Meet Doggy

Bedtime routine is an ever evolving situation here.  Composing with 3 tired children at the same time is not always easy, and requires ingeniosity and diligence to make everything smooth.

E's bedtime routine has evolved over time, and he needed a light source for the times when it is bedtime and he has to remain in bed, but he is not completely ready to get to sleep yet.  I didn't want to have a light that could be hazardous to him since I am not present with him all the time, and thus this restricted my options.

Until I found Doggy.

Doggy is a DEL light.  It is battery operated, so I charge it during the day,  to be used during our bedtime routine.  When used it must be unplugged, so this dramatically diminished the risk of electrical shocks.

The DEL lights are located under Doggy's head.  The head swivels up and down to expose the light sources (there are 12 tiny LED lights)  There are 2 options available as far as light intensity goes.

E uses it by it's side in it's bed.  Since there is no electrical outlet, I am not scared that something could happen if he falls asleep with the light near by. (which happens occasionally)

It is easy to handle, there is a button on the back that E can open and close without any troubles at all.

It is not by all mean a lamp to light up the whole room.  It is a punctual light used only to allow reading.    I didn't want to have a very bright light source, because I think it can interfere with sleep arousal.  This is just enough.

When the light is left open, but the dog's head is lowered down, it also serves as a night light.

M has one that is similar, and she claims that this, used as a night light, is enough for her not to be scared.

Listening nook

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the need of creating a listening nook.

Many reasons supported this idea, of being the upcoming arrival of december, which meant Christmas music, and also the growing need (and interest) for X ( 7yo) to listen to audio books.

Reading not being easy for him, I still see the importance of being able to listen to good quality books,  stories that will match his level of comprehension and intelligence, something that his reading cannot currently do.

But this was not only put together with X in mind.  I wanted to have a little bit for everybody in this nook, and so I added books, both for X and E (2 yo), an audio game that is loved by both M (5 yo) and E, and M added the first holiday disk...The Grinch who stole Christmas.

Since that first picture up there, the content of the shelves has changed tremendously.  More Christmas music was added, books were rotated as they were finished, and other Christmas story made their place (The polar express being a new favorite right now).  There is material both in french and in english.

At some point, I will probably invest in a MP3 reader of something of the kind to allow X to have access to a bigger selection of audio books, and have the portability of using it where he see fits.  Also he will be able to listen to titles that are of interest to him without receiving comments from the other who don't share the same interest / level of comprehension

Sad realization

Yes, I have to come to some sad realizations...

X has been going to Montessori school since he was little.  The first Montessori school he went to was God send to him.  It helped him to focus, to be disciplined, to love learning.  I was thrilled with the progress he had made, and so we decided to extend his experience in a Montessori school by signing him to the local elementary Montessori school.

After a few months of him attending, I started to realize that, while it is an AMAZING school, like no other around here, it is not really a Montessori school, but rather a Montessori inspired school (with the Montessori name).  He didn't do as much Montessori as I and he was hoping for.  This combined with some learning issues that caused trouble to the point of getting him out of school, he didn't have the year I was hoping he would have.  Far less.  And unfortunately, months later I realize that his experience was even worst then what I thought.

During this year, I saw my very curious and questioning 6 yo ask less question, and wonder less about things in general, the questions were dropping in numbers and meaning too.  I, maybe a bit naively, thought that he was getting his needs met by school and what we were doing around here.  I couldn't have made a more false assumption.  At some point, we finally understood that X was having difficulties learning, and I was seeing that he was not happy with what was going on.  Again, I never thought his love of learning had been bruised, I thought we had managed to keeo this intact, regardless of what had happened to him in school.

We have started back school unofficially for almost 2 weeks now.  And now I see it more then ever.  He has lost this amazement in his eyes.  Nothing amazes him anymore. Nothing grabs him like it used to.  I am not able to reach him anymore and make him want to dig deeper.  He is not thrilled by anything.  He lost this love of learning that he has inside him, the very thing that I had promise myself that I would protect.

This was not something I thought I would be faced with.  All the planning that I have done is pretty much useless.  The mere thought of requiring something (narration, reading even!) from him is just pushing him further away.  I have to try to help him reconnect with learning, and this is not something was I anticipating, not something I thought I would have to do - I am SO not ready for that.

I am not even sure I know what to do at this point.  Suggestions anyone?

In the mean time, I have M and E who would want to take more then I can offer them, I was not expecting such a demand from them.

Wow, what a start at homeschooling!  Not the start I thought, exciting nonetheless...I guess.

If you have any info that would help me out, I'd love to hear it, books, websites, or just a simple 2 cents.  I don't know where to turn to, or how to start.  THis is a WAY bigger challenge then I thought, and MUCH more important too.

Closer look at the hand washing station

Thanks for your comments on the handwashing post.  I am happy that it has inspired many of you to give it a go!

As promised I wanted to show you the hand washing station that E is using.  Hopefully, that information can be helpful to people that are almost ready to give it a try.

I have used a part of our play kitchen to safely hold the wash basin.  It works, E loves it, and associate handwashing with a sink.

He was showed how to pour water in the basin (with assistance), to use soap to wash his hands, and then rinse in the basin.  His favorite part?  Putting the dirty water in the bucket.  Yes, he loves to pour!
The hand brush comes from Michael Olaf, and is perfect for hand scrubbing if needs be.

