Infant/Toddler Revisited

I posted about Montessori Infant and Toddler curriculum a while back and mentioned a book that I was planning to read, Montessori from The Start by Paula Polk Lillard. I received the book on Monday and have had plenty of quiet time for reading. I finished Christmas Day and overall I have to say that I enjoyed it, however I found I disagree with a LOT of what she had to say about the personal care of infants and toddlers. I won't go into specifics, but I would recommend just skipping Chapter 7 altogether. My own experiences with my children and others leads me to disagree with most all of it. Her information on development, good toys for infants, and practical life activities for even the youngest toddlers was fantastic, however, so I still think it was a good book overall.

One of the toys she recommended for Kylee's stage of development are soft knit balls. They are easy to grasp and roll enough to encourage movement without getting too far out of reach. I enjoy knitting so this was an easy task for me. I used some Christmas money to pick up new yarn and batting and then made a set.



I also have yarn to make a set from primary colors as well. The pattern for the solid colors is here and the link for the striped ball came from here. The first link has a LOT of neat looking infant toys on her site that I might have to try soon.

Most importantly, Kylee enjoying her new toys







(If any of my friends do not know how to knit and would like a set, please let me know...they require minimal materials and I did all three in an afternoon and would be happy to make a set for you.)