Toddler Mitten Puppets and Baby Safe Paint

Felt Mitten Puppets
I traced a mitten onto felt, and hand stitched it together. These felt puppets were very simple to make. When making, just make sure to add width to the mitten because unlike a typical mitten, the felt doesn't stretch. I think I will make some for my older daughter too, and let her cut out and glue on facial features.

We also did a painting activity made with flour, water and food coloring. After searching online I found a recipe for baby safe "paint". It is completely safe for them to eat, however, judging from the look on my daughter's face it doesn't taste very good! The recipe calls for: 2 cups of flour, mixed with cold water until a paste is formed-free of large lumps. Thin to desired consistency with hot water. Divide into bowls and add food coloring. Very simple. I will say it is pretty wet on the paper and should be cleaned up before drying. Messy- but fun!

A Space For Art

Because our Montessori room is on another floor of the house, my daughter's time in the space is limited. I have been keeping most of her art supplies in that room available as individual lessons. Like most children, she loves art activities, so to allow her the chance to use supplies whenever she wants to, I made a spot just for art. Having a young toddler makes things a little more difficult, but I managed to put scissors and glue in tupperware containers she can't open. Included on the shelves: paper- colored and white, coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, yarn, tongue depressors, chalk, felt, and water color painting. I also included a basket for scrap paper. Once the basket is full, I plan to use the scraps for us to make paper. She was very happy and went right to work making paper puppets.

Polishing Wood

I finally found some natural beeswax wood polish so we now have a polishing wood lesson. Everything on the tray is arranged in the order it is used starting at the left. The child opens the jar, uses a q-tip to take a small amount of polish and put it on the wooden object. A cotton ball is used to rub on the wax over the entire object. Once the object is covered, the child turns the timer over. The timer runs so the polish has a chance to dry. Once time is up, the child uses the cloth to buff the polish until shiny and the Q-tip and cotton ball are disposed of. I plan to have a collection of objects to choose from.

Grace and Courtesy Games

A word about Grace and Courtesy: Dr. Montessori believed lessons in Grace and Courtesy (manners) were very important to the developement of the child. Not only are they important for preserving our culture but for helping the child feel comfortable and self-confident within the culture.

Between the ages of 2 1/2 -6, the child is in a sensitive period for lessons in Grace and Courtesy. Montessori observed children at this age have a special interest and attention to the way in which they see society function and adults behave.

The essential thing in teaching the child grace and courtesy is that it is presented to the child, but he is not forced to or reprimanded if he forgets. The lessons are used to provide the knowledge so when presented with a situation he knows how to preform the actions if he has the desire to do so.

My experience with teaching these lessons is with one on one, small group and large group. There are formal lessons used, but I also like to use games or role playing to reinforce the skill. At home, my daughter thinks it is so fun to use dolls to roll play situations- like how to introduce oneself or what to do if you accidentally bump into someone. I have used these two games for working in a small group or large group setting.

Please Pass Game- Today we played this game. I put some objects in the middle of the rug. I started by saying "_____ please pass me the ____" My daughter then handed me the object. I said "Thank You." She then had a turn and asked her friend to pass her an object, and so the game went until all the objects are gone.

Another variation of this game is if sitting at circle time. One object is used. The child to the right of the teacher starts with the object. The teacher says "_____ please pass me the ____" The child passes to the teacher and teacher says "thank you." The child to the left of the teacher than asks for the object to be passed and so on, so that the object moves clockwise around the circle with "please" and "thank you."

Excuse me game: This is a small group or large group game. The children stand, spaced apart but holding hands in a line. The teacher starts by standing on one side of the line. The teacher walks up to a pair of children holding hands and says "Excuse me" The children then drop hands and the teacher walks between them to the other side. The teacher joins the end of the line and holds a child's hand. The child at the other end takes a turn.

Applying It To Real Life

Practical Life Lesson: Liquid Measure
I have recently introduced pouring water from a small bottle into a measuring spoon. The child holds the spoon over the bowl and empties the spoon into the bowl when filled. Spills are cleaned up with the sponge.