Stored under are material for dishwashing that we will be starting soon.  E is allowed to explore the material right now, so he'll already be familiar when we start.

How did you set up hand washing in your home with a toddler/preschooler?

Tel que promis, je vous montre un peu plus en détail le coin de nettoyage que j'ai aménagé pour E.


Sur le dessus du meuble, j'y ai mis tout ce qui est nécessaire pour que E puisse se laver les mains de façon indépendante:  un plat pour se laver, un savon, une brosse à main, un pichet qu'il utilise avec un peu d'aide, et une serviette pour s'essuyer les mains.


À l'intérieur du meuble, se trouve le matériel nécessaire pour des activités de nettoyage.  Un bassin d'eau en plastique, diverses brosses (dont une à légumes) et un sceau pour disposer de l'eau sale.


E adore ce coin, qui lui permet beaucoup plus d'aisance dans ses mouvements que lorsqu'il est sur un banc.


Et vous?  Comment avez vous aménagez votre environnement pour faciliter ces tâches de nettoyage?

E's toddler room

Life has been going faster then I have.  BUt after a few days/weeks of trying to be on top of things, I am finally getting there.  Only to know that I'll have papers to grade starting next week...ugh.

Talking about trying to catch up, I'm almost caught up with replies.  Thanks for your patience!

Today I felt like giving you a tour or E's room.  Now that we are well into toddlerhood, I had to adapt his room to his newly acquired skills, and trust me, the acquisition of skills goes faster then the response I am producing.  After he started walking last september, his development has taken strides that have left us speechless.

The first and big change that we needed to make was to have E sleep in a child size bed.

He has been able to climb into our *very* high bed for months now, and so having a bed off the floor was just the natural next step for him.  He loves it.  He climbs easily in it, he loves to go at any moment of the day to just sit in it.  I have found myself countless times, since this bed has made it's appearance here,  looking for E through out the house because he was making no noise whatsoever, and more then half the time, I found him there, sitting in his bed with a book.  (let's not talk about the other half of the time shall we?)
The non matching green blanket that is on his bed is the blanket he has chosen himself.  It is a woollen that we used to have at home when I was a child.  I have no idea why he loves it so much, but it was clear that this was the blanket he wanted on his bed.  So we respected his decision.  He sleeps only with this blanket (he HATES being covered, he despise it really) and so bed making is rather easy.  I would like at some point to only have a big comforter on the beds of my children so bed making would be easier.

The dressing area was also redesigned

I added a shelf in the module so that I could have a space for diapering material, without interfering with his dressing area.  it works well so far.
The other thing that I add and that we both love is the mirror.  It is big enough so he can see himself, it is at the right level and he loves to look at himself in it while we are dressing up.
In the drawers I have all of his clothes, and in this dressing are (the side with the rod) I usually get out 2 outfits, and he chooses the one he want for the day.  I always leave a pair of indoor shoes (padraigs) at his disposal, and also a woollen vest in case he is cold.  The vest is being currently used to learn to put on and off the hanger.

The reading nook is still there.

this was something I had set temporarily until I had find a better seating solution for this area.  But I have yet to find the said seating solution, and every time I have tried something else, E was very upset about it.  SO obviously he is happy with this arrangement.  He has a strong preference for the orange pillow, which he always asks for if I sit by it by mistake.  He truly loves this nook.

And finally his activity area has evolved according to him

New material, new set of images.
I am planning to soon change the shelving setting.  I would like to use this as a bedside table in order to have a shelving system that would provide a little more space for material.
Kylie has posted this yesterday, which is fabulous and that is not too far away from here :)

She has also posted about the shelf she uses for Otis, which I have adored from the first moment I saw.  But this one is a little far away... I might use it as an inspiration for a 3 shelf high module though.

And of course the Oeuf mini library remains high on my list, but I have to admit that I am put off by the price...
so we'll see

Have a good valentine's! :)

L'atelier

This is a project we have been working on for a LONG time.
It is the project I had decided to tackle when I embarked on the "Playful learning space" e-course, I guess almost a year from now.  I am glad that I did, it really made a difference in the way I parent, and in the way I set up my house.

When I signed up for the e-course, I knew this was the room I'd be working on.  And I knew it was a bog project.  I took all the time I needed to imagine what I wanted out of this room, to gather the material I needed, and to make it attractive for the children.  I tried some things that didn't work, and turned it around until it clicked for everybody.  And I am glad I did.  Because I often find a little one working there, silently, and completely absorbed in something he/she wishes to do.

The room itself is not perfect.  I wish it would be a bit bigger to be able to fit in all the crazy wonderful ideas I had for it.  AND don't get me started on the flooring that I HATE with a passion.  But I worked with the room I had to make something we'd be able to enjoy together.

And this is the result:

The art section:

this is M 's favorite section.  It was hard to organize as I had to keep in mind that I have kids with really different ages, and abilities.  So I used wall space to put items I wouldn't want E to use right away, but keeping them available to the oldest.

The IKEA storage under the shelves contains material that all children can use.

On top of it, there are 3 empty containers that usually contain modelling dough, but they have been cleaned this weekend, and are waiting for a fresh batch of coloured dough.  E LOVES to play with that, so this is why it is stored at his level.
There is also a wooden plate on top.  This is a section I have kept to put pre prepared activities for E.  Right now, we has a glue activity that he loves using.

