Something I get asked a lot about is how to do Montessori with twins. I loved this conversation with Ana-Kay of Pickneys at Play who shared with us everything from eating and toileting with two, when they copy each other doing something that's not safe, some travelling tips and how they incorporated their religion and Jamaican culture into their home.
Links from the show
This week's listener question
"Hi Simone, My daughter (recently turned 2) is really into counting at the moment. She had a beautiful abacus that she uses all the time. She, of course, gets the order wrong most of the time en generally counts one.. two.. eight, nine, ten! I want to help her slowly get the hang of it, but don’t want to say “no, you’re doing it wrong, counting goes like this”. I try to do this by counting out loud when possible (for example the coops of coffee when she helps making coffee or the number of tomatoes for dinner). But I’m an insecure about how I can help her best when she is counting for herself. Should I just leave her to it, correct her and, for example, count together, or what would be the ‘Montessori way’ to help her? Love to have your take on this!" - Eva
Something I get asked a lot about is how to do Montessori with twins. I loved this conversation with Ana-Kay of Pickneys at Play who shared with us everything from eating and toileting with two, when they copy each other doing something that's not safe, some travelling tips and how they incorporated their religion and Jamaican culture into their home.
Links from the show
This week's listener question
"Hi Simone, My daughter (recently turned 2) is really into counting at the moment. She had a beautiful abacus that she uses all the time. She, of course, gets the order wrong most of the time en generally counts one.. two.. eight, nine, ten! I want to help her slowly get the hang of it, but don’t want to say “no, you’re doing it wrong, counting goes like this”. I try to do this by counting out loud when possible (for example the coops of coffee when she helps making coffee or the number of tomatoes for dinner). But I’m an insecure about how I can help her best when she is counting for herself. Should I just leave her to it, correct her and, for example, count together, or what would be the ‘Montessori way’ to help her? Love to have your take on this!" - Eva
Hi everyone, Simone here again and welcome to The Montessori Notebook podcast. Can you believe it? We are already up to Episode Seven of season two. That means that we're already halfway. And thank you all for the lovely feedback and reviews. And yes, there are such amazing people in our Montessori community to talk with and how they all bring Montessori into their lives in their unique way. And today's conversation is absolutely no exception. I love following Ana-Kay of Pickneys at Play on Instagram with her lovely twin boys, Jaax and Juju. And I got to know them a little better during the online Montessori retreat that I ran at the end of last year. And then when I started digging in doing some research for the podcast, I couldn't believe that Ana-Kay hasn't known about Montessori for so long. So it's going to be super inspiring, if you are wondering if it's too late for you to get started. And I always say it's never too early, and it's never too late. And all of you are going to be inspired by how they apply Montessori with their twins, as well as just Ana-Kay's infectious enthusiasm. And it was such a fun conversation. So but before we get to that, today, I wanted to share with you a little bit about the adolescence training that I just finished yesterday. It was a 30 hour introduction to the Montessori program with Jenny Marie Hoglund in Sweden, which is being held online via the MMI, which is the Maria Montessori Institute in London. And that's one of the good things that has come out of COVID was being able to follow these trainings online when it's more difficult to be able to get to these trainings, usually. And it was lovely to get to hear from some of the adolescents in their program from a school in Norway who are setting up a farm school and just the wealth of knowledge and experience that Jenny has. She's been working with adolescents, I think since ages. So I've always known a bit about Dr. Montessori, his ideas for adolescence, from my Montessori training and from having to adolescence about I love to get into do a deep dive. And so I thought I'd share some of it with you today. So Dr. Montessori first start, she talks about the adolescent being so vulnerable, like they're as fragile as a newborn. So we have to be so careful with them, just as you would with your newborn babes. Because they've got so many physical changes going on the hormonal changes, the psychological changes. So it's a lot for them. And Dr. Montessori talks about independence at this age being social independence, which I guess comes as no great surprise, because we know that teenagers do like to spend more time away from their family. But she also talks about economic independence as they start to prepare for adulthood. And I think that's really interesting, because, you know, you do see children who don't necessarily need to earn money, but they do want to earn money. And so how you could make that happen. That's really interesting as well. What other really fascinating things is, she observed that at this age, their intellectual capacity actually isn't at its strongest, as it was when they were, you know, between 6 and 12, when they a tually had a lot of mental c pacity. And actually, what we f nd isn't, we get to a olescence, and the workload i creases exams, increase steady i creases, you know, in non M ntessori settings as you enter i middle school and high school p ograms. So instead, Dr. M ntessori suggested an erdkind r. So that's like a farm schoo. And this is their prepa ed environment. So we're not s nding them out into the real orld. They're going to a farm, they live away from their famil, and they're being part of a ocial community, with the adult. They're working along ide them, guiding, obser ing and helping to support that ptimal development, just as it would be in any of the other age groups. And I honestly never thought of it as an option for m kids. As I thought, well, it's nice idea, but will they reall learn anything from a farm, and I didn't like think that'd want to send my kids away rom home. But had I done this raining earlier, I might well ave considered it. And one of th students actually was asked if they miss their family, and t ey said, like, not at all, but i stead they are really calle to work together with their peers to look after the farm nd live together. And like every ne's contribution is value, and they really are guide to work together as a commu ity like brothers and siste s. And the work they do is quite impressive. They have like what' called a program of work and s udy. So physical work to take are of the farm. They need to ma ntain it, they look after the a imals, they grow veget bles that they'll also sell nd that they use in their kitch n. They look after bees to make oney to take to market that' actually like one of them main ources of income. They look fter chickens and collect eggs hich they'll use or sell. And m ybe as a group they choose to im rove the farm. For examp e, or choosing to build a new peak house or some new accommodation for their b&b. Because they actually also have a shop and a b&b, as, you know, part of their income streams as well. So the work that goes into all of that is an enormous amount of collaboration, planning, financing, and physical labor, which is not at all bad for an adolescent. And then this study is really practical. It's around the things that are coming up on the farm. And then they like take a topic and they brainstorm from that topic and come up with what they'd like to learn about for the next study period. I think it's about five to eight weeks that they work on one topic. And Jenny showed us a mind map when they chose to study money. So the topic was money. And they then brainstormed around that. And each student will take a couple of these to work on and then present it to the group. So a couple of the things that she mentioned were like they looked at the origins of currency, the stock market, some of the children were interested in budgeting, which is very practical taxes, even the Merchant of Venice. So you're also looking at self expression when you're doing your study and things like that, as well. So I just thought it was such a broad range of things. They've got, then adults who will give the presentations that they need, they'll get in experts to give