Slowly, we’re converting a corner of our very conventional play room to a Montessori Materials Corner.  I wrote about our plan back in November when we created three activities:  The Popsicle Stick Shapes Tray, Bean Counting Cupcake Tins and Rice Writing Bowl.

I also just ran a piece on how we are starting to implement The Peace Table to help with conflict resolution a few days ago.  The Peace Table is part of The Peace Curriculum in Montessori programs.

A blogger friend, Valerie, who runs the incredible Frugal Family Fun Blog wrote about how she and her kids made Sandpaper Letter Discs.  I saw her talk about them in a national interview and have been looking to make these ever since.

Our Local Hobby Lobby had the discs but they were more than I wanted to spend, avaeraging $.75 per disc.

But, one day, I happened upon a cheap packet of much smaller wooden discs that were about 2 inches wide that came in packets of 22 for $2.99!

Another Montessori Mom gave us the idea to use dimensional fabric paint to create the sensory aspect so that kids could trace the letters with their fingers!  This same friend also used cut up foam board to make letters for her own daughter.

Really, you could do this with so many materials with some imagination.

I made sets of upper case and lower case letters.  The vowels were a different color.  I also made the “Y” and “y” in a vowel color and a consonant color to demonstrate that it sometimes behaves like a vowel.  I also made a couple of extras for the commonly used vowels and consonants.

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I looked for a larger jewelry organizer that could hold all letters and numbers (0-9) in one place with one character in each pocket, but had to settle for two smaller jewelry organizers that each cost about 3 dollars.

My kids LOVE this set!  You could play a game of match the letters (for upper and lower case letters) as well.

The part I love the best-  is the cool hands-on learning they get out of tracing the letters.  This will feed into the next Montessori activity we built that I plan to write about next week:  Montessori Colored-Sand Writing Trays.

Good luck to you if you’re making similar materials for your kids!

I would love to hear about what you are doing and how you’re doing it!

If you’re interested in more awesome Montessori-Inspired Activities and Ideas, please check out the Collaborative Pinterest Board that Critters and Crayons contributes to!  It is run by Deb Chitwood, blogger and Montssori Education Expert at Living Montessori Now!

Critters And Crayons is thrilled to offer this give-way of 4 tickets to see SESAME STREET LIVE:  ELMO makes MUSIC!

Here is general show information:

Name:         SESAME STREET LIVE:  ELMO makes MUSIC

Venue:        Laredo Energy Arena

Dates:         Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 7 PM

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 7 PM

Tickets:      Tickets on sale NOW at the Laredo Energy Arena Box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Visit Laredo Energy Arena Events for more information.

TO ENTER THE CRITTERS AND CRAYONS GIVE-AWAY

The Prize:

• 4 Tickets to SESAME STREET LIVE:  ELMO makes MUSIC

Who Can Enter:  

• United States Residents Over The Age of 18.
• Winner Must Be Able To Receive Tickets In Person in Laredo, Texas.

Duration And Entry:

• This Give-Away will run between Monday February 6th until Sunday, February 12 th, 2011.
•  Entrants must leave a comment on THIS blog post with the following:

• Who is your child’s favorite SESAME STREET character and why?
• A statement confirming that the entrant is over the age of 18.  (For example:  I confirm that I am over the age of 18.)

How The Winner Is Chosen:

• Each comment will be assigned a number in the order it appears on the site.
• The Winner will be chosen via random number generator.
• Duplicate entries will be deleted.
• Important Note:  The winner will be announced in the comments section of this post at noon on Sunday, February 12th.  It is recommended that you subscribe to comments to be sure that you do not miss the announcement.  If the winner cannot be contacted within 24 hours of the announcement, a new winner will be chosen.

For questions regarding this give-away, feel free to email me at crittersandcrayons@gmail.com.

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In exchange for my time and efforts in promoting this event, Laredo Energy Arena has provided tickets for the winner of the give-away.   This does not impact the opinions or statements I make about shows and events I write about.  I always give an opinion that is 100 per cent my own.

People that are familiar with Montessori Classrooms have heard of “The Peace Table”.

The Peace Table is part of “The Peace Curriculum”.  Deb Chitwood, author of Living Montessori Now explains that the Peace Table is “safe place” where children can come and discuss their problems and to resolve conflict”.

