{Playing Through Autumn Day 13} Scooping Seeds

Most toddlers find such joy in the simple act of scooping and pouring. L is no exception. It is one of her absolute favorite things to do, which is why sensory tubs are such a huge hit in our house. I recently decided to ramp things up a bit with a Montessori-inspired scooping and pouring activity for L, with a little added autumn flair.

I filled a bowl with popcorn kernels that I nicked from our popcorn sensory tub and put it on a tray with three miniature Halloween pumpkins (the plastic kind with an opening at the top). I placed everything on a cookie sheet to help minimize a big mess and added in a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon. (Note: I went with a tablespoon based on the size of the opening on the pumpkins. Anything smaller wouldn't have picked up many of the kernels and anything larger would have made it very difficult to pour into the pumpkins without creating a big mess. I wanted to help L be successful in this activity and limit potential frustrations.)

This activity required a lot of fine motor control in the scooping with a smaller spoon and pouring into small containers. Some of the kernels didn't make it into the pumpkins (but of course!) which led to another wonderful opportunity for fine motor practice: using those fingers to pick up the rouge kernels.

In addition to her love of scooping and pouring, L has also been very interested in counting recently. It was fun for her to count, "One, two, three..." as she poured into each pumpkin, and we were also able to count a few of the runaway popcorn kernels.

How are you engaging your kids this autumn? What sorts of activities do they enjoy?

Montessori Inspired Life Skills Practice - Pouring Pasta

I'm not much of a cook - by any stretch of the imagination - but I do like to flex my culinary muscles in the fall and winter with lots of baking.  Given that L had only just started toddling around late last fall, I didn't invite her into the kitchen too often. This year, that's all going to change. I am so excited to have my little gal by my side making all kinds of delicious treats! I had sort of been wondering what I could do to help prepare her for our big baking adventures, when I found an idea in a book of Montessori-inspired activities (my apologies for not being able to cite which one - I've been reading a host of different early childhood books lately and they were all very overdue at the library!). In this particular activity, the child practices pouring pasta from one measuring cup to another. I thought this would be a really great activity for L - fun, but also practical in terms of preparing her to hit the kitchen. Plus, I already have tons of rainbow pasta on hand, so I decided to give it a go.

L found this activity fantastically entertaining, and after only a few small spills, she got pretty good at getting all the pasta from one cup into the other and back again. This was such great fine motor practice, in addition to all of the thought she put into doing the job correctly. (And hey, what's a few spilled ingredients between friends, right?) I have complete confidence that, come autumn, we will be having many great adventures in the kitchen!

Do you do any kind of baking or cooking with your little ones?

Fine Motor Fun: Open & Close Basket

Not so long ago, I was clicking around on the Montessori at Home section of the fabulous Carrots Are Orange and found an idea for an activity that I couldn't wait to try with L. I just love a good fine motor activity and the great thing about Montessori activities is that they are really practical and encourage kids to play in ways that will help them figure out real life. This particular activity, a basket full of items for L to practice opening and closing, was a fantastic example of how simple activities can create engaging play for even the littlest hands.


I started out with a basket of various items from around the house that open in different ways (twisting, snapping, pushing, etc.) and gathered them all in a basket.

The other real beauty of this activity was that I just used things I already had lying around the house, so prep time was pretty minimal. I invited L to take a peek at what was in the basket, and with very little explanation or modeling, she was off and ready to explore everything before her.

Some containers were easier for her to manipulate than others, but I was close at hand to offer help in case she got frustrated. My little gal has a busy body, but this activity kept her engaged for quite some time. It was so much fun watching the little wheels of her brain turn as she tried to figure out each new container. I plan to leave this basket in her playroom for continued exploration.

I just adore activities that are so simple, yet so engaging. How are you engaging your little ones these days?