I now worship Montessori schooling in a cult-like fashion, such is the success of the kindergarten for our daughter. I try not to post about it because slavish devotion is boring to read.
But right now my head is completely filled with fantasies of this and this and this for bedrooms and playrooms. These pictures literally make me gasp with pleasure. I can’t believe there was a time I was once excited by naked men.
blue milk 
i saw these a few weeks back and after an initial ‘ooooh’ reaction i decided that to keep a kids bedroom up to Montessori standards and looking like that would require a nervous breakdown of me and probably end my kids up in therapy as an adult. Bit too antispetic for my liking and certainly threw me momentarily into the guilty for not providing an ‘ever so lovely’ bedroom for any of the spawn!
Nom. Nomnomnom.
I am fighting hard against my father’s “cheap, plastic and cheerful” aesthetic insistences for his (first, only, terribly spoiled and insistently provided half his belongings by doting grandfather) grandchild.
I dream of wood. Sparse, good quality items that are beautiful to see and touch, as well as working as they should.
I settle for “fixed” op-shopped items, a mountain of books, and much plastic hand-me-downs and gifts.
The brown and green little boy’s room is making me crave Beautiful Spaces btw, thankyou! hah.
I tend to look at pictures like those, price some nice shelving, actually buy baskets, and then hide at least half of the toys away on top of the cupboard in my studio. Then I chant “Montessori developed her theories and schools for poor kids” as some sort of incantation against the bourgie wanty buying thing that gets tempting and guilt inducing (if you don’t have the money). I think the key to the Montessori design style is to throw a whole lot of stuff out (or hide and circulate), rather than the stuff you buy.
I was thinking of you when I was on a Montessori reading binge earlier in the year, some of the books are great, certainly my neice and nephew’s Monstersaurous school has been fabulous, but there was one book that really grated on my nerves. They took the whole Montessori independence thing to an extreme, imposed a whole lot of rigid rules and had expectations of children’s emotional development that seemed really odd, in a way that was the antithesis of everything I’d liked about my other Montessori experiences (and the antithesis of attachment parenting, which is why I thought of you).
Apparently much of the fabulous brown and green Montessori children’s room (first link and first photo) are second-hand or very inexpensive goods (as are many of the items in the Apartment Therapy link) and they live in a rented house so kind of amazing that they’ve managed to get the room exactly as they want it under those circumstances.
I would find Montessori complicated in terms of my attachment parenting if I didn’t merrily ditch those ideas that don’t suit and devote myself to those ideas that do. Have no problem doing so and like the idea that home is the place of creative, vibrant silliness while school might be the place of more quiet order.
My kids go to a Montessori school and it has been an amazing experience for us all.
i certainly wasnt dissing the montessori approach to learning with my comment above. Both my girls went to montessori pre-school and one loved it, one loathed it. The loather now adores her montessori primary school. Montessori can be quite restrictive for some kids (and parents) and depends a lot on the schools individual philosophy about how montessori they are. Its my expereince that pre-schools tend to be much more traditional as the kids are much more controllable and alsoo hte equipment is designed mainly for early learners, although many of the montessori maths equipment my 11yo still uses in ‘class’. Montessori is uncluttered approach for sure, its just not very homely. Pre school was like a hospital! no pics hanging up and around the rooms.
If only my own living spaces were as cool as these. *sigh* Good design makes better people! (but somehow I survived…)
[…] Here’s another good link: BlueMilk – Finn’s bedroom is again featured here. It must be the ultimate. Possibly related […]
AH, the montessori room is how I found you! I just remembered while reviewing stats while on hold with the IRS. I’m glad I did, anyways.
Thanks Ali P.
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[…] Here’s another good link: BlueMilk – Finn’s bedroom is again featured here. It must be the ultimate. // Share| […]
[…] With Lauca for our first child difficulty drove innovation in our parenting. I would not have read half the parenting books nor explored as many learning activities if I had not had Lauca. To be honest, I might have been quite a parenting slacker if both our children had been as straight-forward as Cormac. Who knows, I might never have discovered Montessori. […]
Am I the only one who found the extent of preparation that “Sew Liberated” put into the preparation of her first and as yet unborn child’s room (the first image) a little unsettling? I mean, the child isn’t born yet and she has quite a clear vision about what he will and won’t be doing in various parts of the room.
eg: “[This shelf] helps keep activities organized by providing three distinct areas for trays/baskets.”
Well, I have a 16 month old and despite by best efforts there is NO WAY that she appreciates the idea of “distinct areas” on her toy shelves. Everything gets muddled together within the first few minutes of play. For me anyway, I have to take her lead on certain things while gently guiding her. The idea of setting her room up will such a clear vision before I had even met her and figured our what her strengths and weakness are just seems a bit odd.
She has even got a potty out for potty training!?
I just worry that the writer has serious control issues and will be disappointed or frustrated once he is actually born.
Go check out her blog and see how you feel about your critique after hearing how everything turned out. She appeared to be nothing but happy with her son’s enjoyment of his environment – she’s now crafting a new environment for her unborn son who is going to be a little bit homebound because of a heart condition they’ve already identified.
I believe she went in to such detail to explain the Montessori theory behind the careful design of a room, not because she was obsessing over her specific child. I think she’s a trained Montessori teacher. The ste-up allows the child to have whatever strengths and weaknesses they want but still thrive.
There are lots of books available for you to read about child development which can help you set up an environment to allow your child to succeed regardless of their specific strengths and weaknesses. You might enjoy trying out some theories and seeing how they work!
The Montessori set-up worked quite well for us. My son is very adventurous in his easy-access surroundings. This way, I don’t have to worry about what his strengths are – he can just go about his business and enjoy himself because everything is available to him. And he’s getting good at going on the potty at 14 months too.
[…] floor (formerly of one of the guest rooms upstairs–so no purchase necessary!). It’s a Montessori thing. And let me be the first one to say that bassinetts and cribs are a complete waste of money; […]
[…] is a big part of Montessori education but this link is not about my Montessori cult worshipping so feel safe to click on it. This is a pilot program looking at an independent learning high school in the US. […]