Essential Montessori

Essential Montessori Blog

2023
  • July 21st Montessori From Birth: Series Wrap Up
    When we started our journey as parents together we knew we had two goals: Thank you for following along on this journey with us! We had so much fun going through some of our favorite Montessori materials from each month with you. For a quick reference guide to each month, please feel free to jump […]
  • July 14th Montessori From Birth: Month 12
    Month 12: Happy birthday! You made it! A classic favorite is our nesting bowls which allow for color matching (especially with other materials we dye with our natural, organic and local vegetable dyes) and imaginative, sensory and sorting play as well. Blocks are a classic (we used to make them and may bring them back!) […]
  • July 7th Montessori From Birth: Month 11
    Month 11: Our little one’s favorite threading materials were our threading discs. Simple and with a satisfying bell ring when the disc makes it onto the wooden needle and leather thread.
  • June 30th Montessori From Birth: Month 10
    Month 10: The classic Radio Flyer push wagon was an absolute favorite in our home for almost half a decade. I’m not even exaggerating. It was everything, a pull-up bar, a way to push a baby sister around the house, a package carrier, and a doll bed. When we finally passed it along to another […]
  • June 23rd Montessori From Birth: Month 9
    Month 9: Support your little explorer with ramps and challenges – couch cushions were a favorite surface at this time! Simple peg puzzles and those with knobs were popular as well. We did our own take on this by incorporating pieces from separate materials we had available (pictured) but there are so many options!
  • June 16th Montessori From Birth: Month 8
    Month 8: At this age you may notice that your child is enjoying “posting” or placing one object within or around another object. You may notice items tucked into your shoes, or their favorite toys tucked within other containers at this age. It’s great to give your little one a safe alternative to fulfill this […]
  • June 9th Montessori From Birth: Month 7
    Month 7: Keep going with the 6-9 month bundle, begin by introducing the ball and bowl, then the egg and cup and finally the peg and cup. That order of introduction is from most simple to most difficult for a child to complete. A classic puzzle ball is an excellent incorporation into the Montessori environment […]
  • June 2nd Montessori From Birth: Month 6
    Month 6: We offer a bundle of 6-9 month materials that include the first Montessori puzzles made from three dimensional shapes (sphere, egg and peg shapes) as well as a wooden cylinder rattle with balls that encourages rolling/chasing/crawling movements to retrieve it. Once a child is sitting up they can begin to complete their firs […]
  • May 26th Montessori From Birth: Month 5
    Month 5: Keep on going with the 3-6 month bundle and start building your little one’s library. Our daughters’ favorites were books that featured actual objects and the faces of other babies both look alike and different than themselves. These were some absolute favorites and all are under $10 USD each as of writing. This […]
  • May 19th Montessori From Birth: Month 4
    Month 4: Some of our favorite mobiles are introduced at this age! The Dancer’s Mobile as well as the Butterfly Mobile are absolutely stunning and hold your little one’s attention for so long! For grasping we absolutely love the wooden rings from the 0-3 month bundle in addition to introducing items from our most popular […]
  • May 12th Montessori From Birth: Month 3
    Month 3: In addition to what we mentioned in Month 1 and Month 2, an easy addition to our Montessori at home environment was a full-length mirror made from shatterproof material instead of glass. We securely mounted the mirror onto the wall in the movement area where we displayed visual mobiles and where our daughters […]
  • May 5th Microbiology for Kids
    In celebration of Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice’s new book Unseen Jungle: The Microbes that Secretly Control Our World, I wanted to pull together some of our favorite activities and books related to microbes that we enjoy as a family! I was able to interview Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice on an Instagram Live on May 5, […]
    Cover of Unseen Jungle book by Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice and Illustrated by Rob Wilson.
  • May 5th Montessori From Birth: Month 2
    Month 2: In addition to our 0-3 month bundle we highlighted in Montessori From Birth: Month 1, you may consider introducing a rattle from our musical series. The three ring shaker was a favorite in our home!
  • April 28th Montessori From Birth: Month 1
    When we started our journey as parents together we knew we had two goals: That first month of bringing home your little one is full of so much new. New world to them, new life situation for you. And truly not very much sleep in between. A good friend told me that during this time […]
  • April 26th Minimalist Camping Tips
    Now that both of our daughters, at 7 and 9, are firmly in the second plane of development (between the ages of 6 and 12) we are enjoying a lot of family time, independent time and life adventures that involve question asking, introspection and lots of activity. The perfect summer activity for us the past three summers has been camping.
  • April 24th Montessori From Birth: Series Introduction
    Kicking off this series I wanted to pull together a post on why it’s important to provide the appropriately aged Montessori materials at the right time. In the Montessori learning environment you might hear the phrases “sensitive period” or “absorbent mind” — generally these refer to supporting a baby’s growth and development through a prepared […]
  • April 18th Montessori Babies Podcast
    We were so happy to be able to join Bianca Solorzano, M.Ed. on her podcast “Montessori Babies” for episode 29 “All About Montessori Baby Wooden Materials with Lea Shell” — Listen Here for Apple Podcasts! Here is Bianca’s Summary of the episode from her IG @babytourguide, be sure to follow her there! “In this episode, […]
    Montessori Babies podcast logo with photo of Bianca A Solorzano M.Ed. and brought to you by Baby Tour Guide with green background.
  • April 18th Interview with our COO
    This month I was interviewed by CanvasRebel about Essential Montessori and how it all began! Check out the interview here.
    Leonora Shell, woman with brown hair and red glasses wearing a brown work apron. Standing behind a table with handmade Montessori materials at a market in Worcester, Massachusetts.
  • April 14th Our Favorite Parenting Books
    One of the most common questions we’re asked in our Instagram DMs from new parents is requests for books to get started with both parenting and Montessori (and the combination of the two).
  • April 14th Please visit our Etsy shop!
    Coming soon! Please visit our shop at: http://essentialmontessori.etsy.com