Yesterday we celebrated Sylvester's second birthday. We were very lucky with the weather and Sylvester had such a magical day I am sure he had no idea what hit him. Benedykt made himself responsible for all the points of the day, making sure everything was in order and that Sylvester opened his presents in the right way (Benedykt's way) and he also was the bubble machine monitor. And of course he was the designated candle blower-outer, too!
Sylvester was very lucky to be on the receiving end of a wonderful collection of gifts put together by me and extended family. He has so much lots of it will go straight into rotation storage, and I know lots of it will be loved by Benedykt and their sister for many years.
I tried to stay Montessori focused as that’s how we roll, but Montessori isn’t all or nothing and so there’s always leeway and never any rules. Not all the links will be available as it was the last one I got for example, but there should be enough info for you to find it yourself if you are interested. I am UK based and bought a few things from the USA or China and so I had prepared well in advance for everything to arrive in time.
•My ultimate knife choice for children. We introduced the black one with teeth to my eldest at 14 months and those of you have have seen my previous videos will have seen it in action several times! It is well loved and since we only had one it was time to get younger brother his own set. I’m really impressed with the orange straight one, too, because it isn’t sharp as it’s thick, however definitely has the power to cut through hard veg even by a small child. Top 👌🏼
The Great Animal Search - Ian Jackson
•Two lovely out of print books displaying realistic animal pictures from around the world.
Safari People at Work Plastic Figurines
•A collection of 7 diverse figurines with people in uniform. Small, realistic and have already been carried around the house. They’re not too rigid nor fragile so I recommend them for 2+ as long as we aren’t a chewer!
Wooden Aeroplanes - Plain
•Unfortunately no link as we got them from a Polish Market - however they were a bargain if not a little unfinished but they are great to paint and finish yourself.
•AliExpress has a bad name and I buy from there infrequently yet carefully when I do. These are good, but not perfect and it depends on your budget and expectations whether you’ll do the same. They could do with a varnish as the wood was a little rough or dirty. Not something you want to give a child straight out of the box but worth the price for me.
•I have vastly increased our Schleich collection in order to do some geography work teaching where a variety of animals come from. I can’t fault this UK reseller and Schleich themselves are always brilliant, detailed and a versatile toy for many ages.
Reusable Sticker Book - Animals
•It is what it is - a perfect book of realistic photo stickers - top!
Magic Calligraphy Water Cloth - Water Painting
•I think this is my favourite of the haul! It arrived broken 🤦🏼♀️ BUT the plastic bits aren’t necessary for function anyway. This is FANTASTIC for early mark making with water. It literally makes these deep black marks with water and paint (or make up) brushes and you can even drive cars through the water to make a variety of different marks. Hang it out to dry after the activity and it’s dry within minutes!! Love it.
•I wanted to introduce a little more independence into Sylvester’s daily routine. I blow dry his hair every 2 days and he enjoys it, but no way can lift my hair dryer himself. We haven’t tried it yet, but I am sure he will like to have a go.
•Just some easy grip felt tips that can be used from all angles and also dot work like bingo markers.
•These are not Grimms, but they do match great with the Grimms rainbow that we have and I am happy with them for the price I paid. Not Montessori but nothing wrong with an open ended toy and a flash of colour.
Moonlight Publishing - My First Discoveries
•Lovely basic board books with realism illustration. Can’t beat the entire set.
I hope I've given a little inspiration to anyone in need of some toddler birthday ideas.
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