The concept of homeschooling has been creeping onto my radar lately with a few friends recently taking the leap and seeing the results of several other families that I look up to through homeschooling possibilities.
So I started researching philosophies, curriculums, and toddler learning styles. For me, with my background with a Master’s in Library Science books are usually the first source. This week I’ve read You Are Your Child’s First Teacher and Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three.
Coralie is not ready for a ‘curriculum’ at this point because learning through play is most beneficial to her right now.
So I’ve begun weeding out her toy collection of plastics and electronics and replacing them with naturally made toys that inspire more creative and imaginative play.
These are a few of my favorite Montessori-inspired toys that we’ve just added to the collection:
Stacking Tree
With Spring in the air and everything turning green, I loved this stacking tree. Most of the playgroups we go to using the typical ring stackers, so this offers an alternative that is nature-focused.
Plus, it looks beautiful when put together, so it can even be used as decor in your toddler’s room or other areas of your home.
Caterpillar Gear Toy
Coralie has been loving her Duplo Carousel Toy. It’s one of the most used toys in her room. I wanted to replace it with a wooden version that focuses more on the movement. This adorable Caterpillar Gear Toy was a perfect choice. Note: the gears on this toy are plastic. Some of the other all wooden ones were slightly too advanced for Coralie at this age, but she totally doesn’t seem to mind!
Color and Shape Wooden Block Sorter
We have been working on colors with markers and crayons, and I loved how this could incorporate the color learning and introduce shapes with this block sorter. Coralie is loving puzzles right now, so this is a great combination of color and puzzle work. You can also provide this with just the blocks for more creative block play.
Preschool Bee Hive
I’ve begun introducing the idea of Bees to Coralie since we have 10 hives on our homestead. Spring is just started here, so they haven’t been that active yet, but once Summer comes there may be up to 500,000 honey bees buzzing around.
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This Bee Hive was too cute to pass up, and it’s one that she will be able to grow with for a few years. I usually give her one or two combs at a time in one of her activity trays (LINK). This lets her play without getting frustrated or feeling like she has to complete the set. Using silverware has been a touch and go process for Coralie. She makes progress, then turns back around since we let her really explore her foods for a while with fingers. These tweezers will also help her develop more fine motor skills along the way.
Rainbow Stacking Blocks
I’ve been seeing these gorgeous rainbow stacking blocks all over Pinterest and wanted to get a set for Coralie. There are a few options like this Grimm set which was a little thicker but I decided to with this set because of the price savings – while still getting the wooden material.
Lacing Beads
Personally, I was a little hesitant to introduce lacing beads to Coralie since she tends to get frustrated easily. But surprisingly she loved them! Similar to the Bee Hive, I only give her one string and a few beads on her activity tray at a time to reduce the possible frustration.
We can work on shapes or colors with this lacing bead set, so there are lots of possibilities with this one toy.
These toys will keep her busy for the next few months. I’ve been starting to rotate her toys, so she doesn’t get bored or have ‘too many’ options because then nothing gets played with!