Painting material:

Drawing material:

Stamping material:

There is a drawer containing modelling dough accessories, and one containing all sorts of papers to be used.  The last one contains material to cut and glue.

These are the shelves for the exclusive use of the oldest...for now.  They contain paint, sand, glue, natural material to make collage, and material to explore (second shelve from top)
On the last shelve, I have put 3 bins with storage for materials that I don't want the kids to use.  It is out of their reach.


I have had a couple of questions already, so using my fellow blogger Kylie's idea, I'll use the labeling method to explain further: (thanks for the idea Kylie!)

On the right side of this shelving, there is the table:

it is a temporary table until we find the right one.  Cost us almost nothing to make, and does a wonderful job for now.  Right over the table is the art display wall.  They can show drawing or other work they have made.

At the left of the art section, I have the activity section:

this is the place where I currently store all sorts of activities the kids love doing.  THis is X's spot.  Most of the baskets contains activities he does.  Except the last right lower shelve.  THis is a sewing case and a knitting basket that M adores.

I have put a carpet on that side of the room, well partly to hide the floor...(yes, that I hate) but also to be comfy working on the floor.  I have left a part of the floor uncovered for all the messy activities the kids do in there.  I have to admit that this is it's only advantage: it cleans well, and I do not care one bit if it is stained.

The nook on the left hand side of the photo is a reading spot.  I didn't know whether it would work, but it really does.  It was a lost space that I didn't know what to make of.  But after seeing the children go "hide" in this place many times, I decided to put cushions and a basket of books...the rest is history.

Finally, near the door, I have E's favorite spot:

a sensory table of some sort. I used the table we had in the living room before we renovated it.
On the top, there is a light table.  There is not one day that passes that E doesn't do in this room to play with the table.

I have stored in the table everything that we use to play with the table:  blocs, gems, window crayons, material to pour (which is very VERY popular right now with E).  The mirror really entice E to play.  I see him looking at himself while he works there.   The window crayons are his very favorite thing to play with on the light table.


This concludes the tour.  I hope you enjoyed it.

There are so many thing I would have liked to put in there, and I see this as an unfinished product, as I am sure it will evolve (it is constantly evolving) into something else.  I am sad not to have more space in there but I rather be grateful to have a space for them to be and do what they want to.


Thanks again Mariah, for the e-course, I really loved it, and it is still very inspiring to me.



Sorry, the photos are not very colorful, it is rather dull outside today, and it has been like that for over a week...

the power of music

Music is an important part of our days.








































We are music lovers - we have always been, and as a matter of fact, we have made it a priority for 2012 to significally increase the amount of time spent playing music ourselves while we are together.

But as parents, we have not always used music as a parenting tool.  We started doing so when we realized it's power when used appropriately.

Music is indeed powerful with young children (and dare I say for adults too?).  We have, many time, salvaged what seemed like completely out of control situations by using the right music.  I feel music change the atmosphere of a room, and acts on the environment just like beauty of material or cleanliness does.  Just like clutter acts negatively on children (and most adults), inappropriate music, or sound for that matter, will do exactly the same: it drains their energy and their power of concentration.  Base on our experience, this leads to a tired and whinny child that has a hard time slow down.  X is particularly affected by sound and music, and annoying sounds or really upbeat music really has a toll on him quickly, and even more when he is already tired.

We have seen this again during the holidays.  Not being home for a long period of time, we didn't have as much power on the surrounding noises and music.  We saw the effects almost instantaneously on him, and after a while, the others started showing the same signs: restlessness, loss of concentration, and even aggressivity.  X really is our barometer for that.  Thankfully, we had the right tools to help them get back on a more peaceful track.

Our use of music:

We use music through out the day, and the genre varies according to what I am wishing the atmosphere to be.

• We usually wake to either no music, or light classical music that is not too dramatic. When things are too hectic, I use similar music to a lower level to help create a calming atmosphere

• When I want to create a cheerful atmosphere that leads to singing, dancing of just having fun, we mostly use music of the world, or Jazz music.  These are our current favourite.

• We also love to make our children discover the music WE love.  Rock, light rock, pop are all used, but lightly, and at appropriate times.  They regularly ask for The Beatles, and other timeless groups we had them acquainted with.  Mind you, we carefully select the music we let them hear, and we know to not overabuse that!

• Dancing is always welcome around here, and the kids choose what they want, when they want.

• When we are concentrating, we mostly do not use music.  But when we do, or if we need to block out annoying surrounding noises, I use either nature music, or new age music.  I feel it is best when concentrating, since there is no tune to it.

• We also use music to learn.  About the orchestra, or the instruments.  We make a point for our children to hear traditional music from our corner of the world.  We feel it teaches them about their roots.

• During meals, we don't use music.  Our chatter is the best music we can have.  But around mealtimes, music is really important.  When children are hungry and cannot wait for dinner to be ready, I usually direct them to music.  

• Music is paramount at bedtime.  Every child has a small radio in his room, with a small selection of soothing music.  But I have to admit that they don't change it often.  They each use the same disc night after night.  X had requested guitar, M piano, and we gave E violin music.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting our current choices and favourites discs.

Is there music playing all the time here: NO.  

