Progress, and this week in shelves...

So we're about 4 months into our Montessori journey.  The part I find the hardest is a total reconstruction of my parenting.  I yell, rush, and end up doing things for my boys rather than taking the time to let them do it.  I needed to revisit my strategies, Montessori gave me perspective and hope for change.  It's getting better, but sometimes I revert to my old way.  They are very patient and wait for the calmer me to come back out.

I've noticed a big difference in my previously uncontrollable 3 year old.  He learned the yelling and demanding from me.  I had patient moments before but with very little sleep over the course of the last 4 years and more so in the last year, I was shot.  This wasn't their fault, of course, but it was a rough time for everyone.  After these few Montessori months, he's had 3 really good days at school (no refusals, yelling, throwing himself, or (most importantly) not hitting, pushing, or taking things from others.  YAY!  He also isn't fighting every single thing we tell him.  Don't get me wrong...there are still moments that I want to tear my hair out, but they are getting better.

Here is our shelf set-up this week:

Minnow has:

Fruit cutting set M&D

Sound cylinders- these were a DIY project- tiny opaque shampoo bottles from Walmart (same size, same color, same weight)  with wood beads in one set, jingle bells in the second set, and rice in the third set.  I put a colored star sticker on the bottom for control of error.  (same color star is a match) 

Matching board M&D this is a nifty item I found at a local bookstore.  It has 7 laminated matching cards that are interchangeable- but the possibilities are endless!  You could make extra cards with anything on them and laminate. Right now, it's set to numbers but I think we're going to do sight words next.

Wood toolkit M&D 

Number stacker and corresponding number cards

word puzzles

Po has:

DIY Sight and sound cylinders  

2 piece jigsaw puzzle

prince/princess pegs and pegstand

triangle shape sorter

red sorting activity

touch and feel book

3 size container and lids

wood nuts and bolts

I also just got some amazing news- we're moving!  We'll now have a house with a fenced yard and a dedicated school room.  I'm so ready!  Which means I need to get on packing.  

On to my next project...