Our 4 and a half year old daughter has started a formal Montessori curriculum.  Our 3 year old son has not started at the school yet.  But, we use the Peace Table at home now that he is old enough to articulate and respond.

Before anyone scoffs at the method, I want to relay some stories about how we’ve used The Peace Table.

One day, we were in the McDonald’s Play Area.  The newest one in our city has a state of the art set-up: an arts and crafts section, musical wall pianos, climbing apparati, tower slides and a wall of video touch screen video games.

It was inevitable that amongst the entire wall of video games, my two kids would be fighting over the same 2 inches of touch screen.  The screaming, pushing, shoving and hitting ensued.  And, I said, “That’s it!  To The Peace Table!”

Our daughter knew what to do.

She walked over to one of the McDonald’s tables.  Our son watched her.

She informed me that there was no bell to start the Peace Talk.

So, I asked her to ring an imaginary bell.

And here’s what happened.

She held her fingers up and rang an imaginary bell and said “dingalingaling!”

“Brudder!  You made me mad when you DID NOT wait your turn!”

Our son said, “I made you mad???”

And she responded, “Yes!  Because you did not wait your turn!”

He said, “I didn’t wait my turn?  I’m sowwweeeee….”

And then… “It’s okay, Brudder.  I forgive you.  Let’s share!”

Some of the moms sitting next to me watched the whole thing.  I’m sure they thought it was a bit nutty that I made my kids do that.   But, even they had surprised looks on their faces when they saw how it ended.

Fast forward to a few days ago.  In our play room, a similar fight ensued.

My husband hadn’t seen The Peace Table Negotiations yet.

When the kids started to fight, I asked our daughter to invite her brother to the Peace Table.

She said, “Wait!”

She grabbed a metal bowl from her play kitchen and a wooden spatula.  She turned the bowl upside down so she could signal the start of the “Peace Talk”.

She banged the bowl with the spatula.

And, the talks began.

My husband was astounded at the result.  I have to admit that it surprises me every time it works.  It kind of tickles me, too.

The morning after our kids’ United Nations style conflict-resolution, I awoke hastily because we had overslept.  We were going to be late for school.

I stumbled into the bathroom.  Aw C’MON!

I stumbled into another bathroom.  YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

I went downstairs to the other bathroom.  WHAT THE???? I stormed upstairs, running late, having wasted precious minutes on a scavenger hunt for toilet paper .

I did what all of us indignant wives do who bear the burden of “official toilet paper roll changer”.

I proceeded to bark at my husband for not ever changing the toilet paper rolls.

He gave me some typical husband excuses as to why he might not notice they needed to be changed.  I won’t go into them. I’m sure you’ve fought the same battles.

I barked as we pulled up socks, brushed teeth, and brushed hair.  And I barked some more as we stuffed sandwiches in our kids’ mouths.

And do you know what our daughter said?

“Mom.  You should invite Dad to the Peace Table.”

 And we didn’t go to the peace table.

My husband and I looked at each other.

And we laughed.

The reminder was enough to cut the conflict.

I should note that my husband is really a fantastic guy.  He does things like the dishes.

I cook.  He does the dishes.

This is a wonderful, symbiotic relationship.

The only thing I hate doing more than laundry is dishes.

Plus, he is really artistic and handy.

He is in the process of tearing down and building his motorcycle from the frame up.

He is cutting his own handlebars, welding them, bending metal, shaving it, sanding it, wrapping it…He is literally constructing his vision piece by piece.

My husband just called me downstairs to show me his newest creation.

He made a bracket that was flush (that is motorhead-speak for “even with something) with his motorcycle frame.  He did it by cutting down a steel bar, cranking it between the hinges of our gun safe and sanding it down with his bare hands.  He was so proud.

“Look at what I made?  I MADE that. With my BARE HANDS!”

And I was impressed, indeed.

I couldn’t help myself.  I said….

“So what you are saying is….You ARE CAPABLE of replacing a toilet paper roll?

I’m sorry, I can’t finish this post.

I’m about to the ring Peace Drum.

The things our kids teach us….It really is amazing.

Have your kids taught you any good lessons lately?