We know and value the importance of silence through out the day.  Maria Montessori insisted that silence is something that needs to be taught, and had silence game regularly in her children's houses.  I have to admit that we don't play the silence game here.  But we have many (if not most) time during the day when there is no music and no noises in the house.  Sometimes, you would not believe there is 3 kids into the house.  But like everybody else, we are surely not perfect, and something you'd think there are 10...These are the times when the soothing cd's get out and are being played as long as necessary.

What do we do when we are out and away?

In the car, we also have a selection of calming and soothing music to help wind down if needs to be.  We also have music to sing to, and more upbeat music (mostly music of the world).  While we are visiting, we usually carry a MP3 player that contains ONLY a selection of carefully chosen music for our children.  We have rules surrounding the use of the device, and X and M know that they can only use it if they respect those rules.

Don't ge me wrong here.  We do not allow our children to spent a lot of time being "plugged in"  But in special situation, when time comes, we feel it is a good way to respect the needs of our children, when we are not in our own home.

A side effect that I am really liking with this is the fact that we are becoming more knowledgable about music.  Kids now recognize famous pieces of music when they hear them, and we have started to name the ones we like best, so that we know their names too.

Do you use music on your home?  If so how, and what is your favourite music?  I'd love to have new recommendations to add to our music library!  I'm really getting fond of having that.

See you tomorrow for part 2

The activity table

I wanted to show you today how we are set up for E's activities.

As I mentioned earlier on, we have activities set up for him in ever corner of our home.  Upstairs, downstairs, in virtually every room, there is a basket or something related to him.

You've seen his room before, there is a set of shelf in there for calm activities to do on the floor.  His permanence box with interchangeable lid permanently lives there, along with a treasure basket of some sort (although I feel the end of treasure basket to be soon).  I usually add one or 2 other activity that rotate monthly.

this was taken a few months ago

I've also shown you his weaning table, that is basically becoming a drawing table.  That is the most common activity he does there.

The living room is his new spot.  He now like being in the center of the home, near of where I work and am.  So I reorganized a few things to created space for his activities there.  It is perfect!

We bought a Ikea table about 6 months ago.  This table isn't sold anymore at Ikea, and after wanting to buy it so many times while it was available and not doing so, when I found it second hand, I just jumped on the occasion.  Perfect table for kids!

I put all of his activities in the cubbies under, and E can just work on the table while standing up.  Easy to clean, easy to see, just the right height.  Perfect really!

I've been going back a forth for a while now on having a room for all activities to go in.  But I finally came to the conclusion that I rather have learning as a part of our home rather then it being confined to a room, and  since the only room available is downstairs, and far away from the hearth of our home, it is less then ideal, and therefore unused.  So I rather have my kids's activity in the living room, even though the setting is not perfect.

As for the room downstairs, I've been working on it for many weeks now.  I want this room to be one where creativity is the prime interest.   I'll sow it to you, once it finally feels finished.

Setting the environment, where to start? - FAQ

I get a lot of email asking me tips and advice how to start setting up a prepared environment for the young child / toddler.  I wanted to address those questions by a blog post, since it seems to be a topic that really is of interest.

What is the best "room"/area/space to set up first?


I don't think there is a best room or area to start with.
Start with the room or area or space that you feel like organizing, the one you have tons of ideas for,
or
the one that you have noticed a need that your child is expressing and that you  want filled in order to give him more independence.

Basically, the young child:

• sleeps
• get dressed
• eats
• play or work or explore
• learn the basic rules of hygiene (toileting, and care of self i.e brushing teeth, brushing hair...)

these are the areas where the child is working hard in getting independence, and are the target spot to work on.

You don't need to start big!  You don't need to start by setting a whole room at first.  A new cupboard in the kitchen with pots and pans to play with, a little nook in the living room just for him, just a hook for the child to put his coat on or even a rug to remind him to put his shoes there when he gets in are all a great start. These might spark new ideas, or entice the child towards something else that you will notice... 

Once I have decided to have a home prepared environment for my child, is it better to change everything at the same time, or not?


The toddler is in a sensitive period for order.  He does not like his environment to be disrupt.  So changing everything all at the same time might be overwhelming for the child.  Go slowly, and a little at a time, I feel is the best way.  Let ample time for the child to explore this new space and be comfortable with it before moving on to something else.

Older kids are able to deal with more changes and bigger one.  But I feel like discussing it with them is always preferable, and including them in the process is really interesting.  They might have ideas you never thought of, or have point of views you never even imagined!  Since the space is for them, let them have something to say and do about it. Their pride over this new space also pushes them to take care of it a whole lot more

Should I make the changes with my child, or I make it as a surprise for him?


I think this depends on your child, and his age.  Older children might enjoy more the surprises.  I know my 6 yo does.  But for the younger children, and most of all the ones that are preverbal, a surprise might really distress them. (and you can't explain to them as you would do for an older one)
If they have been in the same room all of their life, they probably feel secure in there.  But if everything has change, from the bed to the dresser, the child might not find his sense of security anymore, and might feel at loss.
I have always made the changes, for my younger children, with them around.  Many time, after I would change something's place, they would take the thing, and put it back where it was before.  And when that happen, I just say "it's ok, this is ______'s new spot" and it was ok then.

What are your best tips to make a space child friendly? / How do you do it

• Ask yourself what is the purpose

Once you have chosen the space you want to work on, ask yourself what is the purpose of the changes you want to make.  You have to be really specific.

