Education - Parenting Healthy

Maria Montessori developed the Montessori educational philosophy in 1897. This philosophy emphasizes hands-on age-appropriate activities for your child to nurture their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. And although this child-focused educational technique was meant for classroom settings, it’s now possible to introduce it to your toddler or baby through play. And the best way to do this is by buying your little one a few Montessori toys.

Montessori Toys That Will Grow With Your Child — Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

What sets a Montessori toy apart from other toys?

You may be wondering what you need to look out for to know that a toy is Montessori friendly. Well, here are a few pointers that will help you know what to look out for when buying a Montessori toy.

Toys made from natural materials – Maria Montessori emphasized using natural classroom materials that a child can touch, explore, and connect with. Thus, toys made from natural materials such as ceramic, metal, cotton, wood, and wool are the best. These materials are also safe for your child, and their different textures help define your child’s senses.
Purpose-driven and realistic toys – The Montessori philosophy emphasizes the use of realistic toys that are purpose-driven. The toys should be a representation of something real. For instance, if you were to choose between a unicorn and a rhino figurine, you should go for the rhino figurine. Further, the toy should allow your child to engage in meaningful play.
Simple but engaging toys – Toys that are free of distractions are the best. Think toys with no bells, batteries, or whistles. The toy should be passive, encouraging your child to manipulate it to make a sound. They should also be simple but encourage your little one to explore and engage in self-directed creative play
Toys that hone a skill – Montessori toys should teach your little one a skill or build on one. This helps create a good foundation for advanced learning in your child’s later years. A good example is a shape puzzle that teaches your little one concentration or shape recognition.

Now that you know what to look for when buying Montessori toys let’s look at a few amazing Montessori-inspired toys you can get for your child.

Grabbing toy for babies who are starting to reach for things

Manhattan toy Skwish natural rattle

This rattle and teether toy is perfect for your little one who is yearning for something to hold and touch. The toy is lightweight, making it ideal for tiny hands to grab, plus its unique shape makes it easy to reach. Besides, it produces a gentle rattling sound that allows your little one to explore sounds and understand cause and effect.

The fact that it’s made from wood with a smooth and baby-safe water-based acrylic finish makes it safe for your little one who is teething. This is also a toy that won’t break when banged as it’s made from quality and durable wooden material.

Rattling roller for crawling babies

PlanToys wooden rainbow baby roller with sound

Is your little one just starting to crawl? Then, it would be best if you got them a toy that encourages their gross motor skills.

This wooden rainbow baby roller from PlanToys is perfect for tiny hands to pick up, plus it’s beautiful when it rolls, keeping your little one interested.

Moreover, this toy has a rattling sound that ensures your baby doesn’t give up crawling even when the roller rolls away. The wood sound is soothing and not distractive.

The rainbow colors further stimulate your baby’s sight, and since this product is made from quality chemical-free rubber wooden material, you can rest easy knowing it’s safe and it will serve many generations.

A memory toy

Montessori and Waldorf Inspired Sea Life Matching and Memory Game – 18 Piece Set

This matching sea life matching and memory game from Playskills Toys is perfect if you want to encourage your child to concentrate or focus on a task.

This game also improves your child’s short-term memory and nurtures their creativity. Since this memory game is based on linking two related images, your child’s visual discrimination will also improve.

The 18 piece set of sea animal cards are made from non-toxic wood, so you don’t have to worry about your child getting sick after putting one or two cards in their mouth.

Letter writing toy

Montessori Safari Animals

These wooden safari animal figurines keep in line with the Montessori principle of giving your child lifelike playthings to spark their creativity and interest.

With a realistic-looking lion or giraffe, you allow your child to experience what a real lion looks like before visiting the zoo. It also becomes easy to name all the animal body parts if you’re homeschooling. Besides, since your child is also supposed to match the figurines with similar-looking flashcards, they learn to concentrate, which improves their memory.

This sturdy set of safari animals and matching flashcards is made from natural wood with a non-toxic child-safe paint finish. It’s best suited for children who are age three and up.

Final thoughts

In closing, this isn’t a comprehensive list of all the Montessori toys available in the market. But these five toys and games are some of our highly recommended Montessori-friendly ones. Besides, they are suitable for different age groups, making them ideal if you have children of different ages in your home. Get your child one of these toys, and we can bet they will fall in love with it.

