Mobiles are considered to be the child's first work but have you ever wondered what are the benefits of the mobiles, why go to all the effort, what's the big deal? There are physiological and psychological benefits to using the Montessori mobiles with your infant. "The process of myelinization of the nerve fibres is very quick and begins with the eye muscles. The child learns to control them in one month allowing him to follow what is happening in the environment much better. This is already an important step, since it implies a freedom to observe. Adults should recognize this... Read more →

Have you ever tried to make or use the traditional Montessori Munari Mobile? It is the first in the visual mobile series offered to a newborn at around 2-3 weeks of age. They are incredibly hard to balance and our glass globe broke while Otis was underneath it. We replaced the globe but I never again felt really safe around it. With our next baby, we are going to skip the Munari! We are fortunate that we have access to a lot of resources and already have a few black and white mobiles to try, so I thought it would... Read more →

Do I have an unhealthy obsession with Etsy? Perhaps so. Here is what I am loving (and possibly buying) on Etsy this week! Butterfly Mobile - Etsy is the best place to find Montessori mobiles and I am always drawn to the butterfly mobile. Montessori Grasping Beads - includes wooden and coloured rubber beads. Organic Plush Topponcino and Hyde Park Organic Cover - I have ordered this cover, I love neutrals but I love this design too. Wool Puddle Pad/Change Mat - a reminder that you don't need a plastic, non-compostable/recyclable baby change mat, there are better options! Butterfly and... Read more →

Image: The Montessori Company, Home Environment 5-12 Months. We are in the process of planning a Montessori nursery and it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Today I wanted to share with you a new feature at The Montessori Company that can guide you through the process. The Montessori Company is dedicated to ensuring the beauty and philosophical consistency of Montessori environments everywhere, making it easy for parents and guides to buy hand-crafted products designed to follow Maria Montessori's philosophy. On The Montessori Company website, you can view three Montessori nurseries or rooms (one pictured above) and you can click on each... Read more →

Are you expecting a baby or setting up a Montessori infant room? Here are a few ideas and suggestions for the environment for a 3-6-month-old child. The Child The child is in the period of the absorbent mind. They are absorbing and getting impressions from everything in their environment. We want their room to be ordered, to be clean, safe and beautiful. The child is beginning to do intentional and coordinated work with their hands and possibly hand to hand transfer. They are observing their hands coming together. Reaching out and grasping is a big part of their work. They... Read more →

This is my last collaborative post on mobiles (for the time being!). Thank you to all the lovely mums who have contributed photographs and stories. This post contains a lot of home made mobiles. Mums who have no Montessori training and some that do, making mobiles for their newborns to enjoy. I really like the variety here, not just the mobiles but how people use them and of course the environments that surround them. This is Van Oak at only ten days old. Amy made this mobile using some black paint, a polystyrene ball with a screw at the top.... Read more →

More Montessori baby goodness. Looking at these little babies with their mobiles brings me much joy. These are gorgeous! These photographs are from Elsa and her son Finley. Above Finley is enjoying his homemade Munari mobile at 9 days old. Finley aged 1 month intently watching a felt black and white mobile. Elsa designed and made this mobile using the Montessori metal insets as templates - what a fabulous idea! Elsa said this was his favourite mobile ever, even at 3 months he was still enjoying it over all others. .. This is Finley's movement area. At 5 months Finley... Read more →

When I started planning Otis's room I had very little to go on. Some old photos from a friend, descriptions in books and only a few images from the internet. The only images of Montessori mobiles I had were from those selling them. Things have changed. My next couple of posts will feature photographs and videos I have received from all over the world. Some spaces are pure Montessori and others are Montessori inspired. All of them beautiful. A sincere thank you to all the families who have emailed me. I have been overwhelmed by your generosity. Your willingness to... Read more →

We have a terrible stomach bug circulating through our family. While I catch up on some sleep and some washing have a look at this lovely video at acaratapa, the full blog can be found here. If you have any troubles I recommend google translate and the blog is in Portuguese. The video is of Theo who is the sweetest little boy ever, observing his Munari and Octahedron. If you have in interest in Montessori mobiles you will LOVE this. Read more →

I purchased my first Puka Puka Design mobile over a year ago. It now appears above my workspace. I am drawn to mobiles and couldn't resist this new one for Otis's room. The Bird Mobile. All of the Puka mobiles have this air of sophistication that I love. The Montessori theory is that mobiles like these should represent reality. Animals that swim or fly are popular such as the Whale or Butterfly mobiles from Michael Olaf. Michael Olaf state that mobiles should have no more than 5 objects and they should be real, such as butterflies, birds, or fish—things that... Read more →

This is a complete summary of the Montessori inspired mobiles we used with Otis. I apologise for the long post but I feel the topic is really important. Mobiles are an essential part of a Montessori infant environment and there is such little information available on them. 1. The Munari Mobile. A classic black and white Montessori mobile we introduced to Otis when he was two weeks old. 2. The Octahedron Mobile. Another classic Montessori mobile, introduced at around six weeks. 3. The Gobbi Mobile. We introduced this at about eight weeks. Although this is a visual mobile we did... Read more →

For our visual mobiles we used a small screw hook directly into the ceiling surface. As the mobiles were light, as Montessori described so they could move in the breeze, this wasn't a problem. However when we begun to use tactile mobiles like the Bell on a Ribbon, Primary Colours Mobile and the Ring on a Ribbon which Otis can grasp, we needed something much stronger. There are a couple of good videos on the internet on how to install a plant hook and we nearly went with this. However my husband located a stud or ceiling beam above the... Read more →

The Ring on a Ribbon gives him something to look up at. He can reach for it and will eventually pull it into his mouth. It also gives him an incentive to move. He isn't very mobile he just kicks a lot and slowly pulls himself forward with his arms. He can move a couple of inches and that's a start. He is strengthening the muscles in his arms, legs, back and neck and gaining coordination as he reaches for that ring. He will need to push himself up further before he will be able to grasp it. This is... Read more →

Following from Clay's Infant Environment Part 1 here is Part 2 showing Clay and his infant mobiles. The above photograph is of Clay and his mum Tasha making the Octahedron. I think I can see some double sided tape there. I purchased all of our mobiles although Tasha and Charlene show that you can make them yourself. The Munari The Octahedron The Gobbi I don't know of any one source of information for the mobiles. If you know of anyone who has completed Montessori infancy training they may be able to help. Most of the mobiles can be purchased through... Read more →

April, this is for you. Otis with his bell at three months (15 weeks). He gets really excited! Read more →