seminars on topics, that we looking to see what they need to know and who's available to help them. They're stunned to see the interconnectedness of subjects. So it can be things yeah, to do with money, you'll be studying maths. But there'll also be stuff to do with sciences and arts and culture and self expression from each of these study areas. So it's very interdisciplinary. And really fascinating to see how they take such a practical approach to study as well. And then they do have to keep a journal to keep track of their study. They also can have a journal to keep track of the work on the farm. And they have a personal journal, which they share with the adults so that the adults can really know what's going on for them and support them. So a day on the farm could look like maybe being rostered on to work in the kitchen to make breakfast and lunch. Or if that's not their role, then they might be working outside in the morning, and then doing their study in the afternoon, or vice versa. So there'll be studying in the morning and then working outside in the afternoon. And then there's also a couple of them who cooked dinner. And there's also time for solitude for going to the creek for going for high IQ reading, and all those kinds of things as well. And so I asked during the training, if she's ever observed depression, or any mental health issues with any of the adolescents, things like anxiety or panic attacks. And she said that so far, she really hadn't. And it's not to say that the students don't have hardships that they need to overcome. But they're in this safe prepared environment where they can try things out. And they're taking on different roles. And you have the adults there as guides to support them if you needed. So I just thought it sounded really, really cool. And if we don't have that in the city, then it would be looking for somewhere that they can go that is their own, like when they're working on something much bigger than themselves. So maybe working with others to raise money for a cause or where they have to arrange an event. And they have complete control so they can really feel part of something and that they're contributing to their community. One of the participants on the course, I was actually working with adolescents in LA, and helping them to come up with ideas how they could improve their local area, for example, turning a bad lot into a garden or making a theatre arts group, whatever they were interested in, and then they were supporting them with the planning and to get the logistics together to help them make it happen. So anyway, this is just a small part. I'm trying to summarize 30 hours of training into a couple of minutes. But you can read more about Dr. Montessori's ideas ar und adolescence in Appendix A an B of the book "From Childhood t Adolescence". So I'll put a ink to that in the show notes or you. And actually just read he whole book because the rest f the book is about the six to 2 year olds. And the Appendix C s about the fourth plane hild's from 18 to 24 years. And ctually I find that one of Dr. ontessori is more accessible ates. So sorry if that was a it longer than usual. But I ope you found it interesting. nd let's not wait any longer. ere is my conversation with na-Kay from Pickneys at Play. Hi everyone, Simone here and I am so excited to introduce today Ana-Kay from Pickneys at Play, who we found each other via Instagram. And I was so excited that she said yes that she'd come and talk to us today about raising twins. And I'd love to get into the culture, the Jamaican culture that you introduce in your home and anything yeah, anyway, it's gonna be so much fun about seeing how Montessori looks different in every family. So welcome. Hi, I'm so happy to be here. You know, thank you so much for inviting me and I'm so excited. I wanted to talk about the twins and all that we do here. It's fun, it's a lot of fun. Yeah. And we actually maybe that's a good place to start is, you know, from what I see online Jaax and Juju as such differen characters. And so would yo introduce us to them and lik their favorite things to do Sure. They're just so different They're complete opposite twin born at the same time, that' the only thing they have i common. Besides that, they'r two different people completely Juju sense of order is top otch, this child is so helpful. e remembers everything, he even eminds me of the order of hings. And he's very helpful. e's always helping Jaax with, ith getting dressed, or you now, even completing his uzzles, he'll do a little oints, you know, to remind him here things should go. And he's uper animated with his xpressions, kind of like me. So love that Jaax is very purposeful with his decisions, he has to see an activity through to the end, he's always singing while he works. And he loves dancing. And I'm realizing this child is a trickster. He loves to like sneak up on me. And he's very playful. And they just turn to and it's just so much fun. A lot of people like to say that, even though the age two is kind of rough, you have lots of tantrums, the terrible twos as they call it, but I have found it actually to be great is like a button clicked off in their brain. And they're completely different people now they can express themselves, when they're upset about something. their personalities are shining. They're developing a sense of humor, and the one of the best things actually, they're not mouthing everything anymore. So we can do so many more fun things together, don't be worried that they're going to be putting everything in their mouth. So that is love it. I love this age, and I'm really happy. Yeah, that's amazing. I mean, you know, myself, I'm a big fan of the toddler, I wrote a love letter to the toddler in my toddler, because toddlers are brilliant, and they're capable of doing so much. And you do start to see everything kind of falling into place. I actually loved seeing one of your Instagram posts where they started to match their vehicles to the pictures of you. And they started singing The wheels on the bus soon afterwards. But that's one of the language activity, they're matching the objects to the photos, Jaax, he' the more musical one at th moment, because they do chang their personalities change a they get older. So we wer looking at the bus and th pickup truck and the deliver truck. And we had all the image laid out and they were doing th work. And then all of a sudden it's like Jaax saw the bus, li ht bulb went off. And he start d, you know, signing wheels on he bus. So I was like, Okay I guess activities done. Le's start singing wheels on the b s. And that's the thing w th toddlers, you know, they they re focused on one thing, ut they're also making connectio s. And so he saw the bus, he started to sing the song Well I started to sing the song w th him and activity changed. nd this is how it goes. I th nk that's so like a nice to h ar though, because sometimes we re so set on what we want them to be doing. And you're j st flowing with them. And w th twins, you're going to have to be like that. Definitely I realized almost everythin I plan doesn't go as planned. T ey have something already in m nd for what they're doing. An I think it's important to actua ly allow them to explore how t ey want to, even if it's not ho I intended, and it ends up be ng so much fun to watch them and to see the different paths they an take the same thing is a so really cool. That must be so fun. I mean, but everyon's probably thinking like mealt me with toddlers, two toddlers at the same time. And toileting wo toddlers at the same time. H ve you got any tips for us on either of those. So my adv ce would be get them involved, ou have two extra sets of hands to help you here. I mean, it's j st simple stuff, putting fru ts into the blender for a smoot ie cracking eggs for breakfa t, they're more likely to eat w at they've helped me prepare, so it makes my life easier too. nd you know, there are times whe I don't want to bring out he learning tower because you kn w, maybe I'm rushing. So I'll j st set a max out on the floor nd the two of them will sit d wn and we'll work right there. nd even simply asking them to po nt to one or two options for a m al you know, if I don't have he chance to actually have b en preparing with me, I real ze that is another simple th ng that makes meal times enjoyab e. And having them choose their wn plates and utensils is a gr at transition from an activity nd you know, but at the table, it can be a balancing act. So w en we first got a child says ta le we use a booster seat for a ew months and then we moved t a standard toddler chair I couldn't