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Image Credits:

Mcdonald’s Booth:  www.furnituretablechair.com/Productsdetails/McDonalds-Table-Chair-1987.html

Toilet Paper Roll:  www.paystolivegreen.com/2010/04/dont-throw-out-empty-toilet-paper-rolls/

Critters And Crayons is thrilled to have a Guest Poster today!  James Chaney of The Wordslinger Blog is a Baltimore Daddy with a sweet wife and two darling kids.  When I first happened on Jim’s blog (I actually call him Jim), he was marking down his Before-30 Bucket List.  Nearly a a year later, I’m still following his journey which has morphed beyond reaching that fearful pinnacle of “Thirty-ness”-  and now centers on his growth as a dad and husband, man, storyteller and writer.

Jim and I are blog-buddies in the Facebook We Blog…A Blogging Community.  There’s our spiffy badge.  Want one for your blog?  Come join us over there!  It’s a great place to meet more quality folk like Jim!

And here it is!  Our Guest Post by Jim, The Wordslinger!

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“No, the toilet brush is not a hair brush!”

“It’s just toe fuzz, it won’t hurt you.”

“Yes, you can have a cookie, just please put down the crystal vase!”

As a parent, statements like these are a regular occurrence.  After 33 months of being a father, first to my daughter Izzy, and now my son Jake as well, I’m certain I’ve uttered them more often than the gang yells, “Oh Toodles!” in an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Prior to having kids, I scoffed at the parents shouting ridiculous adages and making nonsensical rules such as “That’s it! No one can touch anyone else for a month!”

Today, they spew out of me like Jake’s mac and cheese after one too many “Ring Around the Rosies”.

Learning the ins and outs of parenting is an on-the-job-training kind of gig.  Sure, we take cues from how our parents dealt with us growing up, but managing daily life as a Mom or Dad takes trial and error.

Can I let my toddler walk down two steps by herself?  Yes, she made it!

Can I let me toddler walk down four steps by her…oh geez!

“It’s ok, sweetheart, Daddy’s here.  That bump will go away, I think.”

See what I mean, trial and error.

If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I make no bones about my mediocre-at-best household skills.  I’m not a great cook, I fix things that are broken about as well as I clean (which is poorly on my best day), and while I fold laundry, I very rarely put it away.

In fact, when asked to comment on my husbandly capabilities, my wife said, “Again with the fake microphone in my face?  It wasn’t funny before, and it’s not funny now.  You know you’re not as funny as you think you are.  And another thing…”  Ok, ok…you get the idea.

My point is that while I’m not so great at a lot of things, I do consider myself a pretty good Dad.  I’ve navigated my way through these first 33 months, for the most part unscathed, and while I know this is still considered the “easy part” by those of you with teenagers, I’m pretty satisfied with my performance so far.  I can’t take all the credit though; my wife has been at my side every step of the way and I think we’ve probably taught each other a thing or two along the way.  But the real reason for our successes as parents up to this point has been our ability to learn from the very people we are supposed to be guiding; the munchkins.

It’s true.  We, as parents, learn so much from these needy, knee-high nestlings, most of the time without even knowing it.  In fact, here are a few things I’ve learned during my tenure as father to Iz and The Jakester.

A drawer full of utensils will get you out of any jam.  Your son’s toy truck was chewed up by the dog?  Your baby hasn’t slept in 72 hours and seems a bit cranky?  Your toddler lost her tiara?  It’s ok, don’t panic.  Just hand them a large plastic spatula or slotted spoon and watch their worries melt away.

You are capable of more love than you know.  When you’re a kid, you think there’s no way you can love anything as much as you love your pet bunny, Mr. Hoppenstein.  When you grow up and marry your spouse, you can’t imagine that anything could bring you more joy than his or her face.  And just when you thought that there was absolutely no love left to give for your second or third or fourth child, you see their face for the first time and it’s love at first sight…again.

Sleep is a most precious commodity.  In a world where sleep is the new currency, people with young children would be living in poverty.  I sometimes curse 4-year-old me for refusing to take the naps I was offered back in my youth.  I mean seriously, I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least a little bit tired.  I don’t mean to frighten prospective parents here; I’m just spittin’ the truth.  Word.

