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The Sensitive Period for Movement
One of the child's prioritise in his first year of life is the pursuit of physical independence. One of the child's strongest impulses in his first year of life is the pursuit of physical independence.
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Raising Readers; When Phonics Isn’t Working and the Case for Storytelling
I’m going to say this and duck…phonics doesn’t work for all readers. Phonics is a wonderful resource and ideal for teaching initial sounds and basic decoding but many children struggle to convert and construct the complex system of phonemes, trigraphs and split digraphs into one fluid sound to produce a word. Even worse they are struggling to string the words they are decoding into meaningful stories. (Don’t just take my word for it though, more info here; The Limits of Phonics) Moving on from Phonics As a former children’s librarian and a teacher I’m familiar with the sight of worried parents wringing their hands when faced with their children’s homework, helpless…
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Being a Present Parent
I read parenting books in bed, I listen to podcast on psychology, education and relationships while I drive, I stalk Pinterest and Instagram for the best 'At Home Education' set ups, I ask questions in niche online parenting groups, I observe and reflect on my child's development and try to think of ways to encourage him, I try new recipes to make sure he has a broad palette and a balanced diet. The list quite literally goes on and on...And I'm still not good enough.
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A Guide To Montessori Infant Puzzles
The Montessori Circle Puzzle is an instantly recognisable piece of equipment, common in many infant environments, but why are there so many variations of the same puzzle?
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Raising Readers: 6 Things Parents Do That Make Children Hate Reading
Is it possible that we as parents are damaging our children's desire and ability to read? In this post we examine the role of intrinsic motivation and how to use it at home to make your child a reader.
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The Best Montessori Quotes
Maria Montessori was a visionary woman, her approach to education was (and in many parts of the world still is) revolutionary. She said many wise and wonderful things. If there were a set of essential Montessori quotes to live by then this is them. These quotes have helped me so much, they’ve informed how I prepared our home environment and how I’ve adapted my mindset to accomodate our Montessori lifestyle. These quotes relate specifically to Montessori’s work with child under three. They are a useful starting point for anyone asking “What is Montessori?” and a handy point of reference for days when you ask “Why do I bother?!” “The studies…
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My Birthday Bucket List
Every year I write a list of things I want to achieve before my next birthday, I call it THE BIRTHDAY BUCKET LIST. So often we roll from birthday to birthday without setting time aside to intentionally pursue personal goals. I don’t mean professional achievements or parenting milestones, I’m talking intimate triumphs that make you do a happy dance when you start to plan them. I have found the Birthday Bucket List to be a really useful way to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. Now that I’m a mother I think it’s going to be an important part of my self care. So here it is,…
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Raising Readers; Why Won’t My Child Read
In August we will be answering the question "Why won't my child read?" and focusing on how to encourage your child to love reading. This week we will examine the 5 most common reasons why children don't read and what you can do to motivate them to read for pleasure.
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July in the Pottanger Garden
A roundup of what came out of the our vegetable patches in July.
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The Weaning Cup – A How To Guide
The introduction of the Montessori Weaning Cup is a milestone in a baby's journey to independence. In this post I'm looking at the why and the how of the process.