afford you know com ng from struggling with t em drinking t answers a formula I couldn't afford for. If one twin decided to get up and it distracts the other the meal would end. And you know, it was kind of something I decided to modify to have it work for us. But then after a while I came to trust, that they know how much they need to take in, and it's a lot less stressful for the family. If they have that independence, you know, to decide that, you know, Mommy, I'm full, and they can get up and we actually sing a song for them to transition from eating to carrying the dishes to the sink. And it works really well. They really like it. And oh, yeah, but in terms of Miss, just expected there, there's going to be a mess. So I usually have a washcloth or a dustpan close by. And we clean up together and they love cleaning. So it's it's okay. And then he mentioned toileting as well. So as a first time Mom, I was not looking forward to it. But in Montessori, they discuss sensitive periods of toileting, so I thought I'd give that window a try. So I started by giving them a gesture to go with their bodily function. And we did standing diaper changes in the bathroom to kind of make that association. But um, once they did the gesture consistently and seemed interested in Flushing and sitting on the toilet, I got a book for them to read about, you know, using the potty, and I put out two parties. But I realized that two parties was a distraction. So I rearranged the environment in a way that I could manage them both. And we went diaper free Juju, he didn't do very well with underwear, or the training pants. So we just, we just went diaper free. And then things were looking up until we traveled for about two, three weeks. And can you believe actually forgot the potty. And I wasn't able to get one while we were there. So I kind of gave up and just figured out how to start all over. But then when we came back one day, I heard Juj tinkering in the bathroom. An when I looked, he did it all by himself. So they didn't fo get, they didn't forget. And it just shows you how amazing ch ldren are. And you know, we re not done yet. It's a long pr cess. But it's it's going we l so far. before you move on. So e people might not know about st nding diaper changes. But li e in Montessori, rather than la ing them on their back by the ti e they're able to stand. Some of the children don't like to be la d on their back. And so you ca actually change them st nding up, which actually is mo e difficult for us first, but yo can get pretty handy, right? Ye, it is actually I find it to be easier, because I think they do't kick around as much as st nding diaper changes, I have li e a stool in the bathroom th t they can, you know, use for su port. So they'll hold on to it While I'll help them pull th diaper down, we do our ch nge and they'll pull it back up So this actually has helped th m practice the pulling up and pu ling down motion a lot. And th y like to help to get the li hts and everything is right th re. And it's actually much le s space that's needed. Be ause it's just something to su port them especially they're no really good at standing just ye. But standing up, they I gu ss they feel more in ependent. They feel like oh, yo know, I'm part of this pr cess. And this is my body. An mommy's helping me so I can se what's going on. And yeah, I fo nd it. It can be tricky to ge used to in the beginning for me for us as adults, but they li e it much more and in no ti e. I'm a pro. And it's ac ually helpful when you're on th go. You know, and you might no want to lay them down on the pu lic changing stations. So you ca just stand them up and do yo r do it wherever. Well, thank yo for you know, telling us all of the details, because I think pa ents think it just everyone se ms to magically get it and wh aren't my children magically ge ting it? And like you say it s a long process? Yeah, one th ng I really noticed on it fo lowing your family is how yo've really taken on preparing th environment for them to have su cess, you know, the way that yo have a little drawer down lo for them to get their own pl tes and things. And like, can yo tell us a little bit about ho you've been setting up your ho e and changing things to make th ngs more accessible for them an to give them more in ependence? Of course, so ac ually, the prepared en ironment. That's one of the fi st things that drew me to Mo tessori. I was like, Oh my go, it's just these things are so cute. They're adorable. Look at that little chair, you know, and on top of that the house looks it looks like a home It looks like a home for adults and a home for children. It doesn't look cluttered and it's just been a functional. So the first thing I did get was the weaning table, the towel size table in tears. And then from there, I decided that I wanted them to be able to be more independent at mealtimes. You know, get They're played by their forks and so on. But they were much younger at the time. How old are they, when when I put that, that drawer, they're probably 15 months. They're really young. So they're still learning plaids, and, you know, cup, they're still learning how names has identified these objects. So I remembered the three part cards in Montessori. And I was like, well, they're probably not ready for this. But maybe if I still put the word for the image, it will help them as they grow. And I will, of course name it, of say, this is a cup, this is a plate. So I put these little pictures above load drawer that they can reach to themselves. And it has everything that's in the drawer is, is depicted by one of the photos by the drawer. So we'd go over there and I'd say, hey, Jaax, do you need a cup? Do you nee a plate and then at points at e ch one, we'd open the drawer nd they'd look at the, it was l ke a matching activity, you kn w, they'd look at the plate, the'd take it out, and then they'd be putting it to the image. An I was like, Oh, this is cute. I's actually working, becaus I wasn't sure if it would wo k. You know, it's it's trying i's out. And then before I know t, now they're older. They re actually going up to the ima es and telling me like, h y, pointing out the cup. So'm like, oh, you're thirsty, ou know. And so we'd get the up together, and he would go et some water. And it's been rea ly cool to see how that one lit le idea has evolved with them. So beautiful. And even the dress ng I there's a really cute ow hanging rack. I don't know w at rack that is that you've us d? And when there's just like tw t shirts out for them? Yes, y s. So in their bedroom, actual y. Funny story. So I've set t is area up three different wa s, because I've been trying to figure out what would work b st for the two of them. So at first, we had one area with ne mirror, and it was it was k nd of tight for the two of th m. They would, you know, they'll be bumping into each other. S I was like, Okay, let me put th ir own, each have their own mir or their own hanging rack for th ir own clothes on separate sides of the room. Again, as twins of en do, they both gravitated towa ds the same one. Okay, this is ot working either. So now, I h ve one rack, two mirrors, and on that rack are four shirts a a time. So I understand t at they're not the same for shir s. So do you should choose o e, then Jaax doesn't have hat option anymore. But the e's still three more for hi to choose from. And I feel ike that's kind of how it is in the real world, there isn't al ays going to be two of everyth ng. So I do still kind of tr to make them match when I get the ch to master so cute. So if I do have to have the same shirt, I will put them both out there hoping crossing my fingers that they'll do the same thing. But it doesn't usually happen. But yeah, so I've got that rack online, it's actually bathroom self that does have a little hook at the bottom. So I just hang the the shirts on it and it works perfectly. So in the mornings when they decide to because I don't actually always want to choose their clothes when they decide to that use their shirts. And they have a basket with the shorts and get dressed for the day. Yeah, that's cool. And I also love that you actually gave up your dining room so they go play area for you. Yep, we realized that okay, they need the space to play. It's two of them. Simone, we tried everything. When I tell you we have rearranged our house so many times for these boys. And this one finally worked. So before the dining room, we have a family room, that's where the television is. And we we got two shelves, you know, because of course in Montessori, you have a shelf with the toys, and this is when they were much younger. So