Planting Toddlers in Mud

April showers bring May flowers... here we are in the blustery, chilly beginnings of Spring. It is a time of much anticipation as the first leaves and flowers appear, but also often much frustration for parents as seemingly endless mud, rain and puddles interfere with outside play.

Kids plaing in the school garden in the rain “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing” is a mantra that we might need to consciously remember more often this time of the year. Good rainboots, waterproof “rain pants”, warm fleeces and rubberized jackets are a must for small children who are just as likely to fall flat onto their nose into a puddle as they are to slip and sit down in the biggest pile of mud they can find. However, for them, nature now is a magical trove of experiences and opportunities. Splashing in puddles, poking mud with sticks (and there is so many great sticks lying around after a windy day), discovering tiny plants, finding bugs and worms, building with sticky, wet sand – all of these are endlessly appealing (and developmentally beneficial!) activities that just offer themselves right now.

So whilst holing up in a blanket fort with tea and story books has its plays, please don’t forget to spend some squishy, splashy, muddy times outside this Spring!

Michaela Tučková – toddler teacher in IMSP

Want to learn more? Read our next article:

READING FROM A YOUNG AGE MATTERS

Comments

Další články

Cooking With Children can be fun

It is often said that “the family that eats together, stays together”. We would like to suggest taking it a step further – and encourage every family to cook together, too. In Montessori, we know that kitchen work provides a host of benefits to children, all the way from toddlers to adolescents; it is a part of the Practical Life curriculum as soon as children can walk! However, its advantages are in no way tied to the classroom and can be just as easily – if not more so – applied at home.

IMSP Podcast: Meet alumnus Hubert Kobr

Join us as our host, Mariana Bečková, interviews Hubert Kobr on this week’s edition of the IMSP alumni podcast. Born in the Czech Republic, Hubert attended IMSP until beginning an IB program in a traditional Czech school. Discussing his education after Montessori, he shares how IMSP’s English-language curriculum prepared him to take on such a rigorous academic plan.

IMSP PODCAST: MEET ALUMNUS Jonáš Zapletal

“The thing that IMSP really contributed the most to me would be developing my curiosity. Just, letting me as a kid explore my own world in my own way,“

IMSP Podcast: Meet Alumnus Caleb Miller

Introducing our first guest on the IMSP podcast series: Caleb Miller. After graduating from IMSP, he moved back to the United States, finishing his university degree. Caleb and our host, Mariana, chat about independence in childhood, the benefits of multi-age classrooms, and what advice he has for current IMSP Elementary students. While reflecting on his time at IMSP, Caleb looks towards the future as he pursues a career with a global focus. “That's one thing that Montessori, our school, planted in me,” Caleb tells us, “the desire to engage with the world”.

Reading from a Young Age Matters

A picture is the first content of a book that a child can „read“. Thanks to pictures, a child can understand a story without knowing how to read, interpreting the main figures/animals, the environment, and the situations from the visuals. From illustrated facial expressions and body language the child can also tell emotions. Enjoying a good book raises a love and passion that is necessary for prereading skills.