Jonathan is clearly a toddler these days. To me, it means whatever we’re doing, it’s more meaningful. He’s more engaged and perceptive. He also remembers things and learns at lightning speed. Most importantly, I realize that our daily activities are going to instill in him lifelong happiness (or unhappiness). I always look for ways to make every of his and my days the best possible.
These are the books I intend to read in the coming weeks. They seem to ring true to our spirit as we wish our son a peaceful, appreciative, and conscious life.
Waldorf Philosophy:
Montessori Philosophy:
As we withdrew Jonathan from Google’s Reggio-Emilia-based Orchard due to the outbreak at the center, we still receive news about what his peers and teachers are doing at school. I think we can save our hard-earned money, and rather than spending a lot on the Orchard, I’ll use some of it to buy materials. Then Jonathan could have a blast with me at the comfort of his own home. 😀 It will foster his creativity while also strengthening our bond as we have fun together.
Last month, the kids at the Orchard were playing with clay. It looks like a really interesting project, but I saw some kids in the pictures enjoying putting clay in their mouths more than molding. So I guess we should wait for a few months.
While Jonathan was there, they played sticking post-it papers and paper crumbling. That’s what I’m doing with him everyday. He likes different kinds of paper — tissue paper, roll paper, post-it, and virtually all kinds of paper he could find. Jonathan also loves toothpaste tubes, and the doll I made for him from a ball and a piece of cloth. He carried it with him everywhere.
This week, they played with orange and blue paint on canvas. The children seem to enjoy it very much, and the activity does seem like what Jonathan would tremendously enjoy. Thus I just ordered washable paint from Crayola, together with fingerpaint pads from Melissa and Doug. I really look forward to seeing Jonathan putting his hands in the paint and print them all over….
Some reviewers say that the paper is not very durable, but it’s about half the price of Crayola paper, given the number of sheets we’d get.
Well, we’d also need a play mat to protect our bamboo floor.
A couple of days ago, daddy and I bought a set of Origami from Borders, as I used to fold a sampan boat for Jonathan, and he liked it (though destroying it very shortly afterwards.) Anyhow, Jonathan is a bit too young to understand the abstract paper animals. So I think I’ll keep this one for another month or two.
The other toy I’m buying soon is the wind chime as Jonathan enjoyed it a lot at Google’s the Orchard. I plan to do it myself and hang it in his playpen. This one is a do-it-yourself. Though a bit pricey, it seems cute.