we're still figuring things out. I was much younger on my journey as well. We had two shelves hoping that one would have his his own shelf again, they always gravitated towards the same shelf. It was a big open space. There are both gravitating to the one shelf and it was very few toys and I just felt like it was more inviting throwing and chaos then order. Yeah. So I was like where in the house could we kinda keep it together, you know, spacious but not too big. So that I can kind of manage what's happening and observe both of them at the same time and kind of make sure they're not hurting each other because that is another thing. It sounds sad to say, but a lot of you know, materials are wooden, right? And when they're younger, they didn't understand that, hey, you know, my body's moving really fast with this. And they would sometimes actually accidentally hurt the other. So that was another reason why we tried the two shelves, but it didn't work. So the dining room just looked perfect. We weren't using it anyway. I mean, we have a pandemic, we weren't having any dinner parties, and we were able to fit the table somewhere else just for us. So it's not as pretty of a dining room anymore, but it's a pretty nice playroom for them. So we have the one self, there's lots of natural light in there. And I just thought it was perfect for them. And I think they can grow into it. For a good time. Yeah, I think it's so interesting to see that like, you don't just set up the shelf once and it's done, you know, like, you need to keep trying things out what's working, I could that's not working. And we're not for our family anyway, and trying different things. And I know that when you traveled even you kind of like made a hotel room into a many more people. Oh my god, the trip was so much fun actually had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that I needed to try something because I wanted to still have them have that sense of order. Even though we were in any place. I was concerned that they weren't going to sleep well, I was concerned that, you know, we're in this small room, there's a TV there, I have to have them spending their day doing more, you know, so I was like, how can I set up this space to work with them the the plane ride, first of all, before getting to the hotel, we cared so many stickers and the water while books like mystery painting that kind of stuff. And they loved it. You know, I was I was really worried that there's going to be scary because the first time we traveled with them by plane, they were much younger. So they just had a bottle and went to sleep. This time, I knew that would be fascinated by everything around them. I knew they'd stay awake, and they stayed awake the entire three hours. And so I came prepared with all these activities for them to do. And they enjoyed it. They played with each other and they played with us and they played on their own. And then when we got there to the hotel, I was like, Okay, how can I help them still feel at home, you know, without obviously having to bring my own stool and all these things, because I can't do all of that. Who's gonna travel it back? So I use the suitcase. I use carry on. Yeah, they were able to climb up on the carry on wash their hands, sits on a second carry on and puts on her boots. And, of course, we would lay out their clothes, kind of like on the bed. So they'd be able to just climb up, look at it, choose what they want and get dressed and ready for the day. Yeah, so cool. So you can just improvise, right? Yeah, improvise. Definitely. Definitely. I mean, and even when we're in Jamaica, anyway, it might sound confusing, just to be clear, we left home went to New Jersey. And then we went from New Jersey to Jamaica, because I hadn't seen my family in so long. And I figured it would be best to just travel together and have their help for the flight. So when we went to Jamaica now I realized, okay, I don't have all my cute little stuff that I have for them at home, there's only one stool here. It's a pretty decent sized house. There are no baby proofing anywhere. How can I help them to still move freely without, you know, hurting the environment, aka grandma's house, my mother's house, and how can I have them be able to be involved, you know, without me having to lift them up. And actually I can't lift them both up at the same time anymore. They're too big. So we introduced the traveling stool, the one stool became the traveling stool. We've taken from room to room, and they use chairs instead of our learning tower. So they climb up and they'd help us in the kitchen. And we just learned limits. You know, grandma's house has limits that our house does not and you know it's just talking to them and figuring it out and we had a good time. Wow, that must have been also lovely because you talk about wanting to introduce your culture to the board, you live in the US and you know, you have this Caribbean culture that you want to introduce to them. So to spend some time with your family, but also how you introduce some of your culture back when you're back home as well. Would you like to talk about those to us? Yeah, it's very important for us. So me and my husband were from Jamaica, we're now living in America, but we really want our children to understand where we're from, and to maybe even feel like they are from there, too. So a big thing is language at home, we speak to them in Patois. So that's our national dialect of Jamaica, because it's really important to me that they can understand it. You know, when we're around family, that's how they'll also speak. And even better if they can speak it to music, that's a big thing here, it's music is so powerful. So that's more language exposure to them. And also some of our dance moves. Because you know, in Jamaica, we love to dance. Then the food, I actually put up pictures of some of Jamaica's traditional foods and plants by their table. So as we eat, we can talk about them. And it was actually really cool. Because when we went to Jamaica, they got the chance to actually feel and taste some of these fruits in real life. And it was just amazing seeing everything come together. And you know, I just know if you continue this, as they get older, they'll be able to identify with Jamaica the way me and daddy do. Oh, that's beautiful. Actually, was your mom impressed? Or surprised? Or questioned some of your one story things? Oh, my gosh, questions. So many of my moms are like, why not just put their boots on and let's go outside and like know, they can do it themselves. What they actually found that some of the easiest ways to get my family on board was through practical life activities. Honestly, I think it's immediately impressive. Honestly, it might sound shallow, but it's immediately impressive. So you see a child walking around with a glass, drinking from a glass and pouring his own water? Or, like I said, even putting on self dressing at such a young age, you start to question like, How does he know how to do that? I'm like, Well, you know, you sat down and we put the boots in front of him. And he's seen me do it. So we watch them see what he would do what they would do. And eventually they started to realize my whole family, they started to realize that Okay, there is something to this Montessori. There is something here, because they they act like big people is what they would say. They're behaving like big adults. And I'm like, Well, maybe not big adults, but they are more capable than we think. That's no, right. You don't try to take away their childhood. But they did exactly. So pleased with themselves as well. Yeah. I love to see their faces when they get something. They're just like, the lights of the room. And I'm like looking at face if I did it, you wouldn't have seen that face. You know, if I did it for him or for them? It's not the same. No, I mean, even like the way that they carry their little plate to the sink. Yeah. In the hamper. Mm hmm. They love they love to help out with those things. And, for example, you said carrying the plate to the sink, it's, I guess, normal in our family to help each other with those things. So you know, that's another thing. My mother would be helping to clear the table and I'm like, No, mommy can do it. He can do it. And she's like, Oh, it's okay. And I'm like, Yeah, but if this is okay, he can do it. And then she'd watch him do it and then she'd be blown away and it's just so cute. And find them then they start to ask more about Montessori because they realize that okay, this adorable thing has more to it than just being so cute. There's a lot more to it. Absolutely. I