I gathered a few boxes to build this activity. It’s so simple. The kids loved it. They spent plenty of time opening and closing each varied box. My youngest especially enjoyed the boxes with the latches. Soon, I plan to set up a tray with varied bottles.

The kids had tea together last week. For the older kids, I have them do their pouring exercises by actually pouring things at meal times and whenever needed. My littlest one still enjoys the shelved pouring exercises.

Who knew peeling a carrot could make a child so happy? Of course, Maria Montessori knew it when she focused in on practical life exercises. The kids cut the carrots once they were peeled, and then they took some for themselves and gave a little to our friend Henry (our guinea pig).

I have to say, the practical life or daily living exercises as they are sometimes called, are the fiber of what we do on a daily basis. The kids made waffles this morning, they wash dishes, dust, mop, vacuum, sort clothes, and cook.

I believe the practical life exercises build a confidence and self-sufficiency that should be cultivated in children because kids are all too capable of being independent when given the chance and the model. Why this morning, the kids made their own blueberry waffles, and of course, they enjoyed them all the more. I bet they’ll enjoy these exercises even more when they become teenagers !

I remember loving to play with my Easy Bake Oven. The only trouble was the size of the darn pans. You couldn’t really bake a cake for the family.

This inspired our decision to incorporate a small usable cooking area for the kids in their classroom area. It’s perfectly accessible and more comfortable for them. We purchased a toaster oven that fits moderately sized pans and brought in the mini fridge from the attic. We got our hands on a hotplate, an egg cooker, coffee pot, and utensils. So far the kids have made coffee, cupcakes, cookies, and pizza in their little kitchen. They even have their own seasoning rack. If they sniff close enough, they may find familiar scents–the ones they’ve smelled in their scent bottles, which relax on the sensorial shelf

There’s a shelf next to the kitchen that houses their tea set, china, dish rack and washing pan, their cleaning spray, duster, and whatever else they need to prepare food, clean their environment, and chow down.

One of their favorite things to do in their kitchen is cut apples for themselves and Henry. Henry’s our guinea pig and he loves apples.

Safety Note: They are always supervised when working with heat. We keep the coffee pot, hotplate, and toaster oven unplugged until we are ready to use them.

I love the idea of following the child, which an is an important precept of the Montessori philosophy. If you watch children, they will tell you in what direction they want to go, and interestingly, it seems they know what it is they need to know in order to survive, they just need the proper environment to acquire the skills. I’m smiling as I remember how my youngest son would take any two containers he could get his hand on and pour the contents from one to the other. We cringed at the messes he made with juice, milk, chicken, etc. This was before we knew a tad about the Montessori method.

We used to discourage this pouring and now, after enlightenment, we have given him the keys to the apartment. He loves the pouring tray we have provided him.