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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...
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One of the first steps into moving towards the Montessori method and setting up prepared environments within our home was the Montessori toddler kitchen. Although some may argue that a play kitchen doesn't belong in a Montessori home, this kitchen is not used for play. It's set up to be a functioning kitchen, made for many practical life activities.
So to remove the play element, I started by removing the top half of the kitchen, as it didn't really serve a purpose. Same with the play tap and hob. The tap was replaced with a water dispenser and the hob with a chopping board.
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I gave our kitchen a fresh lick of paint as we had previously painted it. I also gave the bowl and the top with a few layers of lacquer spray in attempt to make it more waterproof. And added a splash mat to the bottom, as I envisioned many spillages!
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To the side of the kitchen I added a little cleaning station. I added some hooks to store her dustpan and brush and a tea towel for cleaning up spillages. I also made this little crochet basket, to store her spray bottle (its just water) and cloth. Just above, on the wall, I added more hooks to store her apron.
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I wanted Lake to be able to help herself to drinks so, inside we store her cups and jugs. And for food/ snack preparation, we store a tray that includes all her bits for helping out. Finally I wanted her to use it for setting the table, so we also have her cutlery and place mats.
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I plan on introducing hand washing to this area too, but for now Lake has a set up in our downstairs bathroom, and I don't want to introduce too much in one go.
Shop the supplies:
PIN NOW, SAVE FOR LATER
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