love seeing like them washing the windows. You're doing a lot, but this wasn't always the way Okay, so let's go back actually You started, you didn't know about Montessori. And you were being told, oh, they're premature. So they might be behind in milestones and all those kinds of things. And at one point you just went I have to do this a different way. Tell us how you came to know Montessori and yeah, how you learned about it and now make it look, you know, I can expert Thanks. Well, okay, so Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much our babies, they were 31 weeks. So that's actually not Super premature, but still cause for concern. Every day, every doctor's visit, you'd hear, oh, they're going to be behind. They won't catch up until they're two, hopefully. And I was like, Oh my gosh, you know, as a first time mother, I was worried all the time. So on top of just being new to motherhood, I was worried that I don't know how to help them, you know. So I found myself googling, like, what to do with a four month old, what should I do with a six month old because they're just sitting in the bounces just staring into space? And I'm like, I feel like they're supposed to be doing more than this, you know, and I feel like it's my responsibility to help them catch up codes and code, so to speak. How do I get them ahead? Like, all the doctors are telling me they'll need to? So I stumbled upon a video of a baby that was just playing with this simple, simple toy, I think it was the interlocking discs. And the mother was explaining, you know, like, all the benefits and and I was like, really, all of this from that little thing. Like, what else is this child playing with? So that is the power of social media, you know? So I started scrolling and I was like, okay, Montessori, hmm, Google Montessori and I got further and further into it. And then I was like, Okay, this seems like the thing. This seems like, it will help me not worry about them catching up. But just kind of help them with where they are. So I'd say at six months is when I started to get my first materials and we got some of the Montessori mobiles. And that's kind of where we started but also stopped for a while, you know, we had all the nice toys. And still, we also had the overstimulating ones, we still didn't have the environment perfectly set up for them. Because I would say it was overwhelming having twins. There was a lot. You know, twins can be hard. Any new first time motherhood is, is a challenge you need to this. And then let's double it, you know, and then I wasn't so well, after giving birth. So I was like, Okay, I don't know if I can manage teaching myself something new, on top of teaching myself how to be a mom. So I did kind of delay it until 14 months, like, Okay, you know what, I want to take this seriously, I kind of felt like there was this invisible window of opportunity, you know, that I didn't want to miss. So as I said, let me just jump on is now let me make this decision. Because I want to I want to try, I want to give it my everything. And so what did I do next? I started to prepare the environment. That's the first thing I did. I got rid of a bunch of stuff, and made it more simple for them. And things started clicking. I mean, I realized, okay, I did this with Juju a couple times. I showed him how to use this material. And now he's he's really working hard on it on his own. I don't need to hover over him. I can move on. And spend some time with dex. You know, there's two of them. So actually, the fact that Montessori is all about independence is perfect. When you're one against two. Yeah, well, yeah. Because now I can walk over to Jaax see what he's doing. Oh, he needs me email. Let's say something happened. And he actually, he needs me, Juju is fine. He's over there. He's working on whatever is, let's say the object permanence box. He's He's working with that. Let me turn to Jaax right now. Um, and then there are times when they had both played together. Well, sorry, not pleased to get that that young age. They don't really, they don't really play together. But they'll be playing on their own. And I could just watch them and that could sit down. And then their times, of course, and they wanted me to play with both of them. So I'd sit by them and it was just peaceful. Wow. And I was loving it. And then I realized that okay, Montessori is not so much about the children. You might think that sounds weird to say But it's actually about me. It's my mindset. And that's something like a term I like to use a lot the Montessori mindset, because if I sit down and think, Okay, how can I get Jaax to really focus on this? How can I get Juju you to feel like he's part of the family because he loves so much to be in what I'm doing, you know, how can I let him feel like it's okay to be in what I'm doing, you know? And how can I get myself to be patient and relax, be relaxed about everything that's happening so that they, they want to do these things more often. And they want to help themselves more often. Yeah, I think that kind of clicked our own 14 months, and then I just dove right in. started to do all Thanks. Yeah, so it's less than a year and you've come so far, right? Yeah, yeah, it is less than a year, it's actually about 10 months. To be exact. Yes, turn to you. Yeah. And another thing I realized is, it's not as I started to do all the things, but I didn't do all the things all at the same time. It's a tribe that started to get overwhelmed. And I was like, oh, but they need to have their wardrobe areas that they need to have their kitchen areas that they need to have. To this day, they actually don't even I think I just set up their water station. Yeah, like, two weeks ago. Because I think now, my children, you know, every child is different, but I think my children are able to handle the responsibility of free access to water now. So I just set that up. I couldn't set everything up all at the same time, I think you would have been crazy for me to try to monitor both of them, you know, trying to get wanted to get that same time. And maybe one got two months, and it's spilling and then he might slip and fall while the other one is there. You know, tinkering with something? It's, it's enough to juggle, you know, with twins. So you kind of have to see how how, you know, you'll be able to get them to have independence, but not get me frustrated by them maybe having too much all at the same time that they probably not ready for. And I'm not ready for, you know, yeah. as well. Right. Exactly. So it was a lot to kind of realize where I have to start, and then progress from there. And I'll say they amaze you, because you don't really know what they're ready for all, you know, immediately. And they've been doing really well with the water station. So maybe if I had it out earlier, it would have been fine. would have been fine. But I chose to wait. So choose to wait for a couple of things because not necessarily that I want to perfect it but I want to make sure I can handle it. Yeah, that's so important to recognize. And so I guess your understanding of Montessori is changing as well like when you first came across Montessori and what you know about Montessori now and I'm sure it will continue to evolve on your Montessori journey. But would you tell us a little bit how you thought Montessori was and how you're finding it. Now? Of course, I thought Montessori was pretty self with beautiful toys. I thought Montessori was your child doing everything on their own without any interruption. Any interaction from me about Montessori meant he had to buy so many things. And now I'm seeing that it's actually so opposite. Yeah, it's so opposite. You don't have to buy lots of things. You try to make it work and I'm talking about Montessori at home. homeschooling for older age. I know that's completely different. But I'm talking about toddler stage where we're just we're living a Montessori lifestyle with two year olds. I really don't think you have to buy them any things. You want to prepare your environment. Yes, but I do think the most important thing is a stool. stool. Yeah, yes. That's the number one thing. Now I realized that Montessori is actually synonymous with respect. And if you're trying to get your family on board with Montessori, I think that's a word You can use is respect respect for the child, you know, respect for yourself respect for the home. Understanding that this young mind actually is capable of much more than you think. Understanding that, yes, you still need to love them like a baby and laugh with them and play with them like a toddler. But