Education, Healthy Living

4 Ways to Express Your Creativity & Uncover Your Inner Artist

February 11, 2021February 11, 2021 Erin Sluka

Albert Einstein said “knowledge is limited, imagination is endless.” That’s because the genius knew that creativity and artistry are an important part of our world and who we are as human beings. We’re all born with some level of creativity, and we can apply it in so many avenues in our lives.

Creativity is at the core of the things we marvel at in this world. From beautiful songs and sculptures, to couture gowns and good movies, our society is a deep pool of artistry, and we can all tap into it.

Art isn’t just drawing, photography, painting, music or fashion design. There are so many ways to express your creativity and turn your artistic streak into something tangible. If you’re willing to explore your own inner artist, you’ll be surprised at what your own imagination can come up with.

Here are some ways you can use your creative skills to bring a little more joy into the world and uncover your inner Artist.

Digital Art

With so much of our lives existing in the digital space, it’s no surprise that creativity has sprouted there as well. Some of the most talented artists in our world make their creations on computers and tablets. Using tools like Adobe Illustrator, people with a digital skillset can craft something on a screen and create eye-catching, striking and beautiful works of art. If you want to nurture this skill, getting in that kind of software will help tremendously, along with a digital printer and Epson pigment ink so that those great creations can get framed and put up because it truly is art!

Alternatively, your digital art can also become the backgrounds and wallpapers on people’s phones. Some people have even mastered the art of creating the designs that end up on fabric prints! This skill can also be applied to motion graphics which are used in advertising, YouTube videos and in the movies. Tapping into a digital creative skill is relevant and incredibly valuable.

Writing

Some people are really good with words and coming up with really memorable ways of expressing something in written form. Writing is one of the most treasured of creative abilities because it combines so many things. It’s art but it’s also communication and self-expression. Fiction writing isn’t the only way to nurture the craft, non-fiction can be just as powerful a medium of writing that someone might want to explore.

There are many ways to nurture a writing ability – you can read books to expand your vocabulary and take part in writing prompt challenges to get creative juices flowing. The most important thing is falling in love with the process and practice of writing so that you can do it regularly and frequently. If you make it a habit to write, you’ll be able to find your voice, refine your skill and maybe even start working on a blog or a book.

DIY & Crafting

Did you know that sites like Pinterest, YouTube and instagram have thriving DIY and crafting communities? That’s because this creative ability brings together art, creativity, design, upcycling and sometimes skills like carpentry. A person with a knack for crafting and DIY, can look at an old basket, and hack how to turn it into a beautiful pendant light. Where other people see an old and worn piece of furniture, they see potential which can be fulfilled with sandpaper, paint, and a little elbow grease. DIY and crafting have become incredibly popular because they can be applied in so many different ways. The possibilities of what you create are endless, and your skills will continue to grow until you can possibly build a small piece of furniture!

Decor and Design

Some of the world’s most talented creatives spend their time making homes and rooms beautiful. Interior decorating is one of the greatest creative abilities because you actually have a hand in making people’s homes and spaces a joy to spend time in. This is the process of styling a home, setting a vision and mood for the feel each room should have, choosing pieces of furniture along with the accessories and decor elements like rugs, window treatments, artwork and other elements. Nurturing this skill is easy. Try your hand at redecorating an area of your home, and keep doing more projects to continue coming up with new ideas.

We all have access to creativity, and we are all artists in our own right. When we find the creative pursuit that lights us up, the possibilities are endless. We’re also lucky enough to live in a time where we can learn more about our artistry. On sites like Skillshare, there are tons of courses online on creativity; from learning how to edit your own videos to writing more effectively, and even styling a room to make it look better. Don’t be afraid to tap into your own artistry – through creativity, you can do your own part to make this world more beautiful and inspiring.

Education

The Top Tips for Teaching Students About Math

February 9, 2021February 8, 2021 Erin Sluka

If you have a child or student who is struggling to learn math, understand that you are not alone. Math is one of the most challenging topics for children to understand. It takes a dedicated teacher or caregiver to effectively communicate challenging topics in math to their students. No matter whether you are working with elementary school students, middle school students, high school students, or even college students, it is important for you to take a comprehensive approach to your students when it comes to math classes. Fortunately, there are a few tips that you can follow to better communicate math topics to your students.

