Montessori In the Home: It Works!

In one of my previous posts, I gave some suggestions on how to "Montessorify" your home.  It gave me inspiration to work on my daughters' rooms.  I spent the afternoon working in their rooms today:  organizing, getting rid of clutter, collecting a bag for donations, and cleaning out closets.  My older daughter, G, walked into her room and said "Wow, I love this room!".  That was an hour and a half ago.  I was going to ask her to help make dinner tonight, but I think I'll just let her enjoy the cleanliness of her room. 

My younger daughter, g, walked into her room and went straight to one of her favorite toys, her wooden ark.  For her second birthday, we purchased an heirloom quality wooden Noah's Ark set.  I searched for a VERY long time to find just the right one and was so pleased when I found it on ebay here.  It's handcrafted by the Amish. Yes, it's very expensive, but I'm hoping we can pass it down for years to come.  And it's one of the only toys in her room.  We have it neatly displayed on this unit, which fits directly under her window.  Her books are stored in the milk crate baskets beneath.  Now, she has not really entered her Sensitive Period for order, she's still working out the Language phase.  Therefore, she was not quite as affected by the "new" room.

Keep in mind, their rooms were not disasters.  But there were certainly small things scattered about that were no longer played with and a desk that was starting to get cluttered. When organizing your children's bedrooms, less is definitely more.  They will enjoy spending more time looking at books or playing with their quiet toys when their rooms are clutter-free.