you can still also speak to them like an adult, so to speak, you know, with that amount of respect. Yeah, Montessori is says amazing. It's it has layers. It has layers and you don't need to dive in and buy all the things you don't need to worry about what Montessori looks like, in somebody else's home. You don't need to change who you are. To fit in to what you might think it is. Because it's your home. And if you're respecting your child, that's the number one step already. If you're trying to help this child to earn respect to mean so much. I mean, I'm not just saying talking to them respectfully, I mean, the whole everything, if you're trying to tell yourself, okay, my child can make decisions, you know, he has an opinion, how can I help him express himself freely without judgment, and without being upset with the outcome, you know, so I'm gonna give him options that I'm okay with. Like, for example, the wardrobe is like an example. And I'm not gonna give them the entire closet to choose from because well, it happened once. It happened. And yeah, Juju, you was trying to wear a robe the whole day. And I'm like, Juju, it's really hot. This robe is good to work. Let's try something else. And then you know, you might get, you might get some frustration from the child. So yeah, it's setting up a space to help them achieve their little goals. You might seem a little girls to you, that are really big goals to them. And it's just so nice to see their face when they're happy. And when they've achieved something that I worked so hard on, and you're right there better side helping them do all this, all these things. So yeah, it's, this is amazing. I love it. I could go on and on forever. I think it's really interesting. How do you balance that? Like, you spend some time on social media documenting, you know, your journey and you see other people's families? And how do you balance that with like thinking, Oh, it has to be that perfect home? Or I don't see myself represented here or I'm too noisy for one. Sorry, not right for our family. That I love that you said I'm too noisy because yeah, honestly, a lot of times I'm like, oh, when I talk to my boys, I feel like I am talking to my friend the you know, like in terms of it's very vibrant, you know, speak very, in a very vibrant tone. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, maybe I need to sound more soothing and it'll calm we're calm. And that is me comparing, you know, I don't think any dummy comm family is anything but vibrant. That's just how we are. We can't help you. It's emails. And so yeah, I did start out when I was documenting, when I started documenting the journey, I was a little nervous, like, I put something out there and I'm like, Oh my gosh, where people tend to think. And then you get the comments from families that say thank you. You know, my, my kitchen is also not very tidy right now. Or, Oh, I love that song too. You know, I didn't know it was okay to have been listened to Eye of the Tiger that's Jaax's favorite song, you know, um, it's just being authentic can kind of be scary, sometimes online because you don't know what you're going to get. But as still want to keep it up for other families that that are comforted knowing that Montessori is not one box. And I don't think anyone really, truly intended it for it to look that way. You know, but maybe just in terms of, I don't know, maybe that's just how it seems. But it's not, you know, it's by everybody, any type of family any no matter where you're from, no matter who you are. And juggling, in terms of time, is actually also kind of hard. But I try not to have the time I spend capturing some of these moments to take over the day. I mean, it's really not that much of the data is shared, it seems a lot on Instagram. But honestly, it's really not so much more happens. I really wish I had my camera out all the time. So I could show you guys some of the hilarious things that happens, but it's just not possible. No, it's not meant to interfere either. Yeah, yeah. All right. balance, isn't it between just reading it, but also just being present in the moment to exactly available? And that's our role as well. Exactly. And a big part of your family as well is your religion and how you do that to your boys. You have morning devotion? And what does that look like in your home? Oh, my gosh, it's as everything the one word I use is adorable. Most people would describe devotion as adorable. But first we'd start out just by praying like, they'd be running around this is when they were younger, they'd be running around, but I'd still pray with them. Now that they're older, and this shows you that they're watching, even they don't seem to be watching. As they come on, let's pray, I'll kneel down and now they kneel down with me. And they do not move. Even if it's grace, they don't take a bite. And I've never once said, don't eat until you say grace, nothing like that. But they don't take a bite until we're done saying grace. And that's just them watching and absorbing what's going on around them, they see us do it, they realize, oh, meal doesn't start until after we see grace. I mean, obviously, there are times when one of them will probably been nibbling on something already by the time we started. But I mean, for the most part, that reverence is there without us having to have have told them, you know, be reverence, you know, stop what you're doing, or to be too forceful with it. It's, it's a part of my life is a part of my husband's life, and it's going over into their lives. And I love it. We have a lot of books that speak on Christianity. Well, it's simple books, of course, there too. So it's God made the ocean and God made the rain forest and stuff like that. Just very simple for them to hear about God more and Jesus. And, you know, they, we hope as they get older, they'd want to understand more about who is God and who is Jesus, you know, but now, we just make Sorry, it's part of the day, you know, it's a name they hear me call to very often. And eventually, I know just like, how they're now kneeling down to pray with us, they're gonna be, you know, asking questions, and at that point, when they're older, we can explain deeper about it and see how it goes. Yeah, I love hearing different wonders, sorry, families, you know, their religion in their home in their unique way. Because, like you said, like Montessori is meant to be about your home and your culture. And that's what you're, you know, exposing them to and that absorbent mind is picking up what's important to you. Yeah, really beautiful. Beautiful. Yeah. Another thing I really love seeing in your home is the opportunity for maximum effort. in the throes of that age. Oh, do you monitor some of their favorite things for maximum effort right now? Oh, my gosh, what isn't? You know, toddlers, they just love anything twice their size, they're always pushing, pulling, lifting heavy objects. So I've been trying to create opportunities for them to exert this energy in typical things we do in our day anyway. So for example, unpacking groceries, they'll help us carry the milk to the to the fridge. They have a water dispenser now. So they'd carry the large jugs of water. And you know, of course, I'd help them to pour it in, but they really want to be part of the process. Even carrying their sensory table outside activities. Again, it's not something they can do on their own, but just me holding it and they have a hand on it as well. It makes them feel you know, they're really trying. They're trying, Juju loves to help around the house. He's using a vacuum cleaner trying to clean the pool. My friends actually think it's hilarious that the boys do so much housework, but I know how much it fulfills them and how great is for the they're developing confidence, strength and simply feeling like part of the family. So I like to get them involved in as much as I can. I just get tricky like when they copy each other but it's like more like the climbing onto a chair or something more difficult though. Copying happens all the time. Until recently. It feels like it's been more bad than good habits that they've been copying. But what I usually do with climbing as an example, I'll take down the train that was following first, then take down the other. And if he becomes upset, I'll try to redirect and explain why. And it's not until doing that more, I realize that sometimes we think our children can understand us, maybe because of their level of language, you know, what they can express, we think they're not understanding. But actually, the more I explained situations to them, I realized the