For exemple:

 I want my child to be able to reach the sink, and have his toothbrush at his level.  This way he can learn to  put the toothpaste on the toothbrush, and he is able to spit in the sink after.  I want him to also have access to washing cloths to be able to clean himself up if he needs to.

By writing clear expectations, you know what you'll want to include in your new space.

• Make a list of all the ideas you have

Everything.  Everything that you have thought of, all the ideas you have seen in blogs, books or other inspirational sources.  Sometimes, when on paper, a really good idea suddenly doesn't seem so good, or what you say as dispersed ideas might all click together in a really fun way

• Make a list of all the things you want in the space

Look at what your purpose is.  What do you need in there to be able to make the space work?  It is much easier then to ask yourself what could go there?

• Look in your house to find the things you need to set your new space up

Repurposing is really a great thing here.  Don't go out and buy something new unless you are certain of really needing it.  Be creative and look through your house to find something that could work.  Baskets, old bowls, kitchen accessories, bathroom accessories, old furniture, anything can work.  YOu just need a little imagination and creativity.  

It is good for the wallet, and you won't feel bad if the great idea you had just didn't work with your child (and it happens!)

• Try the space up without the younger child around 

younger children are in a sensitive period for order.  They feel unsettled when their environment are changed drastically.  So if you are not sure about the change you want to make, try it without the child being there to see if it works.

• Put yourself at the level of the child, and try to be in his shoe

I think this is one of the most important point. 

Do take the time to sit down on the floor and look at child level.  Is the environment pleasing at that level?  Is everything too high, or does it feel like you have everything in reach?  If you wanted to do _________would you be able to without help (or minimal help).  Does the setting of the room or space match the purpose you wanted it to fill initially?

• Give time to your child to get acquainted with the new space

Explain to your child what you did.  Show him how you want things to be done: this is a hook I have put here for you to hang your coat.  Look, I have just hang your coat here.  Do you want to try it?...  and expect that he will want to try it many times right away (if he is interested into it).  Most of the time, that goes rather quickly, but some children might take longer before really being comfortable with the change, and it can take a couple of days before they really start exploring it.

And if it doesn't work, don't worry, and try something else.

Do you change a room / space often

As much as it needs.  But for my toddler, I don't make huge changes all the time.  For instance, his bigger furniture has not moved much.  The bed has always stayed in the same spot, same for dresser and so on.  But I have made numerous little changes according to his developmental phase. (new activity, bigger toy shelf, new book display, new spot for his chair...)  But changing the whole layout of the room is something I hope not to have to do until a few years.

If you are in need of inspiration, you can go and have a look in the Home prepared environment links at your right hand side.


I hope this has answered the questions you had.  Let me know if you have further questions on the subject :)

Preschooler closet

Français au bas

DD's room.  This has been a project for a while.  For some reason, it kept sliding down on my to-do list.  But this week, I finally manage to make it a priority to organize her closet properly.  She has always had closets that were organized for her to be independent when dressing up, and I was looking forward to be able to giver her that again.

She was so happy to have finally found her entire independence, that the first morning after we finished, she got upstairs at 6:30 am all dressed up to join us in bed.  (6:30 AM people, this is way too early!)

Her closet is *really* narrow.  It made it quite a challenge (a pain in the ...really) to organize it for her.  But we finally manage to make it work with what we had on hand.  It is not perfect, but I think it respects her need for independence and order.

WARNING... PINK ALERT!  

Yes, we are in the pink phase.  So I hope I won't get you dizzy with all the pink :)

So here it is:

Keep in mind that M is 4 yo, and is completely independent in dressing herself up, and she has been for a while.  She is also able to fold her clothes or hang it up.

I'll break it down to you

1. The hanging side:

This side is for dresses and anything that requires hanging like her bathrobe.

She has hangers for all of her clothes with a little excess so we never run out of them.  (yes, we are currently transitioning to pink hangers...ah!... little girls)

There is a space under for shoes.

2. The folding side:

Sorry, I should have removed the stool before taking the picture...

So this is the folded side.  She has 2 big basket on top of the shelf, one for pants, and the other for shirts.

Then, under, she has a basket for undies, one for socks, and the middle pile is her clean pj's

Taking about the stool, that brings me to the higher part:

3. The drawer part:

This part is made out of a Ikea shelving from the trofast line.  It was used before as cubbies to store books and toys when she was a toddler.  This module is fixed to the wall over the rod.  

All the baskets are identified with the content.  Since M is learning to read, I have not (intentionally) id'ed her basket with images, but with words.    As you can see there are 2 colors identifying the basket.  

The bins id'ed with the purple color are seasonal items: ex. long johns, and tights. (things we will need soon...sob).  The little folded pile on the left hand side is her bathing gear.  (we swim often) (why no bin?  I used it for the socks...until I find something else)

The bins identified with the red color tag are her doll's accessories:  diapers, clothes and pj's, all neatly folded in their drawers.  She loves to have her doll stuff in her closet.  It feels neat and organize she says.

On the top of the shelves, we have a basket with accessories (head bands, scarfs and so on), woolens in the middle, and on the right hand side of your screen, a basket and a suitcase for playing with her doll.

Since this module is just a little out of her reach, the stool is permanently placed in front of her closet to comfortably have access to the higher parts.

The higher part of her closet (not shown) has 2 shelves The first one has baskets for the clothes rotation (one for the things that needs to be given away, and one for the things that is a tad too large), and a basket for the bigger doll accessories she needs (doll blankets, sleeping bag and so on).  The higher shelf is use to store extra linens.  She doesn't see what is on that shelf, it is way too high.

