle with nightmares or night terrors. Some children may have behavioral challenges around the transition to nap and bed as well. Some of this is certainly related to their (and our) energy levels at that point and some is certainly related to separation anxiety and/or fear of missing out. We try our hardest to make rest and bedtime transitions soothing, calm and predictable. For better or for worse, this never happens 100% of the time. One thing to consider is making sure that you are aware of your child's internal sleep clock and sleep needs so that you are not crossing past the point of being tired to the point of being overtired. In children, over-fatigue can look like a burst of energy or hyperactivity. On the one hand, it looks as though they are not tired at all when in reality, this energy is really a release of cortisol and they are exhausted!
We try to work within that window to ensure that 10 and 5 and 2 minute prompts are given before the transition will occur. It's also probably not a good idea to make "cleaning up all the toys" your final activity. Sometimes when we've forgotten this, S will clean up all of his toys quite nicely--no kid cleans up the play area like a kid who doesn't want to go to bed! And other times, he utterly melts down, throws his toys and has to be carried like a football up the stairs to his bedroom, kicking and screaming in protest. If we can, we try to have most things already picked up a bit in advance with a special "last activity" as an incentive for getting this done. Again, no plan is fool (or toddler) proof.
Sleep for children is sacred and so, too, is sleep for the adults in the home. Making some simple adjustments to your children's bedrooms can help it be a space they can independently navigate so that you do not need to be awoken to tend to needs like a tissue to wipe a running nose or a glass of water in the middle of the night. With regard to early risers, you may wish to have activities/toys in the room available for quiet play. Some families feel comfortable to have a basket of books or quiet activities in the parents' bedroom so that children can be close by while you squeeze in a few more z's. S happens to be fine to play quietly with toys in his room. He does not do as well right now to be unattended with books so we bring a few in at shared reading times and then return those to the family shelf for safekeeping.
S's bed is a twin mattress on the floor. He transitioned directly from my bed into this one when he was about 15 months old and not yet walking. Eventually, he could independently get in and out of it, which for us was a plus. He needed some reminders as he got more confident in walking that rest and bedtimes are times when he must stay in his bed. I knew we needed to make the transition to sleeping independently at that point because I had bronchitis and neither of us could sleep! I think he was more ready for it than I was, and he smoothly transitioned to sleeping through the night, without waking for night-feedings anymore. I wondered at that point if we should buy a crib, but felt it would be a tough transition from bed-sharing since he'd never been in a crib before and was already a young toddler. A friend suggested the mattress idea and for S it has worked like a charm! Additionally, a low-sitting mattress or bed-frame can easily be made by a toddler--a skill we are working on with S right now. He even helped to change the sheets on his bed and on the other family beds before last Shabbos!

A few weeks ago, S began crying during nap time, something he almost never does. I rushed upstairs in a bit of a panic as this behavior is atypical for S and found out he was crying because he really needed to wipe his nose! A box of tissues and wipes kept at child level allows S to tend to personal care needs like wiping his nose when he needs to without having to rely on an adult to get him a tissue in the middle of a nap or night.

We love having artwork by and for the whole family in every room. That said, in the children's room, we especially like to make a point to display their artwork and decorations that are meaningful to them. S is the only kid in the room right now, so the walls really speak to him. If and when Y will join him, he will also be represented in the artwork that is displayed. We keep some artwork at child level and some up higher. We also use the bedroom to display mitzvah notes that we've written about S and other positive reinforcement visuals, like the sticker chart S completed when giving up his pacifier.

 We keep a neggel vasser next to his bed for ritual handwashing each morning. The cup and basin are both smaller in size to fit smaller hands. A towel hangs just above it (on the base of a desk chair) for drying hands (and spills). S can independently carry the cup and basin to the bathroom afterward to empty it in the tub. We also now use an open hamper for his dirty laundry so he can easily toss in the clothes he takes off at the end of the day. Please note that the only reason it's empty right now is that I'm actually catching up on laundry--usually it looks like everyone else's and is overflowing! Oh, and looks like I missed a sock! We just introduced this as S has become more interested in dressing and undressing himself. We had a somewhat broken hamper that he could reach but I was worried he might get his fingers caught in the lid or end up with a splinter as it was falling apart. He was very excited about the new hamper. He needed a reminder that the only thing he should toss in there is his dirty clothing since at first it was really fun to toss a lot of different things in there!

We also transitioned to having the clothes that he most needs to access in the lowest drawers of the dresser in the room. Ideally, having a dresser that is easy for children to reach and utilize is best for fostering independence. Stiff drawers or clothing that is stored too high can inhibit this process. If you cannot accommodate this setup easily, you might consider including your toddler in the process of choosing the clothing and pajamas he or she will need for the day and leaving them accessible in a basket.

