So, the other day I discovered that Hunter knows his colors.  He was driving his lovely rainbow of cars around and saying the color name of each one.  I wasn’t sure if it was for real, so I asked, “Hunter, can you drive the green one?”  and he got the green one!  Then I asked, “What color is this car?” and he answered “ornge” (one syllable).

Since then he has been really interested in color– the color of the cup he’s drinking out of, the color of shirt he wears.  I thought I’d build on that interest and make him a little school activity.

Inspired by all of the color sorting activities available at this shop on etsy, I ordered some mini acorns and bowls from Casey’s wood products.  I used water color to paint them and the beeswax paste we have for our table to seal them.  I wish I had ordered larger acorns, but still I really love how they turned out.

It’s fun to watch how Hunter, who is almost 21 months, uses this material.  He grabs a handful of acorns and puts 2 or so in a bowl, looks at them, and then takes out any acorns that don’t match.  Sometimes he’ll pick up a bowl to look at it closer to see if it matches the acorn in his hand.  He spends 5 to 10 minutes working, then walks away.

I certainly don’t think activities like this are a necessity for teaching young children– all of my kids have learned the colors, shapes, alphabet, and letter sounds in a very natural way through everyday life.  But, as my family grows and older children need my attention and toddlers need something to do other than climb on tables and empty drawers in the kitchen, Montessori inspired activities that are engaging and matched to the child’s current interest are proving invaluable for a happy day, happy children, and a happy, sane mama.