And you, how did you manage to organize your little ones closets?  Any tips you feel like sharing, I'd love to hear!

Ça faisait un bail que j'espérais avoir le temps d'organiser le garde-robe de ma fille, mais pour toute sorte de raisons, ça n'arrivait jamais.  

J'ai finalement eu le temps d'organiser le tout cette semaine, au grand bonheur de M qui retrouve son indépendance  complète au moment de s'habiller.

Son garde-robe est extrêmement étroit, ce qui rendait sont organisation compliqué.  Mais nous avons réussi à le faire avec ce que nous avions sous la main.

Gardez à l'esprit que ma fille est complètement indépendante pour s'habiller, et qu'elle est capable de plier et accrocher ses vêtements seule.

Alors, voilà, je vous présente:

1. La section suspendue:

c'est pour les robes et autres choses qui doivent être sur des supports comme sa robe de chambre.  Elle a tout les supports nécessaires pour accrocher ses vêtements.

2.  La section  pliée:

Elle a une petite étagère sur laquelle il y a 2 panier:  un pour les chandails, et l'autre pour les pantalons.  En dessous, il y a un panier pour les bas, les sous-vêtements, et dans le milieu, ce sont ses pyjamas propres.

3.  Les tiroirs.

c'est un ancien module trofast de Ikea que nous avons suspendu au dessus de la pole.  Celui-ci contient des panier pour ranger ses choses.

Les paniers identifiés en rouge sont les panier contenant les choses de sa poupée. (elle adore avoir les choses de sa poupée dans son garde-robe) Ceux identifié en violet sont ses choses à elle (vêtements saisonier)

Sur le dessus, il y a un panier pour ses accessoires, 2 piles de chandails chauds, et à droite, ce sont panier et mallette pour jouer, accessoires pour sa poupée.

Il a y un banc en permanence devant le garde-robe pour lui permettre d'accéder aux tiroirs facilement (ils sont juste une touche trop haut)

Les panier sont identifiés avec des mots, puisque M apprend à lire.  Je n'ai donc pas mis d'images cette fois-ci.

IL y a 2 tablettes plus hautes dans le garde-robe (pas de photos), qui contiennent, des paniers pour la rotation de vêtement de M, et sur la plus haute, des draps supplémentaires.  Elle n'est pas en mesure de voir sur cette tablette là, c'est beaucoup trop haut.

Et vous, comment avez-vous organiser les garde-robes de vos petits mousses?

13 months old toddler art caddy

version française au bas


I was asked what was the caddy on our weaning table. I thought I'd post about it.

This caddy is a toddler art caddy.  E is 13 month old.  And he loves anything crayons, paper, pencils and such.  But I cannot let him use X and M's art caddy, as there is just too many things that are hazardous to him (or to the house as a matter of fact...).  So I got out the smaller caddy, one I had retired because I was not able to fit everything I wanted to anymore, and created the toddler caddy.

This caddy will change a lot as E's skills evolve.  But since he is only at the beginning of creating art, I have put in there only a few material he is able to use.  I believe that less is more here.

I think it is safe to say that it is a well loved caddy!

In the caddy, we have a few Lyra pencil that are really small, so they are easier to handle.   I also added 3 soy rock crayons, because he has an obvious ease at taking those, and finally 2 crayons. I usually try to keep a supply of pieces of paper in there, and of larger sheets right next to the caddy. Right now, it is more then enough.  And it is just perfectly attractive to him.

Hier j'a fait un post sur la table de sevrage.  Comme la table que j'avais acheté à cette fin n'est pas utilisé pour cela, elle est devenue une table d'activité.  E adore l'utiliser pour crayonner ces temps-ci.  Et en mettant une photo de la table, je me suis fait demandé quel était la boite de bois dessus.


C'est la boite d'art de E, 13 mois.  Mes 2 plus vieux on une boite d'art remplie de tout le matériel nécessaire pour créer ce qu'ils veulent.  Mais comme elle continent ciseau et colle, je ne peux laisser E y avoir accès, à sa grande frustration je dois avouer.  J'ai donc monté cette boite, en utilisant le porte crayon de bois que j'avais pour les autres mais que j'avais cessé d'utiliser faute de place dedans.


Je n'y ai mis que quelques pièce, qui sont faciliement utilisable pour E.  4 crayons Lyra relativement petit, et donc plus facile à manier, 2 crayon cire, et 3 crayon roches qui sont très facilement maniable.  Je crois que dans ce cas-ci le moins est le mieux.


Cette boite va énormément changer dans les prochaines semaines en fonction de l'évolution des capacités de E.  Pour l'instant, cette boite le fascine.

our twist on the weaning table

I had bought a low coffee table a long time ago, in hopes of using it as a weaning table for my last little love.  Weaning tables are a staple in Montessori for infants.  You can read a little bit about it here HERE  (this is a very good article) and also here.
They are basically the Montessori answer to a high chair.  The table provides, even to the youngest child, the opportunity to eat like adults in a setting that meets his requirements.  It helps him to learn how to eat by himself, and not rely on a parent to be fed.

This coffee table was of perfect height and weight (the table needs to be sturdy and heavy enough to help maintain the child in place), and had enough space on it to display utensils and plates and glass, and have my children eat on it.  I was really excited about it.