We keep a basket for tzitzis and yarmulkes as well as a space for shoes all on the lowest shelf of a bookcase for easy access and storage of those items as well. These small adjustments help to maintain order in a space that is easy for S to access independently or with minimal adult support. We have noticed in just the short time of introducing some of these changes that S has felt empowered to do more and more things by himself. The first night after I made some of the initial changes, I heard him shout down with glee repeatedly at bedtime, "Mommy, I did it!" as he undressed himself, put his own clothes in his own hamper, put away his shoes for the night, picked out his tzitzis, pajamas and yarmulke for bedtime and then, decided on his own that he wanted to also try sitting on the potty without a diaper. Potty training is definitely on the horizon and will be its own process and struggle. Success yields success. When it comes to fostering feelings of competence and confidence in our children, providing ample opportunities throughout the space of a day for experiences of even "little" successes can yield more and more of the same.

Wishing you all a good night's rest and until then, happy playing!

The Montessori Inspired Home: The Dining Space

As I searched through photos to begin this post, I realized there are almost no pictures of our dining area! The reason is that during shared meals, we almost never have our phones and cameras nearby. Ample studies show the benefits of families sitting down together to share mealtimes. In today's world, this is a rarity. Some families aim to share one meal a day, some maybe once a week. Everyone has busy schedules and when you throw particular eaters into the mix and tired toddlers, sometimes by the hour that dinnertime rolls around, all of our emotions are on high as our energy dwindles to an all-time low. 

No, mealtimes at our table don't quite look like the ones portrayed on television. Before I had children, I promised I'd never become a short order cook. The family meal would be the family's meal! Now I see why my mother often made two or three different dinners each night before sitting down to eat her own. To keep the peace. And at the end of a long day of play and work, peace is one thing in high demand here. Many times, S eats the bulk of his dinner before dinner time. He may taste some of the family's dinner, he may just sit with us and eat foods he does like or he may just play in the living room. When you are three, there is a high desire to control the world around you and few things in the world that are set up for three-year-olds to control. As such, food becomes a high area of control for toddlers. We do what we know: we involve S in meal preparations and making appropriate choices (from which dishes to use to which foods to eat). We involve him in our shopping and menu planning and even in gardening and growing some of the produce we eat. We do what we can to ensure he has adequate nutrition and opportunities to try new foods often and repeatedly. And beyond that, we [try] to relax and step back and breathe. I am a fully recovered picky eater--I wish I could be a little pickier about what I eat these days!

Today happens to be Tisha b'Av--a fast day for us adults. S and Y are the only folks eating and drinking around here, so making some simple adjustments and additions to our dining space in advance will surely have come in useful today! For the sake of this post, the Dining Space incorporates both the areas of our kitchen where we cook and prepare meals as well as the areas where we eat. Setting up a kosher kitchen in a small living space means that our "kitchen" genuinely extends beyond that room itself. Additionally, the Dining Space incorporates all of the activities of preparing food to eat, actually eating it and cleaning up afterward. I've written before on involving kids in the kitchen and cooking activities. For the sake of brevity, I won't go into a lot of those ideas in this post, but I will surely continue to post on the subject in the future. Without further ado, here's a peek at some of the ways we have set up our Dining Space to be family accessible and Montessori inspired:

• The dining space is a place where meals are shared and families connect. It is also an opportunity for children to learn about nutrition and health, how to carry out a conversation, how to exchange the pleasantries and social graces of sharing meals together and, on special occasions, how to welcome guests. It is also a place that is integral to learning about family and religious traditions. With the exception of days like Tisha b'Av, many Jewish holidays are centered around shared foods and stories!

• The table is a place where meals are shared as well as one where activities and work are done. Having a table that accommodates the whole family at each age and stage is a must for our home. Some folks like to use high chairs to assist smaller children in sharing a space at the family table. We have always preferred ones that allow for S to be right up at the table with us and favor the wooden restaurant style in our home. It is also quite nice to have tables and chairs that are at child level for eating and for working at. We have a little table and chairs where S does eat most of his daytime meals and snacks. We tend to eat our dinners all together at the family table.

Sometimes kitchen work is done right at the family table, like on Make Your Own Pizza Night! We picked fresh tomatoes from our garden and prepped a variety of other toppings along with homemade pizza dough. Two out of three solid-food consuming family members even Ate Their Own Pizzas that night--and S tried a few bites of his.

Learning how to use a serving spoon and serving dish is an important skill. Offering opportunities to practice this helps instruct children not only on the motor skills associated with successfully transferring items from a bowl to their plate, but also teaches about portion control and sharing a community meal with family members and/or guests.