less, they're, you know, likely to repeat these unwanted behaviors. But this is real life. So a lot of times, I do explain things to them, and it happens again. So if it becomes a pattern, I reevaluate the space, for example, in the beginning of our journey, I had to keep the learning towers tucked away, you know, the, the kitchen help us for them to be able to climb up and help me out because of, because with two toddlers, it can become dangerous quickly. And I just didn't want to take that risk for me to be trying to get one down while the other one, you know, you understand. So now that we've used it so many times, and they understand what it's for, I can keep them out without keep the learning tellers out without worrying, I'll find a child in the sink, for example. So I'd say our Montessori home environment is a great definition of freedom within limits. We enable independence in lots of ways. But to keep it safe, considering it's one of me and two of them, access to certain things has been gradual. Another thing I also really appreciate is that, like you say, it's not really now about the materials and you can make things like you've got a few DIY things that you've been using at home, like the one I found really fun was the enormous object permanence. Like, yeah, happy box or something. Yes. Oh, my goodness. So my husband loves to make things for them. I'm not very crafty. More digital, crafty, he's actually hands crafty. So he loves to make things for them. So the object permanence box is that was one of the first toddler materials we got for them. And I loved it. And they loved it, too. But they grew out of it. And then he just made a huge one, he made a huge one. And they love it. They play with it all day. And it adds that maximum effort, it kind of like evolves, actually the benefits of an object permanence box, because now they're losing this heavy ball. And, you know, they're actually kind of trying to throw in there. And we also DIY, what else do we do I owe a really big chalkboard for them. To help them with working on a vertical surface and you know, bigger the better for twins. But any vertical surface will do. So, oh, I also DIY the placemat. But then that was me. That was actually me, because I felt like, hey, why not just try to make the shape of a fork and a spoon and just kinda help them understand how to set the table? You know, there's so many things in Montessori that we can make ourselves using what we already have. I mean, that box, obviously, when we made that purchase, we didn't realize we're gonna make an object permanence box out of it. But I looked at it, and I was like, Ooh, this is so nice. We should keep it and then that he was like, I know exactly what I can do with this box. That's so great. And, you know, do you find that there's that balance between that you want to play together a bit? Or sometimes they interrupt each other? And yeah, how much do you show them? Yeah, what does play look like? I guess in your house, right now, with two year old twins. They actually their interests are really different. So when it comes to play outside of shelf work, I would say if it's something like that huge object permanence box, obviously, they're both going to gravitate towards something new, something that you know, fabulous that they don't see every day, they're gonna run both run to it. And it isn't really hard to get them on board with doing the same thing in terms of like, let's say, a practical life activity. Because once they see me, you know, like rushing to the laundry room with my hamper. They're like, Oh, where's mommy going? They want to join me. But there are times very few when I'd say they don't want to do the same thing. And again, because of how we have the place set up, that isn't really an issue. Jaax would probably if there's something Juju's doing that Jaax doesn't care to be part of, he'd probably just watch you know, or eventually he wander off and go do something on his own and I'm okay with that. You know, I actually like to see them. doing different things, I don't want to ever feel like they have to do the same thing all the time together all the time. It's cute. But they're their own person. So, you know, yeah, they do different things. And I just kind of stick with the one that I feel like will need the most assistance from me like maybe it's outside and you know how to make sure you're safe. while checking in on other one and that kind of thing. You know, you juggle it. Yeah, super nice. And, okay, aside from parenting, because you clearly get a lot of joy out of being with the boys. But what is feeding you right now? What are you enjoying? I mean, maybe it's just Montessori and studying more about it. But now there are other things that you're enjoying as well, actually documenting it is so much fun. actually did start that for me, in the beginning, because I had to deal with some I had to deal with some anxiety issues, especially with the pandemic kind of made it worse. So I needed something to take my mind off of it. So I was like, well, maybe I should kind of put my everything into, into I'm documenting our journey. And you know, maybe we can actually help other people to, to see how we do things maybe a little differently. I felt that I studied film, in college. So it's something I enjoy, like editing videos, editing images, is is just so much fun to me. It's a hobby, and it used to be, you know, kind of like my vocation on vacation at the same time. Yeah, so putting that creative, like being able to use that creative side of me, online to help other people. It was just fun. It was a no brainer, I really when I got started, and people were actually benefiting and I was like oh my goodness, and didn't realize I could inspire so many other people and have them messaging me and making so many friends actually, at the same time, all while being able to use my you know, mental space on something else. Instead of worrying about what's going on in the world and going on with my own personal things. And it was just that's really how I spend most of my time outside, but completely on Montessori related. I am watching a movie. I love to watch movies. That's me and my husband's thing to do. We used to go to the movies almost every weekend, before children. Now we watch movies together very often. I feel like I have a soundtrack to my life because I also really enjoy soundtracks. And we play them in the house a lot. So a lot of their favorite songs happened to be from movies. And yeah, it's just do you have a favorite to recommend? Well, I can tell you my favorite in all of life is Moulin Rouge. Ah, you know, it's a musical. It is by Baz Luhrmann. And he's Australian. Yeah, I love that. I mean, I know all lines by hearts and all the songs is just amazing. Oh, that's so fun. And I guess coming to the end of our chat, now that you look back, what do you wish you had known earlier? or What advice would you give to people who are just starting out on the Montessori journey? or? Yeah, something that you think that you would have liked to know? Maybe? I wish I didn't worry so much about not doing it, right. Because I think that's why, remember I said I didn't start fully until they were 14 months because I thought I had to teach myself this whole new thing. But it isn't really that much of a thing that you have to like, worry about getting it right, getting it wrong, or doing it how this family's doing it, or you know, doing it your own way. It's fine. Once you realize, or once I realized how much I can help my children just by thinking differently about what they're able to do and setting up my house to help them do these things. It all kind of started to fall into place. So the only regret I do have is not starting early. Oh, yeah. I don't think it hurts us that much. I don't think it hurt them, I should say. Yeah, but personally, I do wish we started earlier. It's never too late to start. Yeah, it's never too late to start because it didn't hurt them. It didn't hurt them. They're thriving, every doctor's visit, you know circling back to the the whole fact that there are premature Every doctor's visit was kind of like, Uh, oh, wow, he's doing this. And he's doing that and oh, cognitively. Wow, that's amazing. And physically Oh, well, I guess they missed that mark. And I'm like, yeah, you know, let's not worry about the milestones so much. That, you know, we have these milestone charts and you look at this, and you're like, Oh, my gosh, my child is not doing this yet. And he's X amount of age. It's, it will happen, you know, it will come and it's, let's just, we just don't need to worry about