The purpose of the Practical Life lessons is to prepare the child for activities of everyday life. It is very important that the children are able to make the connection from the classroom activities to real life so they see a purpose in their work. Because we have learned new skills with measuring cups, measuring spoons, and leveling, I thought it was an appropriate time to use these skills to make something- in this case Play Dough. I found a no-cook recipe here so that the activity would be completely hands on. As you can see, it makes a small amount, and doesn't use a lot of ingredients. We worked on this together and will a few more times before I make recipe cards and put it all together for a lesson available at anytime. It was really great and rewarding to see the lessons we've been working on, put to use in this way.

No Cook Play Dough Recipe:
4 Tablespoons White Flour
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 dropper full Vegetable Oil (we used 1 teaspoon)
2 Tablespoons Water

Mix in bowl with a spoon. Add water a little at a time. As it forms a dough, use hands to mix it completely.

Magnifying Fingerprints

The materials needed for this lesson are shown on the tray. I originally included blank paper and a pencil so my daughter could trace her own hand. The tracing was more difficult than I anticipated, so I traced her hand on several sheets of paper for use later. (Tracing the hand could be a lesson on it's own)


First, lay out the materials. Next, put some water in the bowl for cleaning fingers later.


Starting with the thumb and using one finger at a time, the child uses the stamp pad to make a fingerprint on the paper with the appropriate finger.


Next, the child closes the stamp pad and washes fingers by rubbing them while in the water. (One reason for not cleaning after each print is that the child is able to see which fingers have made prints. ) Fingers are dried with a sponge or towel. Then, the child looks at the fingerprints with the magnifying glass. Lastly, the water is dumped out and the bowl is dried. The cloth is put in the "used" basket and a new one is placed on the tray for the next person.

Montessori for the Youngest and Play

We haven't been in our Montessori room for a few days, but here is what we're up to in the rest of the house.

I just made this for my youngest daughter. Cubes/Squares are a good challenge for her right now. Sometimes she gets the cube in the square at first try other times it can take two or three. I always find the multi shape boxes sold in stores, too overwhelming for children. I think the Montessori method of one shape at a time works best.


I liked the idea of her feeling for the shape (peeking too perhaps) but to give the activity a sensory element. The box is taped together.


I always like tips from others about what toys they use and toys that last the test of time. Here's one of ours: I bought these Melissa and Doug ice cream cones awhile ago. Everyone loves them and they are used all the time. They are magnetic- on the cone and with the scoop. Lots of fun.

I just love seeing my children play. My oldest daughter (and maybe because she had time being an only child) will play for an hour easily without stopping. I love hearing the little voice making her dolls talk and the toys out and arranged in her special way. I think play is so important. At this young age I like the mix of structured activity with educational value (like our Montessori time) and a lengthy play time. I think they are equally important.

Land, Air and Water

I had been debating whether or not to buy the Montessori Land and Water globe. There are so many materials I want for our room, that it makes it difficult trying to decide . I had thought about trying to make one, but since I know it will be used for a sibling down the line, I ended up purchasing. For anyone not familiar with the globe, it is a small globe with the continents made of sandpaper and the water areas painted blue. It provides a sensory experience for the child as they feel the water and the land on the globe. A three -period lesson is given (1. This is land, This is water, 2. Show me land- Show me water, 3. What do we call this?) to name the parts. I, personally , never realized how much water there is verses land until I took Montessori training classes and felt the difference on the sandpaper globe. It is a wonderful learning tool.

The three elements lesson teaches the child that the earth is made three elements: land, air and water. Here is the three elements lesson. The containers hold: water, dirt(land), and air. After the child categorizes, she can turn over the cards to see if she is correct (this is the Control of Error: a Montessori term for the way the child can check for correctness w/o having to ask an adult)


Here is a video of my daughter singing the Land, Air and Water song used when we introduce the 3 Elements lesson. The Lyrics are as follows:
The Earth is made of land, air, and water
land, air and water,
land, air and water,
The Earth is made of land, air and water
Isn't nice to see?

Mortar and Pestle- Grinding Pepper

I have been wanting to use a mortar and pestle in our Montessori room for awhile now, but I hadn't gotten around to finding one. This past weekend I saw this ceramic set at Walmart.

For this activity, the child should have successfully had lessons with using a funnel and washing a dish.

Name the pieces of the mortar and pestle. Count out four peppercorns using the paper.

Place them in the mortar.

Use the pestle to break up the peppercorns into a fine powder.

Use the funnel to place them in the container. Wash the funnel, mortar and pestle.