Sheep Sticking Activity - FREE PRINTABLE

I made this little sheep for a sticking activity for Lake and I thought it would be fab to share! You can decorate how you like but we used cotton wool balls for the sheep effect. Lake sang 'Baa baa black sheep' the whole time she played with this!

DIY Montessori Table Mat for Place setting

Practical life activities are one of my favourite things about the Montessori method. Setting the table was one of the first activites I set out for Lake. It consisted of an old tea towel and a sharpie, which actually worked really well but I decided to give them a little upgrade!

Sunday Shelfie #3

Every week I now so look forward to our toy rotation on a Sunday. I love seeing what she likes and loves learning and adapting her toys accordingly. So here is this weeks set up...

DIY Lion Activity Two Ways

I made this little lion faces out of cardboard and make them in two activities for Lake. The first being a sticking activity, great for eye hand coordination skills and the second being a cutting activity, great for practising the use of scissors and strengthening those little hands...

DIY: A Montessori Toddler Kitchen Makeover, IKEA HACK

I love the IKEA Duktig kitchen but I have to admit, previously Lake didn't really play with hers a great deal, it ended up being used as more of a storage space than anything else. I really wanted to make it more functional for her...

Sunday Shelfie #2

So this is only my second week at setting up a Montessori style shelf for Lake, but I have been looking forward to it all week. Last week was a tester for me really, I set up a range of activities to try and gauge what she was into and how easy/ difficult she found things. Feeling a little more informed I was so excite to set up this weeks shelf...

DIY Name Recognition Plaque

I have seen these name recognition wooden plaques all over pinterest at the minute, the idea being the little ones use pincers to transfer the balls to their name, helping to recognise the letters of their name and to aid their fine motor skills. Activities using pincers are great for strengthening the hands and fingers, and helping with their grasp, all in preparation for writing. I though this was a great activity for Lake but you know me, I had to have a go at making one instead. I actually love how it turned out...

Moving towards Montessori: Our Journey

I have to admit, for me, the Montessori approach to play is what first stood out to me. Not knowing much about it, I decided to dig a little deeper. I have been researching and learning about the method for some time now and I have to say, the more I learn the more I fall in love with it! I was so inspired by everything it offers, and I realised I already practiced some of the key principles and those I didn't really resonated with me. 

DIY Alphabet Salt Dough Stones

I thought these would be such a great idea for a DIY, not only would Lake love making and playing with the salt dough (she did) but there are so many activities she could do with the alphabet stones. And by using salt dough they are much lighter than actual stones and more suitable for Lakes little hands!

DIY: Mud Chocolate Play Dough

So the other day we made play dough and Lake was a massive fan (See original recipe here). So this morning we decided to have a go a Chocolate Mud Play dough. We then made a little garden scene for Lake to destroy play with! It kept her entertained! We made some green coloured rice and added flowers, twigs and stones to that and the play dough.