Be prepared.  It’s not just the motto of the Boy Scouts.  There is nothing worse than being caught in unfamiliar territory when a bowel-related emergency strikes your little one.  Guys, I don’t care how unmanly you think it is; a diaper bag is an absolute necessity when leaving the house with an infant.  And for the love of God, check to make sure you have diapers and wipes in the bag!  Trust me, you’ll only make that mistake once…ok, twice…ok, seven times!

Nothing is more important than seeing your child happy.  It might happen as soon as the second line shows up on the pregnancy test.  Or maybe the first time you hear a heartbeat at the ultrasound.  Perhaps it waits until the moment you look into your child’s eyes for the first time.  It varies for everyone, but at some point a switch will flip inside you and suddenly the things you thought were important, pale in comparison to making your baby smile.

You need to develop a look, word, or phrase that tells your toddler you mean business.  Second only to seeing your child happy, is knowing you have something in your arsenal in case you have to stand up to your little one.  When playtime turns ugly and it’s time to grab the controls of this runaway train, you can’t expect to be bringing a knife to a gunfight.  It’ll take some practice, but eventually you’ll stumble upon the right word or look or combination of the two that will calm the storm.  But just like any skill, if you don’t use it consistently, you’ll lose it.

I recommend practicing in the shower…I mean let’s be honest, that’s probably the only time you’re alone anymore.

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Thanks so much, Jim!  

Hope you get some sleep, my bloggy friend!  

And not in the shower.

If you are interested in guest posting for Critters and Crayonsm, hit me up at crittersandcrayons@gmail.com

My husband was getting ready to pack up the recyclables for a pick-up the other night.

I don’t know why that night was any different from any other pre-recyclables pick-up, but I stole back his empty beer box.  I was in the middle of trying to get my craft corner organized so I’d stop buying unnecessary packs of popsicle sticks and glue, so maybe I had craft organization on the brain.

At first, I thought, maybe we could use empty beer boxes for Christmas ornament storage?  That was always a problem and those inserts can be hard to find and pricey.

But, then I remembered that we had some scrapbook paper we hadn’t touched in awhile.

And our mason jar/drink holder centerpiece had been used for about 3 months now and it was time to go back through the drive-through for a new drink holder. So, we just cleaned up the box and taped the paper to the sides to pretty it up a bit.

And, then we filled it with mason jars and craft supplies that can be rotated out to keep things interesting.

Here, from the top left corner, we have:

• colored pencils
• origami paper
• glue
• popsicle sticks
• pipe cleaners
• buttons
• Starbucks drink sleeves (to decorate as bracelets or some other creation)
• toilet paper rolls
• felt stickers
• glitter glue pens
• markers
• scissors

And, it tucks away nicely in a corner of our kitchen.

From now on, we’re not recycling another beer box with inserts.

Anytime I run a post that references beer, I think of my friend, Alissa, who runs the Creative With Kids Blog.  She got a kick out of this post and our innovative solution to keeping a beer warm.  That’s how I found out that  her family runs Mother Road Brewing Company out of Flagstaff, Arizona on the classic Route 66!  Alissa, save me some of those boxes!

I think this beer box organizer will work for cleaning supplies, ornaments, knick knacks, office supplies, barbie dolls, super hero action figures, napkins and silver ware, condiments, mason jar storage.

Maybe, one day, we’ll even buy a beer brewing kit, and we will actually store our own beer in one.

If we do, I’ll bypass the gold and silver butterfly heart scrapbook paper.  :)

What else do you think we can use these to store?

Critters and Crayons is honored to participate in a fantastic Collaborative Heart Project Fundraiser to benefit The American Heart Association (AHA)!   All the proceeds from the eBook and physical book of our kids’ art and craft projects related to hearts will go to the AHA.

Jamie at hands on: as we grow has spearheaded this project and pulled together over seventy bloggers from around the world to contribute to the book!  The book is really quite beautiful and the proceeds benefit a wonderful cause.  Many thanks to Jamie for launching this project and for allowing Critters and Crayons to participate.

The two crafts that are featured in the eBook and physical book from Critters and Crayons are our Tofu Hearts:

and our Valentine’s Day Season Tree!

I hope you will take a second to look at what’s in store.  There are give-aways and auctions associated with this project as well!  So many good things…please see what follows!

Here Is A Preview Of The eBook/Book!

Here are all the amazing bloggers from around the world who contributed to this project with the help of their crafty children!