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RIE
Exploring Sound
"The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge."
- Dr. Maria Montessori
Baby Nadia, 9 months old
https://youtu.be/BrY-Db6KZTo
- Dr. Maria Montessori
Baby Nadia, 9 months old
https://youtu.be/BrY-Db6KZTo
Letter From Your Baby
Dear caregiver,
I know you have the best intentions. When you take me to the park and "walk" me by the arms, sit me on the teeter-totter, or send me down the slide, you're doing it because you want me to have fun.
But here's the thing: I am a baby. I am driven by developmental urges you can't see. The things I want to do may seem slow and boring to you, but they are exciting and challenging to me. When you push me to do what you think is fun, you rob me of the opportunity to do what I know i…
Breaking Bread
My twelve-month old son loves LOVES bread. If it were up to him, he'd eat nothing but bread at all three meals. When he was younger, I could give him his food and then offer a piece of bread and he'd be content with the arrangement, but now that he's keenly aware of the goings-on at the dinner table, he's realized that there's bread available at dinnertime. Of course, to him that means that he can have bread instead of all the other food, and he's prepared to throw a tantrum to get his way. …
MontessoRIE
I absolutely love RIE, an approach to infant care developed by Magda Gerber based on the work of Emmi Pickler. I found in RIE a simple, practical, and effective path for helping my baby navigate the rough waters of his first years of life. One of my favorite aspects of RIE is the belief that a child deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and his feelings need to be acknowledged. Here's a great article that goes into more detail, courtesy of one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Janet …
What's the Rush? (a rant of sorts...)
Our daily rhythm involves spending an hour at the park between morning and noon naps. Before Zach was mobile, I would lay out a blanket on the grass and he would be content rolling, playing with toys, and watching the other children. I would push him on the swing for a few minutes, which he loves, but for the most part we would just hang out on the grass and Zach would do his thing happily while I chatted with other care givers (i.e. nannies and grandparents).
Zach has recently started wanting …
Zach has recently started wanting …
The Power of Simplicity and Trust
The fundamental concept for the educator [and the parent] is not to become an obstacle in the development of the child.
-Maria Montessori, The Child In the Family
One reason I love to blog is because it gives me the opportunity to connect with many amazing parents. After I wrote the post about Zach's experiences with the Jaramillo soup, I began an e-mail correspondence with a reader (let's call her Adriana) who felt the soup was right for her three-month old son (let's call him Charlie). We e…
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