Monti Kids' booth last week at an event in L.A. As you all know, I have transitioned out of the classroom and into a full time role with Monti Kids. Just after I put in my two weeks, the school announced it was closing.  I then guided a former parent through what to look for when touring Montessori schools, and I figured this would also be very helpful information for you too! The name Montessori has never been copyrighted, which is a great thing... and a not so great thing. Without the strict restrictions, schools are able to incorporate Montessori into their classrooms ..read more

Hello everyone! It has been a very busy month, which is why I have been slacking a bit on my weekly posts, but I have exciting news to share with you. While I have loved my time working in a Montessori classroom, I am happy to announce that I have taken a new full-time position with Monti Kids as their Affiliate Program Manager. I actually started working as an affiliate with Monti Kids last year, and I couldn't be more excited to join their team. While my official start date isn't until Thursday, I was able to join Monti Kids at a local event here in Costa Mesa, as well as at the AM ..read more

This week, I put together my Sprout Kids children's table and chair set. They have created furniture that is natural and made from environmentally sustainable materials. It was also incredibly easy to put together. I felt so accomplished and proud after setting it up in my garage. I can't wait to put it to use! Now...let's jump right into the good stuff... I have recently been going through a pizza obsession. Every time it is in the teacher's lounge, I always need a slice. I crave it for dinner, basically every night, so it was only natural that I incorporate it into my classroo ..read more

I was never a big fan of apples as a child. In fact, I don't think I enjoyed eating apples until I was 23 and living in Morocco. I had never learned how to properly slice an apple, and I thought they were so difficult to eat! As many of you might know, once a child decides they don't like something, these ideas will often stick, which is exactly how I felt about apples. In Morocco, I was shown how to  easily slice apples, and I fell in love with them. One of the benefits of food preparation activities for children is that they are exposed to different types of foods and ways in which to ..read more

When sitting down to write this week's post, I realized that I have yet to fully introduce myself! I hope that this post will give you a better understanding of who I am and my love for Montessori-inspired practices, as well as support for the development of young children. My name is Bérénice, and I am an AMI trained Montessori teacher. I currently work with toddlers between the ages of 18 months to 3 years old.  About Me I was born in Madrid, Spain and raised in Louisiana and France. I attended Tulane University where I earned a bachelor’s degree in ..read more

Before delving into this fun activity, I wanted to share my excitement about continuing to partner with companies who strive to provide families with natural, earth-friendly materials. I recently teamed up with Simply Real Foods Market. I love that their products are organic, natural, and Non-GMO. Additionally, they sell everything at wholesale value! I am continue to love Monti Kids' toy kits. Their Montessori-inspired toys are made with natural-colored materials without lights, sounds, and many bright colored patterns, allowing your child to concentrate without distraction and ove ..read more

This is one of my favorite food preparation activities. Although the hard boiled eggs have a very strong smell, it is important to remember that this adds to the benefits of this activity because the smell evokes the use of our senses, and toddlers are sensorial learners!  Remember, color coordinating supports your child's sense of order. When the eggs are brown, your child can see the difference between the shell and the egg, supporting their sense of sight. This also serves as a point of interest.  You will need: 1. Brown hard boiled eggs. I boil these a ..read more

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Because the school is closed for the week, I am unable to showcase a Montessori-inspired cooking activity; therefore, I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite things... Monti Kids is my all time favorite place to get beautiful Montessori toys. Not only do I love their natural and safe toys, but I also am also a huge fan of their educational tutorial videos that provide you with information on how to present the toys to your child to maximize their learning and development.  The toy timelines are ..read more

Juicing is one of my favorite activities to set up for children. When squeezing oranges, children ignite the use of so many senses: sight (the color of oranges can vary so much!), taste (sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter!), touch (the texture is so interesting for a young child!), smell (who doesn't love the smell of fresh oranges?), and hearing (think about the sounds an orange makes when being squeezed!). You will need: Many oranges (I like to cut them in half beforehand) A container to hold the oranges  A juicer (you can find many versions of the one in the above picture. Remember ..read more

I am clearly going through a muffin obsession. I really enjoy observing a child practice their hand-eye coordination and support the development of their fine motor skills when they transfer the batter with a spoon into the small holes of a muffin tin!   Transferring from a mixing bowl into specific small holes is great practice for the development of hand-eye coordination! I love these muffins because they are savory and delicious, and they smell so good while baking! Also the sun-dried tomatoes and feta and cheddar cheeses can be eaten raw, so your child can taste the differe ..read more