Loving Montessori

Before Christmas, Montessori had their annual Musical Review to showcase the talents of these precious little musicians. Sara Lynn loves music, and Mrs. Sabrina (who does an outstanding job with the music program) has fast become one of her favorite people. 

I can’t imagine a better place for Sara Lynn to spend her day. We’ve been richly blessed by the Montessori teaching philosophy and the gifted teachers at Sara Lynn’s school. Often, out of the blue, Sara Lynn will proclaim to me, “I love my school, mommy!” That makes it easier on a momma’s heart who works everyday.

And I absolutely love that these little guys were able to perform in our laps. That’s Montessori for you. A natural way to learn. And, wise. They’d have probably ended up in our laps before the show’s end anyway!

Homemade Play Dough

My son came home from school with instructions on making homemade play dough the other day. His teacher requested that we make a batch and send it to school. The students would use it for shaping their spelling words and modeling geographic maps. How fun does that sound?! We love the Montessori education philosophy. It's a very hands-on and natural way for children to learn. Montessori students become confidant of their own abilities at a very early age and develop a life-long love of learning as a result.

This was extremely easy to make, and surprising not as messy as I had anticipated.

Homemade Play Dough

1 cup plain flour
1 cup water
½ cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar (it's in the spice section of your grocery store)
1 Tbsp. oil
approx. 12 drops of food coloring

Mix all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl (batter will be a bit lumpy.) Microwave on high for 3 min. stopping every minute to stir. Turn out onto a flour surface and knead until cool. I had to let mine cool for a minute or so before I could knead it – too hot! I squished it semi-flat with the bottom of my bowl onto my floured surface so it would cool faster. Don’t let it sit there too long or it will harden around the edges. When it cools enough, the kiddos love to do the kneading. Let them knead, while you cook the next batch. Store in air tight containers - I used Zip-loc bags.

Have fun!

Daniel's Talent

During the last week of school, Daniel's class put on a talent show. My boy chose "Catching Frogs" as his talent. I can just hear his teacher asking him, "Daniel, what are you good at?" And Daniel saying, "Catching frogs!" He's had ORFF music lessons, taken Taekwondo, played t-ball, and done Abracadoodle (art). And still, his talent is of the amphibious sort! Classic.

We've really enjoyed Montessori this year (1st grade.) Daniel had fabulous teachers. So fabulous, in fact, that Daniel was able to bring baby frogs to school that he'd caught the night before.

Old Alabama Town

I recently had the opportunity to join my son and his class on a fieldtrip to Old Alabama Town located in dowtown Montgomery, Alabama. This is the neatest place - it's like taking a step back in time. Old Alabama Town is actually a few blocks worth of fully restored homes and businesses from the 19th and 20th centuries.


There was a real blacksmith who showed us how his craft would have been practiced over 100 years ago. Everything was authentic: his tools, clothing, and shop were exactly as they would have been back in the late 1800's.

Our tour guide was particularly knowledgeable. He took us through the process of getting cotton from the fields and into the gin. He showed us how corn and wheat were milled, and we were able to see how wool was spun into yarn by a little old lady using a spindle. Very interesting stuff.

I've never seen a flower this color before. There's no telling how old it is... it was behind one of those big historic homes. I believe it is a camelia. It was so bright, it appeared to be glow-in-the-dark flourescent orange.

I think these boys experienced information overload. As soon as the tour ended, we hit the playground which is right behind the camera. I hate I didn't snap any pictures of the playground because it's really awesome. It's one of the best playgrounds in Montgomery, and I never knew it was there. We'll definitely be going back. If you're in the area, this place is definitely worth checking out.