Except, I never used it really.

Why?  Because one thing bothered me: the family table.
Let me explain.  In a world where everything is fast: whether it is time, food...DH have made a point that all meals taken under our roof would be done 1. sitting at a table, 2. together, 3.without rushing 4. and eating at the same time.  No exceptions.
And well, the weaning table was breaking rule number 2 which is being all together.  And no matter how I tried to make it work in my head, I was always breaking a law. (at other times, it was the 4rth one).  And so the weaning table was voted out.

I still strongly believe in the principles layed out by the Montessori philosophy concerning eating and weaning (well, except for the early weaning from the breast one), and was determined to apply them nonetheless, weaning table or not.  And that is what we did.  We provided E with children's size glasses,  plates and utensils that he could use right from the start at 6 months old.   And we also provided him with a specially prepared place to store his material (honestly, one if the best things I have set up for him!) and snacks, making sure he always had access to food, water, or anything food related at all times.

I have even set the weaning table in the kitchen near the table to be ready for table setting activities, table washing activities and so on.  But aside from snacks, E eats at the family table with us.
He does so on this chair.  Which is perfect really.  No trays, he can just eat with us right at the table, and we can see he does feel part of us this way.
But I have always felt a little scared that he would miss on on something.

Well, I can say now that he does not.  Seeing him last week bringing his bowl to the table when dinner was called as ready showed me that it is not the weaning table that makes the difference, but how meals are handled.  (I still think weaning tables are awesome btw).

So what did we do?

• We had a routine of calling him when dinner was ready.  He comes at the table and climb to stand up besides his chair at every meal.  We do pick him up to sit him in, but only after he has asked or show clear interest of climbing up.
• We sit him in his chair whenever he asked for it, even if it is not mealtime
• We get him out as soon as he ask (starts wiggling, shows things on the floor...) and we do not use the chair as a contraption to keep him there while we do something else.
• We let him participate at setting the table up to what he can do (he is getting out the placemats recently, since they are at his level, and he often gives us his bowl and fork and we put them on the table for him)
• We let him snack at the weaning table which is still in the dinning room, next to the table
• We let him eat by himself (trust me, there was not other way anyways...) always providing him with the utensils he needed
• We prepped his food according to his need and developmental stage (i.e. cutting food in finger size pieces for him to take, making sure that it was not too hot...) and keeping in mind the fact that he wanted to eat on his own ALL the time (forget the puree here)
• We let him eat at his own pace, without helping unless he would ask for, (which mean not often) or showed signs of struggling.
• We gave him a variety of food and let him decide what he wanted to eat and how much.

I have to agree that these last bits are more influence by the baby led weaning philosophy then the  Montessori one (Kylie has posted a GREAT chart explaining the difference between the 2 here), but this is what works best for us.

After 6 months of being at the table with us and seeing how routinely things happens, I can see that he is now interesting in helping us more when it is time to clean the table.  I have seen him "clean" his place with his cloth while we were bringing the plates to the kitchen, and he is starting more and more to give us his plate when he is done.  Since he is not walking yet, there are things he cannot do yet, but it will come fast enough.  In the meantime, I am preparing cleaning cloths for his size (that I will give him access too really soon), a little basket to carry things to the table and a set of dishes and glass to put in his shelf for him to use.  I'll post picture of his newly organized shelf when it will be ready (read, when he walks)

So what are we doing with the weaning table?

the weird corner just at the bottom of the pic is our kitchen table.  Shows you how close it is

It has become a snack table, as I was saying earlier on, but it gets the most use as an activity table:

He loves to sit at this table.  And he does all sorts of things there, mostly he copies what we usually do at our table.  He scribbles, takes a book and flip the pages there, brings a puzzle and makes it there.  He loves being able to practice sitting down on the chair, pushing it, pushing back to stand up... 

and every time he gets there, unasked for help always appears...  I guess the table is attractive to them too.

Pretend play station

There is a room in out house that I use to hate.  This place is really big, it has got hard wood floors, and they are shiny and slippery (just like I loved as a child, perfect for sock skating).  Seems perfect right?   The problem? it is windowless.  And for a natural light freak like myself, this is just not good.  It was built as a home movie center.  But to dedicate an entire (and really big) room to TV really is just not thinkable for us (no, we don't worship TV here).  So really this room had no chance.

After hating it for a while, and then totally ignoring it,  (like if that is going to help) I have finally decided to make the most out of it.  It took me a LONG time before finding out what I could do with this room, and after reorganizing E'room, and being left with a piece of furniture that had no where to go, the lightbulb went on.  Since this room was built for entertainment, lets make it a room just for that.  And so came the idea of a performing art room.  After all, there are no windows in theatres and music halls.

The place is not completely organized yet.  I still have loads of work to do.  But the first part of my plan has been completed a while ago, and the kids love it.

So here is the first glimpse, the pretend play station:

I figured E's old "dresser" was just perfect to hang and organize all dress up material.  And yep, it does an amazing job.

 I left the hanging rod to hand dresses, capes, tunics, ballet suits, tutus and so on.

Under is a basket with all the accessories like flower necklaces, pompom, knight hood and so on.

The shelved part of the dresser is dedicated to props and accessories.

The first shelf contains 2 suitcases.  The first one contains accessories of all sorts, and the second one is empty.  It is there just to play with.

