Shelf Help

Maria Montessori shared so much wisdom with the world through her books, articles, and lectures. Even in 2022, there are so many parenting lessons we can get from her words. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy share some quotes from Dr. Montessori's books and how they might apply to our parenting. We completely get nerdy about Montessori's words as a way to examine our own behavior as the prepared adult.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/02/WisdomofMontessoriQuotes.html

In this episode Amy invites her husband, and parenting partner, James to the show. They talk about their Montessori parenting journey including why they decided to use Montessori as the foundation of their parenting. They share some of the tutorials they created along the way, why they choose Montessori schools, and how Montessori, RIE, and gentle parenting has shifted their lives and the lives of their children's.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/02/ParentingwithAmyandJames.html

Parenting is difficult, especially in today's world. While Montessori provides us a lot of useful tools, it doesn't eliminate all parenting challenges. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy acknowledge some of the very real parenting challenges that they face even while using Montessori. They share their own struggles in an effort to help normalize and support all parents who might face similar situations.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/02/DifficultParentingMoments.html

In Montessori environments there are so many amazing practical life opportunities when children have access to water. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy discuss how to make water accessible to young children for both work and play. We include tips on how to prepare yourself and your environment to make water work fun and reasonable in a Montessori home.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/01/MontessoriWaterWorkPodcast.html

Starting solids can be a stressful time for some parents. There is a lot of advice surrounding food available and it can be difficult to determine what will work best for each family. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy talk about some of their feeding and weaning essentials for babies and toddlers. We touch on our approaches toward solid food and how we try and create a lifelong healthy relationship toward food. Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/01/MontessoriFeedingEssentials.html

Welcome back to Shelf Help in 2022! In this week's episode Nicole and Amy discuss some of our favorite baby and toddler products and ideas in three different categories. We include our favorite practical things, play materials, and outdoor gear.

Show notes here: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/01/MontessoriMustHavesBabiesToddlersPodcast.html

We've come to the end of 2021 and our last episode of Shelf Help until the new year. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy are answering listener's questions in this Q&A style episode. We cover a variety of topics from babyhood through elementary. Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2021/12/shelf-help-s2-ep-7-year-end-q.html

In her books, Dr. Montessori talks so much about the importance of hand development for children. Their hands are literally their instruments as they explore the world around them. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy talk about the development of the hand and some ways that we help a child develop their hand from birth on in preparation for writing and for life.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2021/12/MontessoriHandDevelopment.html

The holidays can be a difficult time for children with a lot of uncertainty, lack of routine, and lots of relatives. In this week's episode Nicole and Amy, talk about how to emotionally support your children through the holiday season. From opening gifts, to large family gatherings and using manners we address some Montessori strategies to deal with these common hurdles with small children.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2021/11/supportingchildrenholidays.html

One of the challenges that many parents face is the clutter and mess that comes with having children. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy address the process of teaching your child to clean up and restore work in a Montessori environment. They share how this process evolves from babies and toddlers to preschoolers and elementary aged children and the importance of the prepared environment in this process.

Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2021/11/CleaningInAMontessoriHome.html