•  The kitchen is a space where meals are prepared and food is stored. It is a small and busy space in our house. It is not necessarily accessible for children (or even adults) in and of itself, so we make creative solutions to challenges within the space. It is an integral room for teaching about the laws of kashrut and also for learning about food preparation, safety with knives and ovens and stoves, cleanliness and safety with food and more!

In the kitchen, a step stool allows shorter family members to join in the process of cooking and baking and even washing produce or dishes. S almost always wants to use his step stool to join in--even if it's just to watch what we're doing as we cook. S knows which side of our kosher kitchen is for Meat and which side is for Dairy. On his own, he taught himself how to clear dishes from the table and place them in the proper bin for washing! This was a helpful reminder for me that he is ready for more responsibilities within our dining space and meal times.

Kids love to be in the kitchen with us! In an ideal world, I'd always have some sort of kitchen work set up and available for S to do while I'm cooking. In the real world, this is not the case. Rather, having an open door policy (where S can easily enter and leave the kitchen at his will) and having something out for him to play with while we're in there is a great way to compromise within this space. I love having our sensory table in the kitchen. It means that S can be close by while I'm cooking or tending to laundry in there. It also is an easy-to-clean space and floor so that he can easily tend to his own spills when they happen with help from us as needed.

Children love to imitate adult activities. Part of setting up our home to include children in adult activities is making "adult activities" accessible to the children. Another part is offering dramatic play opportunities to pretend about adult activities, like working in a kitchen, taking care of babies, and pretending to go to work or to the store. Many times when we are cooking in the kitchen or preparing meals, S will busy himself with work in his own kitchen area!

We recently added a small set of plastic drawers to our dining area by the kids' table to store a selection of dishes and materials S might need for meal and snack times. Color coded drawers help him remember what goes where. Labels will be added in the future to incorporate a print-rich environment, even though he is a pre-reader at this point. I don't keep all of the kids' dishes in the drawers, but rather a small selection so that S can choose his favorite color bowl or cup without the constant kitchen cabinet battle we used to have! The child-level shelf on top also creates the perfect space for some self-care items like tissues and wipes (and at some point I will include a mirror for being able to see the yogurt all over his face that needs to be wiped off!). It's also a great space for a spray bottle and washcloth for tending to tabletop spills.

S associates blue with "dairy" so the dairy dishes are kept in the blue drawer.

S associates red with "meat" and we keep the meat dishes in the red drawer. Labels are useful in the absence of color coding and gentle lessons and reminders are also helpful. When teaching children about keeping a kosher home, it's important to instruct and remind, but not to be harsh. Mistakes happen even with the adults in the home and we want keeping kosher to be a mitzvah our children are eager to keep and not fearful of.

Not surprisingly, S's favorite new addition has been the spray bottle of homemade cleaner and the washrag! I simply filled a plastic spray bottle with water, a squirt of dish soap and a drop of lavender oil. You can alternatively use a bit of castile soap, choose a scent you prefer, or just plain water. Providing a variety of cleaning tools like sponges or scrub brushes can also introduce new practical life-skills. I prefer to have only one tool out at a time for now and to rotate it. S got really into cleaning his table and was desperate for more things to clean--his chairs are super clean now, too! The fact of the matter is that spills happen and rather than being frustrated about them or cleaning them up myself each day, we've created a setting where S has more ownership and responsibility within our shared space.

Almost all public places are equipped with a water fountain at child level. Schools have sinks at child level. And yet, our homes have sinks that are too high to reach and getting water means needing an adult to help or a step stool to reach the sink. Additionally, at least for me if I don't have a water cup or bottle right next to me, I often forget to hydrate. Proper hydration is so important during the heat of the summer and all year round. We bought a set of small glass pitchers to fill with water for S to pour into a cup and drink from throughout the day. Glass with a three year old, you ask? Yes! Children can (and should) be taught how to handle materials that are fragile. Our preschool uses these pitchers as well even in their two year old classrooms. Given information about how to handle them safely, children tend to be very respectful and cautious with "real" materials like glass. That said, each parent is the expert on his/her child and you know if your child is not ready for glass. Plastic pitchers would be just as useful to practice with! And as with any learning opportunity, proper supervision is a definite must. Practicing pouring and liquid portion control are skills that are mastered in this setup. Knowing also that spills may occur, it can be a helpful reminder to keep a dry washrag out so your little ones can tend to overflows as they occur.

If you happen to be fasting today, I hope this post has not left you too hungry or thirsty and that your fast is easy and meaningful. We'll be back soon with more views into our Montessori inspired home and a fun story stretcher as well. Until then, happy playing!