Setting Up a Peace Table

A Peace Table is a Montessori inspired space that provides children with a quiet spot to sit, reflect, and regain composure when they are feeling overwhelmed. I shared back in February that we started using "quiet spots" when the children needed some extra space. After about a month of use, it was clear that our quiet spots weren't working for us quite like I wanted them to. Because they were down on the floor, they didn't provide the kids with any sort of privacy when they wanted to be by themselves. Instead, the rest of the children were curious and crowded around the quiet spot, having the opposite effect.  When I saw the idea for a "Peace Table", I knew we had to give it a try!

 So far it has worked wonders for us. I highly encourage you to consider setting up a peace table in your home or classroom!

All You Need:

- a child size table,
 -1-2 child sized chairs
- something soothing to look at or do.

 The number of chairs depends on how you want the table to be used. Sometimes Peace Tables can be used for conflict resolution where one child can invite another child to the peace table in order to peacefully resolve an problem. For our purposes, I chose to only include one chair because my main goal for this space, right now, is to provide a retreat away from others. With very young children, an open chair suggests an open invitation and I think they would have a hard time understanding that they are only allowed to join someone at the table unless asked. If you are interested in using your peace table for conflict resolution I Heart Montessori has a great post on how to get that started!

As far as your soothing activity or object, it can really be anything. Think of  your child, and what best soothes them. Right now, we have our Buddha Board set out on the table for a quiet and soothing activity. Other ideas might be a sand timer, a feather, worry beads, some soft fabric, some soothing scent jars, maybe even a head set and some music so they can shut out the noise. The options are endless and you can incorporate as may or as few as you like. I plan to change our activity out every so often to keep it fresh and inviting.

Where Should it Go:

- away from the action

- beautiful and inviting

Since the purpose of the peace table is for the child to take a break from the action, you obviously want to set up the table in a place where that is possible. Putting the table in a high traffic area would make it difficult for a child to seek the quiet they need. Another thing to consider when deciding where to set up your table is to make sure the space is visually appealing. A well lit area facing a window would be ideal so the child can be soothed by the natural light and sights of nature. If that is not possible, you can always add photographs, potted plants, and other beautiful objects on or around the table to create an attractive and calming environment. With a little thought, it is possible to arrange a great peace table that any child is sure to love and enjoy!

Little Miss Muffet's Storage Tuffet

Now that E and I are spending more time at home, I have finally decided to take the time to organize a proper play area for her. Unfortunately we still don't have space for a designated playroom so her play space is once pagain in the middle of the living room. I have been working hard to come up with a design that is sophisticated enough to be a part of our living room, yet still fun and kid friendly. Working with a very limited budget, I have finally finished my first project for the space!

This little tuffet is made from a plastic storage crate, a recycled cardboard box (you'll be seeing a lot of card board crafts for awhile as it is one thing that I have in abundance), and some fabric that I picked up on sale at Hobby Lobby.  I'm so happy wit how it turned out!  It adds some the needed storage space I was looking for, offers E a place to sit comfortably at her table, and pulls colors from the rest of the room using fun kid-friendly patterns. If anyone is interested, I am working on a tutorial that I hope to have up in a couple of days so be sure to check back!

Montessori Monday: Prepared Environment

Montessori Makeover : Part Two

 Kitchen - continued:

There have been a few additions to E's kitchen set up. I finally broke down and bought the child sized broom and dust pan that I had been wanting to get. They are a bit big for her but she can handle them fairly well and I'm sure it won't be long before she grows into them. Also new this area is a small trash can so E can now throw away her garbage by herself. So far she just thinks its an awesome hiding space for her toys but I'm sure she'll catch on soon! In her kitchen cabinet I've also added this Melissa and Doug Fruit Cutting set. I have been wanting some play food for her for a while and am so glad that I found a place that sells Melissa and Doug around here. Their toys are beautiful and such great quality! I thought about putting these in E's toy area but I'm pretty sure she will get more use of of it in the kitchen. She hasn't had much interest in her play area lately and much prefers to take part in whatever daddy and I are doing.