On the second shelf, there is a basket of play silks.  I find these are invaluable when pretend playing.  I would love to hang them on one side of the dresser at some point, but until then, they are in the basket along with playclips.

And the bottom shelf is the place for props.  Lately, X and M loves to play kitchen, and so every kitchen props are there.  But a few weeks ago, it was photographer props that were there.  (they love to play that too)  When I see the enthusiasm for pretend play starting to diminish, I change the prop, and usually it is all it takes to get them going again.  Up to now we have had knight stuff, playing mommy and daddy stuff, and paper work props.

On the side are the hats.  Right now there is a sorcer's hat and a chef hat. I'm pretty sure other will make their appearance soon.

On the other side, there is a bag that is hanging.  Again, it for play as they see fit.

Finally on top, we have a mirror for the kids to look at themselves while they are dressing up.  There is a low stool for M nearby when she needs to be higher.  X has no problem.

M's favorite crown is on top right now, and on the left side, the little suitcase, it is filled with little accessories I don't want E to grab, i.e. bracelets, necklaces and so on.

Right beside the dresser, there is a little bolga basket, again to be used as a prop for play.

Eventually, I want to hang curtains so that this pretend play station becomes more of a dress up station to play theatre. The way the room is built is perfect for that.  But in the meantime, it does gets loads of action, so it is all good.

The cultural shelf

Have a good weekend all!

I am so sorry for the lack of posting this week.
I think at this point, I can honestly say, it has been a hell of a week.  I knew this transition would not be easy, but I didn't think I would be caught in a train wreck.  After a laborious start of the week, I came down on wednesday with a bad flu, that glued me to my bed (or at least hoping for that) most of the days for the rest of the week.  I despise being sick, but being sick as a mother, is 10 000 times worst.

Today I just want to show you a glimpse of a little corner of our living room (that needs to be repainted asap please DH!) that we all adore: the cultural shelf.

 This nook has been creating itself out of the necessities and following the various interest of my children.  It is a spot that I would have created in a homeschooling room in a heartbeat, but I love how it is integrated in our house at a spot where it is very convenient considering what is in there.

The top shelf if dedicated to music.  As you can see, it is not very tall, so yes, even the radio is at E's reach.  He can, already..., turn on the radio, and select a disk in the CD changer.  We usually put the disks always in the same spot, so he knows what he picks (trust me on that!)
But for the benefit of my 2 oldest ones, I have put the CD boxes in a wooden box on the top of the shelf.

This way, they can look at the box (and the paper inside), and know what they are listening to.  The CDs are always in order that they are placed in the CD changer.  As you can see, on top of each CD, I have added an image of the person, or group, performing the music, whether it is Handel or the Dave Burbeck band.

The framed picture is a card from a nomenclature set of composers that I have.  We'll be studying composers this years, and as you can see, we will be starting out with Bach.  The first disk of the CD changer will always be one that either talks of (I have many book with a cd about the composers) or just plays music of the said composer.  Depending on the material I have, there will perhaps be more, but there will always be other genre of music in there, notably jazz, and cuban music (nothing is better for a dancing spree in the living room then some good Buena Vista Social club...)

The bottom shelf is dedicated to music and other arts.

The left side is still about music.  But this time, mostly about the orchestra and the instruments.  There is also a few narrative books on the far left and for E's sakes, a nursery rhymes book (because we don't know all of the english ones!).

The middle basket is dedicated to the visual arts.  It is a collection of books about painting, sculpture and architecture.  Eventually, I want to add the study of a work of art every month, so I'll have to figure out a way of making room for it in this area.

Finally, in the right side, we have the writing and telling art: literature.
Our favorite books and books of the moment are there.  Some rotate often, while others just remain there because they get out to be read ever so often.  Right now we have picture books mostly aimed at many ages (cardboard books, fairytales, fact books...), but once X is more fluent with reading, I'll be adding books to challenge him, and keep him reading.

There is a vase of X made flowers on top on the shelf.  Although we love flowers, we don't always have fresh cut one.  So these are one of the replacement set while the vase is empty.  Nature is art to us. :)

Evolution of a room

I was reading Kylie's words here, in her wonderful post about her son's room.  And what she said struck me.

I love to see bedrooms and nurseries especially those of the Montessori kind. But most of all I like to see them after a little use and to see how the have grown.

She is so right! It is really interesting to see other Montessori inspired room, but to see it's evolution really talks a whole deal more.

I want to share with you this evolution, and if you feel like it, join me along, and post, on your blog, the evolution of your rooms.  You are very welcome to leave a message here so that we have a big pool of really nice Montessori inspired bedrooms in evolution to look at!

What started out like this:

yes, we started with a rocker, but only for a few weeks.  It is a heirloom that I wanted to have the chance to use.  I did so when we moved here, because family history really speaks to me.  These were taken 3 days after we moved.  And it became

 this 2 weeks later... :

for my 5 month old:

a new floor bed

a corner dedicated to toys and books

and a changing table with images to enhance the changing experience...

 for my 8 month old:

a new book corner with few books and a chair to sit by

 a new play corner with cubbies made by daddy and images that changes ever so often

and a new clothing area that is more open and accessible

And as a 11 month old

a new table to play on just right by the cubbies

the bed area did not change during all this time

and finally for my 1 yo:

Please, join me for this show and tell, and don't forget to link to it by commenting.

Thanks for looking!