Montessori Infant Room

Ever since I was in second grade I wanted to be a teacher. I loved all my education classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as I worked toward my degree in elementary and early childhood education. However it wasn't until after I graduated and taught for a semester as an early childhood special education teacher that I felt there was something missing in my knowledge of teaching. I loved working with the children but was overwhelmed by the paperwork and felt the majority of my time was spent on testing and on the computer rather than with the children. 

I was introduced to the Montessori method of education while living in Ave Maria, FL right after Tyler and were married. I had briefly heard the name Montessori in one of my classes in college but didn't know anything about the method. I applied for the assistant teacher position in the preschool room and ever since then my love for Montessori has grown!

Tyler and I are reading Montessori from the Start and the authors talk about Maria Montessori's belief that "the human infant is born an incomplete being whose unique task is to finish its own formation," and that "education must begin at the child's birth." (p.3) We have been researching how to use some Montessori principles with James and are excited to continue to update you on our journey!

So far we have designed his room to fit his needs now and to prepare for each stage of his development. 

James' bedroom designed after the Montessori approach

The room is simple and everything has a purpose. As it says in the book, "If we want to give our babies an optimal environment, we need to think through the purpose of all that we give to them."(p. 45)

James currently sleeps in a bassinet in our room but when he gets older he can sleep on his floor bed. This will allow him to visually explore his room before he is able to physically move about. "A child-bed prepares the baby to move about in her room just at the time that her brain is ready for more information to be absorbed through her senses. Thus she can provide for her own needs and continue her own learning." (p.44) When James is able to scoot and crawl he will be able to get out of bed by himself and start playing in his room. When that time comes we'll either close the door or put a gate by the door and ensure that everything in the room is child-safe.

There is a mirror beneath the window and this is where James spends some of his awake time every day. The purpose of the mirror is to help James begin to visually focus his eyes and develop his sight. "The mirror...further enhances her sight by showing a different or "mirror" image of the room. The baby also sees her own image reflected and begins to connect her movements with the reflected movements of the child in the mirror." (p.44)

James having tummy time in his room by the mirror

By the mirror there is a blanket on the ground and a mobile hanging above. Like the mirror, the mobile also helps James to visually explore his world. "The baby gradually develops focus on a moving object, tracking of an object, and perception of color and depth." (p.44) In the Montessori method there are specific mobiles and they are used in a specific order. After a few weeks the mobiles are changed. "Babies seek novelty to learn something previously not known by them about their world. (p.45) My friend Casey made the first mobile for us, called the Munari mobile, which helps the baby perceive basic shapes without worrying about colors yet. In a few weeks we'll change to the Octahedron mobile which is three octahedrons of colored metallic paper. Casey also made that one for us so after that we're on our own and I'm excited to make the others!

The Munari mobile

Also in his room is a low shelf with three cubbies. This is more for when he is older and can explore his room and choose materials to work with. The objects will be rotated so as to not become boring as well as to help James learn more from them. "When a familiar object is re-presented a few weeks later, the infant will look at it on a different level because her brain has progressed and she is ready to take in more information. In this way, the infant knows the objects more deeply each time they go away and come back." (p.46)

Soon I'll share some pictures of James hanging out in his room and enjoying the mirror and the mobile. Ever since I learned about the Montessori infant room it's been my dream to have one and it's such a joy to be able to implement what we're learning!