Thursday, February 24, 2011

Marshall's Montessori Bedroom

Last time I showed you Marshall's room it looked like this. As soon as he could crawl at 7 months, we re-did it making it more "Marshall friendly." The Montessori philosophy of making everything aesthetically pleasing, accessible and child-centered really resonated with both of us.

So we brought everything down to Marshall's level.

The entire room is child proofed so he is free to roam around. We replaced the crib with a floor bed that wouldn't interfere with his independence and movement. Now he is able to make the choice to get in and out of bed instead of us doing it for him.

We bought a twin sized futon mattress from Ikea and put it on a slatted platform. It is only about 4 inches off the ground so very easy for him to climb in and out of.

We covered it with a handmade quilt, added butterfly decals that Marshall picked out, and a mirror. He is obsessed with the mirror and "talks" to the baby in it numerous times a day. We screwed the frame into the wall so it is very secure.

Everything is down on his level and accessible.

Artwork is an important part of any Montessori environment. It helps to beautify a space and cultivate a child's appreciation for art. It's important that it be hung at a lower level for the child. We chose a picture of Jerad, Marshall, and me, then the giraffe and Ford pictures that had been hanging above the crib.

In a child-centered environment, child-sized furniture facilitates independence.

This little shelf is the perfect height for his to grab things off of, or to pull himself up on. We put out a few toys and books and rotate them weekly:

We tried keep to the Montessori tradition of using as many natural materials as possible.



We moved the changing area to the top of his dresser which was the most convenient for us:


The top drawer holds his cloth diapers, the middle drawer holds clothes in his current size, and the bottom drawer is extra blankets, toys that aren't in the rotation, and jackets. He isn't getting into drawers yet, but when he does there is nothing in there that isn't safe for him to pull out.

We've had this set up for over 2 months now. I'll write more in depth about our experience later but so far its been wonderful and is definitely working for us.

Edit: You can see pictures of his new room at our new house here: http://stephbrownthinks.blogspot.com/2011/10/marshalls-new-montessori-bedroom.html

9 comments:

Christina said...

This is really cool. Thanks for elaborating. I was curious when you mentioned his Montessori bed a few times.

Are you thinking of doing Montessori preschool/elementary?

p.s. the security word is "canstypo." WTF?

TheCowans said...

I hate to say it, but you think its "kid proof" now.. just wait. They can find anything and everything to get hurt on. Unless he's in a padded room- beware.

Steph said...

Thanks, we LOVE it! We're hoping to do Montessori preschool and if he enjoys it, elementary too. Or at least till 3rd grade. Its super expensive so we'll see!

misguided mommy said...

I want to do that to my own room. I like having Codi's bed up high though, keeps his butt in there. Brandon has realized he can wake up at 1am now and go downstairs and play WHICH IS NOT OKAY. I like that Codi thinks he has to actually stay in bed and sleep for a while though. Not sure I could handle two little shits roaming the house at 1AM

Marci said...

I'm always so worried about slamming fingers in the drawers when they open and close them

Jessie, The Education Of Ours said...

I am a Montessori Teacher and also a Montessori Momma. That room is perfect!!!!

Exactly what I would do. Lovely room!

Emma said...

This is such a cute room. I really love it and would like to do something similar!

Is the mirror non-breakable glass? And are the pictures on the wall also screwed on?

Thank you for posting!

Helen said...

Hi- just found your post while looking for floor bed inspiration for our own nursery. This is such a beautiful room, and you explained it so well! Thanks for sharing :)
~Helen

Unknown said...

Hi Steph. Can we feature your son's room on Bedstart (bedstart.com)?