After deciding that we were going to homeschool our daughter who will be a kindergartner this year, I immediately started researching curriculums and materials. I found so many great resources but quickly realized that there could potentially be a lot of printing involved. Not only is that expensive but I imagine papers everywhere! After more searching, I stumbled on the idea of learning journals on Instagram. At first I thought it sounded like a lot of work, but the more I thought about it the more it seemed to line up with what we were looking for.
Culturally, this generation of parents tend to look at potty training, or toilet learning, as an extreme thing that has to be done to their child. When in reality, it is just a normal part of development and not a huge deal. In fact, it will MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER! Just think how nice it will be to not carry around a huge bag with all those diapers and wipes all the time.
Let’s look back on a little bit of history to see how diapering and toilet learning have changed. Disposable diapers were invented in 1948, however, it wasn’t until the 70’s that they became widely used and distributed. Before disposable diapers, families used cloth diapers and most children had complete toilet awareness by 18 months old. So why is it that many children are learning to use the toilet much later nowadays? Well…
I am a small town girl who grew up not knowing that there were any alternative types of education. Montessori?! What is that? Like some super religious school for hippies and weirdos? Wrong Sam. Definitely wrong. However, I’m still fairly certain that half of my family and friends think I am one of those hippy weirdos – but hopefully they will find their way to this post!
Anywho…back to the question. What is Montessori?!?! Only weirdos send their children to Montessori school, right? WRONG.