The (tiny) real McCoy

Sofie with her birthday cupcake, drinking juice from her Sofie-sized glass.

Sofie was out in the garage one day with Tim, saw an old kitchen broom, and proceeded to push the broom all across the driveway. She thought it the best “toy” EVER, unaffected that it was over double her height.

I set my shopping radar to find a Sofie sized broom. Surprised that I was unable to find one anywhere in town, I resorted to going online to Amazon. Reading the reviews of one particular broom, one writer mentioned she preferred the broom she found at the For Small Hands/Montessori Services website. I liked the idea that the reviewer noted it was an actual functioning broom and not a toy… just simply scaled down in size.

Perfect. Sofie has always had a keen eye for the real thing versus the baby toy version, and she will not waste her time on the latter.

Heading straight away to that web site, I stumbled upon this tiny glass.

Real glassware says “You are trusted.” Build confidence by offering thick, incredibly durable juice glasses.

I absolutely positively love the whole concept.

Yeah, they don’t hold much (3 oz.; 2½” high), but they’re perfectly sized for Sofie’s little hands. When she first used one, you could see her beaming with accomplishment at using a “real” glass all by herself. We’re kept busy refilling it, but seeing her proud face makes it totally worth it.

Her occupational therapist, Chris, also totally fell in love with them. (Chris was brought on board last spring to join the team of people monitoring Sofie’s development. Last spring, Sofie was still rather far behind when it came to the mechanics of eating, and Chris has been phenomenal in contributing to Sofie’s progress.)

The push broom I bought on the site has been great, too. It’s perfectly sized, and being a push broom agrees with Sofie’s instinct to “push” with a broom rather than “sweep.”

Of course I’ve known about Montessori schools, but have never really taken the time to look into what they’re all about. Montessori school was just never in my worldview. (I went to headstart. Tim went to Montessori school.)

Written in the ‘About Us’ dialog for this website:

Our main focus, however, has remained the same—providing materials for what Maria Montessori called the exercises of Practical Life. These activities help children learn everyday skills such as pouring, sweeping, preparing a snack, or helping in the yard.

If this is the case, I shall definitely further investigate this whole school of thought. Practicality is something seemingly so basic and fundamental, yet, as an adult, I have witnessed lacking in more teenagers and adults than I ever would have imagined.

p.s.: I began to wonder “Just what is the real McCoy?” Here’s what Wikipedia has to say, in case you were wondering, too.

Filed under NaBloPoMo, favorite things, sofia |