Take Advantage of Technology

First, you need to take advantage of all of the resources at your disposal. Even though there is always going to be a place for the chalkboard, there are other resources available as well. For example, you may want to take advantage of i-Ready math and i-Ready answers that can make it easier for your students to remain engaged with challenging topics. Furthermore, there are even games that your students can play to learn some of the most challenging topics in math classes. Particularly for younger students, they may pay attention better if they think of math as a game. By holding the attention of your students, they will better understand the topics at hand.

Try to Leverage Hands-On Lessons

It is also a good idea to use a hands-on lesson. There is only so much that students are going to learn if all of their lessons are placed on the whiteboard. Even though there is a time and place for the whiteboard, it can also be helpful for students to learn math topics in other ways as well. For example, you may want to use food to communicate addition and subtraction. You can even roll a math lesson into snack time. Ask the students how many pieces they have. Then, ask them to subtract a few pieces by eating them and ask them how many pieces they have left. This will keep your students engaged and help them understand an important concept.

Try To Use Math To Tell a Story

One of the most common criticisms that students have is that they feel like they are never going to actually use math in the real world. Of course, they are young, and they do not realize just how integral math is to their everyday life. Therefore, think about using math to tell a story. That way, you will be able to provide students with a real-life example of just how important math can be. When they understand that they are going to need to use math to make it through their everyday life, they are more likely to pay attention to the lessons at hand.

Always Provide Quick Feedback

Your students are going to have a hard time paying attention if they do not understand if they are doing well or not. Even though you probably have a lot of students to teach, try to provide your students with instant feedback. If there is something that they are doing wrong, try to correct it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, your students are going to carry these errors through all of their problems, leading to a significant source of frustration. Let your students know when they are doing well also. Sometimes, students feel like they are only noticed when they are doing something wrong. Make sure to keep their spirits up by complimenting them when they do something right.

Use These Tips To Teach Students Effectively

Even though it can be challenging teaching students about math, they are among the most important concepts that they are going to learn in school. Take advantage of all of the resources at your disposal and try to keep your students interested. When you provide your students with regular feedback regarding how they are doing, they are more likely to be persistent. It can be challenging to get students to enjoy math. Don’t give up. Take a well-rounded approach to your lessons and watch your students excel.

Education, Parenting

Parent Entrepreneurs: How To Succeed At Juggling A Business With A Family

February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 Erin Sluka

The entrepreneurial spirit has never been so strong in the U.S., with more than 25 million Americans either running or starting their own businesses. While small businesses are important to the U.S. economy and workforce, it may seem a daunting prospect to juggle parenting with owning a business. However, as a parent, you will have already had to develop military organization skills and boundless energy reserves, which are ideal for parent entrepreneurs. Concentrating your efforts on creating structure and routine, and being intentional with your time, will help you grow your business in a way that works in harmony with your family.

Work smarter, not harder

If you are one of the 582 million entrepreneurs worldwide, and you’re also a parent, you will have far more demands on your time than the average person. To successfully juggle it all, you will need to be disciplined and focused. This means working smarter. Look for systems and processes that can be automated or run more efficiently. Automating tasks and even outsourcing and delegating less important responsibilities will give you more time to spend on the more valuable business tasks, and have more quality time to spend with your family.

Protect Your Business And Your Family

However small it is, your company should have business insurance to protect the livelihood you’ve worked so hard to build. It will help cover the costs associated with liability claims and property damage. If you have employees, you must have workers’ compensation insurance in case a worker is injured. If you don’t, then you risk facing a huge fine penalty. If you don’t have staff, you may want to consider a workers’ compensation ghost policy instead. This is an affordable type of workers’ compensation coverage designed for business owners who don’t have employees but are required to show proof of workers compensation coverage by a client or as a legal requirement of your state.

Protect Your Time

The word ‘no’ isn’t always easy to say to clients or family members. However, sometimes saying the word ‘no’ in your personal and professional life is important in achieving a healthy work and life balance. It may mean that there are times you have to decline work offers or negotiate deadlines with your client to attend a family function or just be home in time to put your children to bed. Likewise, there may be times that you have to work late or miss a family event. Try not to feel bad about it: after all, you are working to help give your family a great future.

Having children doesn’t mean you have to abandon your goals of running a business. By learning how to work smarter and protecting your business and your work and personal time, you can look forward to enjoying the best of both worlds.