Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I adore cooking, visiting the farmer's market, and eating well-prepared, fresh foods. One of the things that I enjoy most about Montessori are the food preparation exercises. It is amazing to watch very young children set the table, slice eggs, core apples, cut bannanas, peel carrots, wash their own dishes, and even make tea or cookies! Children find these activities so satisfying because they fulfill their deepest needs for independence, their desire to imitate the actions of adults, their desire to be a part of a community, and because they provide them with the opportunity to nurture others. They are particularly great activities for the beginning of the school year because they are intrinsically interesting to children, help them to really connect with their surroundings and with each other, and they involve a long sequence of directions (which helps to build concentration). It is very sad to me to see so many classrooms where these activities have been eliminated, or where thesse activities only occur in a group setting to celebrate a special occasion.
So, you can imagine how pleased I was when my darling husband surprised me with this new dishwashing station for the school. He made it out of leftover Corian solid suface. Isn't it darling? I had been eyeing the Montessori Services one, but this is even cuter! I just know that the children are going to love washing their own little cups and plates... and investigating the soap suds! I can't wait!
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