our children as much as we think we do. We just need to love them and help them along, you know, guide them along. And with twins, it's a lot to juggle, there's two of them, I want to view, but just do what you can when you can. And don't stress about it. Okay, so is there anything else that we missed that we didn't get to discuss that you'd like to talk about? Well, okay, um, so when I started my journey, you know, the fact that I didn't see any other twin moms online, was very discouraging. I saw all these toddlers doing all these amazing things. And I'm like, Yeah, but what when he had, what do you do when you have same age siblings? It's not, it's a whole different ballgame. What do you do? Is this even possible? Is there a book is there, you know, so I did do some research. And I found a website, but it's, it seemed to be inactive at a time. So as like, let me just try my best, you know, I'm not perfect. I don't know. In the beginning, I was so new to it. So a lot of what I shared was just as I would call Messi Montessori at the time, I was trying, you know, to be there for that other twin mother that probably really wanted to do it, but didn't see it done. So thought maybe it wasn't a thing. And you know, since I started, I've met so many twin moms. It's crazy. So many twin moms that really wants to do mon sorry, so many twin moms that have been trying but are afraid to document it, or I should say hesitant to document it, because it can look chaotic sometimes. And also, I met another lovely twin mother who is doing it. And she's documenting and you know, we're chatting online at night sharing stories, and it just I feel less alone, you know, in the journey. So it's I'm really happy that I've met all these people and was able to just go for it and start started that account. Yeah, so other cases, it's possible, everyone, it's possible. Yeah. Well, I know that everyone is going to want to check out your Instagram which is Pickneys at Play. You're hilarious reels. Your filmmaking skills are coming out for sure. And also, we didn't mention that what Pickney is means in Oh, yeah, Pickney. That's just a child. It's just way to say child in Jamaica. Actually. It's more it's in the Caribbean. Yeah, they recognize pick me as a child. So it's just a term of, you know, in their music. Yeah, exactly. So we're all going to follow along and pick these at play to keep seeing your Montessori journey. Thank you so much for your time today. It was so fun to get an insight into your life with the twins and how much joy it brings to you. You can just hear it in your voice and your energy. We love it. Thank you so much for being part of our Montessori community. Thank you so much, Simone. Thanks for making people like me feel welcome. And know that you know, it's, it's okay to do it your way. Thank you so much. You're so inviting and helpful. And I just thank you for having me on the show. I loved so much about that conversation. And one thing I really enjoyed was hearing about they're constantly adjusting their house. They're basically being like scientists, they're trying things out and then adjusting them as things change. Because Montessori is never finished. It is totally a journey. And yes, there are layers. It I like to say it's like an onion and you could just keep pulling back the layers. Okay, I'll set up my home and then you pull back the next layer. And now I'm going to give a bit more control over to my child and you pull back the next layer and then you keep adjusting your house as your children grow. And so it goes on during our Montessori journey. So now it's time for this week's listener question. And if you do ever want to submit a question, you can visit my website at the Montessori notebook.com. And you can click on the podcast tab and submit your question there. I usually choose ones that we haven't spoken about much on the podcast or questions that are getting asked a lot. And your question might get selected to be answered in a future episode or in my newsletter. And so today's question is from Eva, and Eva asks, my daughter, who recently turned to is really into counting at the moment, she had a beautiful abacus that she uses all the time. She of course, gets the order wrong most of the time and generally counts 1 2 ... 8 9 10 I want to help her slowly get the hang of it. But I don't want to say no, you're doing it wrong. Counting goes like this. I try to do this by counting out loud when possible, for example, the cups of coffee when she helps me coffee, or the number of tomatoes for dinner? Man, I'm insecure about how I can help her best when she's kind of herself. Should I just leave her to it? Should I correct her? Or should I count together? Or what would be the Montessori way to help her? So thanks, Eva, I think that it's a great question. Because, you know, it might not be counting, but other people might be wondering the same about wish like birthday pillows, if they're saying them wrong, or if they name an animal incorrectly, or will just anything. And so often we do we just want to jump in and correct them in that moment. Anyway, just to reassure you that, yes, her counting like that with 128 910. That's a super normal way that I've observed children to start with counting, just to reassure you as well. And in Montessori, we are careful not to jump in and correct them. Because when we tell them that they're wrong, they may stop trying or wait to be corrected, or they might even just look to us. And so I know it is hard to trust that they really will get it in their own time. But I would do exactly as you are doing, you're observing, you're making a mental note that they're you know which numbers they're missing. And then just use opportunities in daily life, like you say, to keep saying them correctly, we're unpacking the oranges, one and two, and three, and they're getting the one to one correspondence of like, this is one apple, this is two apples. As we're climbing the stairs, you can again 123456 and keep going. And like all of this input is going into their absorbent mind. And then one day they will be saying it in the correct order. It would be similar in language to so for example, they start with like there's a wolf wolf. And we don't say, Oh, no, it's a dog. But we might just repeat it back to them in a normal sentence like, Oh, can you see the dog so that we're giving them that correct vocabulary that they will eventually absorb and then be saying later. And if they pointed say to something that was blue, and they go, Oh, yellow, then I might just make a mental note. Ah, they're starting to be interested in colors. Or if they look at me, I might say, Oh, you think that looks yellow. And so just say back what they said to me and make a mental note that like Next time, I'll be sure to name the blue t shirt as they're getting dressed later on. Or I'll keep naming colors as we go about our day. Or maybe they'd like to start collecting lots of things around the home that a yellow but super fun way and like not forcing it at all. In Montessori, we have an expression I might have mentioned it before, which is like teach by teaching and not by correcting. So in this case, our input of repeating at other times is the teaching and we make a mental note of the things that they're still working on. And then we put more input in in a very natural way. And it's definitely a very, very good lesson in following the unique timeline, which is the power that one of the hardest things as a Montessori parent, I would say. So thanks, Eva for that. And that's all for today, everyone. I hope you keep well, and I'll be back again next Friday with another episode of the podcast. We have another fun Montessori friend visiting who most of you would know from Instagram. I'll be speaking to Theresa from Montessori in Real Life. And indeed, we'll be talking all about how they apply Montessori in their home, so you aren't going to want to miss it. Until then, everyone. Thanks for joining me for the Montessori notebook podcast. The podcast was edited by Luke Davies from Flimprov media, a d podcast asked by Hiyoko Imai To find out more about me and y online courses visit themonte sorinotebook.com, follow me on nstagram at The Montes ori Notebook, or pick up a copy of my book The Montessori toddle or its new prequel The Montesso i Baby from your local bookstor, Amazon or where books are sold They're also available as ebook, audio books, and have been tra slated into over 20 language. I'll be back in a week wit more Montessori inspirat on. And in the meantime perhaps she'll join me in sprea ing some more peace and positivi y around the world.