Exciting times. Ero can drink out of our little glasses without spilling all over the place.

Why in the world are we using glass? For me, it’s because I like the feel of glass so much more than plastic and I imagine my kids do too. Montessori says it’s to teach them how to use a real glass, and if they break it, it’s self teaching.

I’m not sure I buy that, since Ero broke one and didn’t bat an eyelash.

We taught Ero (and Lou before him) to put the glass down when he wants more. Ero makes a little noise, and if we are lucky he may sign “more.” I pour only half an inch in, and then he goes to pick it up with both hands. If he forgets to use both hands I remind him by demonstrating or pointing at his other hand and saying “Both hands.”

Then he carefully brings it to his mouth to drink and…

Ok, so he mostly drinks out of a cup. That urge to pour is strong I tell you.

Soon we will advance to pouring with a little pitcher.

We have glasses from both Montessori Services and Ikea. I think they are just shot glasses. The pitchers are from Montessori Services and are an essential to us. This weekend we are moving the high chair out and the real table in. I am so easily entertained.

Update: The Ikea glasses shatter like nothing I’ve ever seen. I recommend getting the ones from Montessori Services instead.

For Lou there is something special about a little square or circle of delicate fabric. She loves to wrap things with them.

Little presents to open…

And wrap again…

Or to lay under or on…

These two things are an essential part of our daily play. The handkerchief came from an old friend and the doily came from Montessori Services (they are big on having a doily.) So sweet!

The tray is essential in this house. We started with a cake pan and filled it with sushi rice to play with. Then we got the big brown fake leather one above for the same thing. We would put them on the floor with a big old table cloth underneath. The big size was great because Lou could sit in them.

However neither were just right. I wanted one that could fit on her table and one that could handle water. I also didn’t like how high the cake pan was and our cookie sheets are kinda warped. So I kept my eyes out and found this one at Target:

It was perfect, and I think it’s such a typical tray you could find one like it at any store that would sell trays. Since we use them for grains and water I taped the handles with packing tape.

If you get one tray this type would be the one. There are other trays that are useful too. Like these two trays:

We use the big one for little servings of food (with little plates) and for small pouring activities. The super little one we use for very small pouring and Lou’s maple syrup pitcher!

The big round tray and the plastic one are from Target. There are also nice green trays made out of bamboo out there. The two little trays are from Montessori Services. I recommend getting boring trays, because it’s the stuff that’s on them that’s interesting.

I was reluctant to buy a cheap plastic pail from our local garden store last spring, but it was one of the best purchases we have made.

Lou fills it with everything, inside in winter and outside in summer.

Lou also uses it for dress up.

There’s a million of them out there, here’s a google search on them.

Hmm, I can’t for the life of me find a pail that’s made in the USA…. I’ll keep looking.

We love these blocks. They don’t thrill Ero since he seems to like bold colors but Lou builds like mad with them.

I like having a small set too, I think too many can be over whelming for a young child.

Our set is from Brio:
BRIO Natural Blocks – 50 pcs

There are also great sets from Haba, but more money and more blocks: Basic Building Blocks – Large Starter Set

Montessori people believe in certain dimensions for the perfect table. The table is 14″ tall and the chair seat is 7″ tall. They have some beautiful tables at Michael Olaf but they are costly. So we went out to Ikea, bought a table and chairs set for $40 and sawed the legs off with a jigsaw. It’s been a part of everyday for us since Lou was a year old.

Here is Michael Olaf’s table, it’s a PDF. The catalogue is full of great info, so browse around: The First Year from Michael Olaf

And of course Ikea: Table and Chairs set – they have some for $20 too.

Here’s how we chop the legs off our tables.

The sketchbook is vital. We buy a new one as soon as every single page is drawn on. Our rules are simple: Never tear out a page, and never cross out a drawing. Note: Small kids scribble all over, so we ignore the second rule for them.

Sometimes we are asked to draw along, and so our pages can look like this:

We also have a couple paint sketchbooks. I hand bound the book below, but there are paint ready sketchbooks out there too. We put wax paper in between the pages since Lou doesn’t want to wait for it to dry.

My favorite sketchbook is the Canson Field Sketchbook size 9″x12″ for everyday and the Holbein Multimedia Books for painting.