Office:

There is nothing grand about this space but I love it. Aside from a few outlet covers, this room had barely been baby proofed much less baby friendly up till now. Daddy spends a lot of time in here and I do on occasion as well so it only makes sense that E should feel comfortable and have a place of her own in here. I cleared off the bottom of our book case and placed a few of E's books and a couple of quiet toys on the shelf. I also created a cozy little reading corner out of some extra throw pillows, a blanket, and a teddy bear. So far E has loved reading books here while daddy is on the computer and it is nice for us all to be together.

Bathroom:

I gathered E's personal care items and laid them out on this little shelf in our bathroom. On the top shelf are her bath towels and face wash cloths. The second shelf holds her brush, comb, and a hand mirror that we share. The bottom shelf is empty in this picture but I usually keep some extra diapers in here. If the shelf was not right next to the toilet I would keep her toothbrush here as well. I also plan to add a small bottle of lotion for her to have access to as she has been obsessed with applying lotion ever since Nana and Poppa showed her this a couple of weeks ago :)

Nature Center:

I mentioned E's nature center in a post last week but I thought I'd tell you a little more about it. Appreciation of Nature is a big part of the Montessori Method and as a nature lover myself, I was thrilled to incorporate this into E's environment. Right now we are gearing up for spring so her nature center contains a bunch of gardening supplies, tools and plants. I am on the look out for a magnifying glass and some other sciencey things to add to this area and plan to change out the items monthly.

I am pretty satisfied  E's prepared environment now and plan to focus on coming up with some more Montessori activities to add to our lessons.

Montessori Monday: Kitchen Makeover

For a former early childhood educator I know surprisingly little about the Montessori method but my interest has been piqued over the past few months as I have discovered that a lot of great mom bloggers follow this philosophy. After reading this post in particular, I decided to incorporate some Montessori principles into my home. I am still very much in the learning stages but from what I have read so far it seems to fit nicely with my views on parenting.  I really like Montessori's "Help Me Do It Myself" motto. Although one of the hardest things for me to do as a parent is let go of the reins and let E take steps towards her independence, it is all worthwhile when I see the look of satisfaction on her face as she experiences success. Montessori makes a big point to teach what they call practical life skills from an early age.  Already E insisits on feeding herself, brushing her teeth by herself ( I allow her to do the morning brushing while daddy or I do it in the evening), and undressing herself. I am sure this theme will only continue throughout the toddler years so rather than battling her in efforts to save precious time and minimize messes, why use this desire for independence to fuel learning. Here are a few changes that I have made to my home to help E do things herself.

Montessori Makeover : Kitchen

Montessori suggests having children wear aprons during certain work not only to protect their clothes but to help them focus and to add importance to their job.  I found this child sized apron that I had stashed away and safety pinned it to make it the right length for E. I put up low hook that E can ( almost ) reach and will teach her to get her apron when it is time to cook and clean and to hang it up when she is done. I am on the lookout for an inexpensive ( but reasonably good quality) child sized broom and mop to hang in this area as well.

 I also reorganized E's cabinet in the kitchen. I used to just have a bunch of extra Tupperware and sometimes a bowl or spoon for her to play with and explore stuffed inside . Now it is a well organized space that contains all of her kitchen belongings. Below is a tub with some rags, a squirt bottle of water and a sponge for her to clean with.

 On the bottom shelf she has her own baking items along with her play dough supplies.

 

On the top shelf she now she has access to her own eating items. I started by putting ALL of her plates, utensils, and bibs on this shelf and quickly discovered ( as E repeatedly pulled every item out and scattered them around the house) that unless I want to be constantly rewashing everything, I need to start out with just one set of dishes and keep the rest put away so I always have a clean set on hand. My goal is to start teaching E to get all of her supplies and carry them to the table when it is time to eat ( a pre-table setting lesson). She is also very interested in unloading the dishwasher so I'm sure she would love helping me put her dishes away!

There is much more to come but I hope you enjoyed your look into our newly montessoried kitchen!