Clara's Treasure Basket

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Lately I've been wondering what else I can "do" with Clara at home. I walk her and Phoebe (our poor dog who was our first baby) around the neighborhood and try to talk to her about what we see (yes, I look like a crazy person muttering to herself, I've come to terms with it.) but there's only so many times I can say "Look Clara, another tree!" before we BOTH get bored. I came across the plan for a treasure basket for young babies on a Montessori blog that intrigued me. The idea is to gather some household objects (about 15-20, we have a lot less than that currently but are on the hunt for more) made of natural substances that baby can investigate with all of his or her senses. During Clara's nap I gathered some of these objects for her to check out when she wakes up: A piece of light fabric, a cotton pouch, a (clean!) sponge, wool gloves, a ball of yarn, a thick glass jar, a wooden spoon, and sharp scissors. Just kidding on the last item, I wanted to make sure you were paying attention. I agree with some of the ideas behind the Montessori theory and I went to an elementary school that did not have "Montessori" in the name but I believe it very much was. I am not putting Clara's mattress on the floor anytime soon but I like the idea of the treasure basket where she is encouraged to discover new items with all of her senses. Plus, she will probably suck on that piece of fabric for long enough that I can throw in a load of laundry.


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