Montessori and The Wonder Weeks - Part I: 0-6 months

I have been reading The Wonder Weeks, which documents your baby's mental leaps based on cognitive science (ie. notable changes in brain wave activity and growth of head circumference during specific weeks in their development).  Their suggestions for activities to do with your baby to promote that mental leap are super compatible with Montessori. 

Here are the notes I've made for the first six months, and the corresponding Montessori materials.  I will update this to include links as I go back and document what we used over the first months!

THE WONDER WEEKS	Montessori Materials
Newborn - 5 weeks (1 month) World of strange sensations Cannot distinguish between himself and the outer world, whether his discomfort comes from his body or outside it Sight: can see about a foot away (to mother’s face), beyond that vision is blurred React best to strong contrasts: black and white holds their attention the longest, red and white etc, is also effective Can track moving objects as long as the movement is slow and deliberate Sound: likes sounds that resemble the thump of the heart, veins and other internal organs familiar from the womb Smell: can recognize mother’s smell if presented with her clothing Feel: can sense temperature changes but cannot regulate her temperature; being touched is the best amusement	The black and white Munari mobile to stimulate vision The topponcino, which the mother sleeps with before birth, to comfort baby with mother’s smell
Week 8 (2 months) World of Patterns Ay 6-8 weeks, baby’s head circumference increases dramatically and there are changes in their brain waves Baby no longer experiences himself and his world as one universe Discovers his hands or feet, will voluntarily grasp a toy instead relying on reflex Looks at luminous and shiny things Makes sounds, sings, interrupts when others are talking	Simple grasping toys: grasping beads, bell rattle, puzzle ball Montessori mobiles: the shiny octahedron mobile, gobbi mobile (our baby batted at this one)
Week 12 (3 months) World of Smooth Transitions Can recognize subtle and gradual changes Better control of bodily movement Vision improves and will soon be as good as an adult’s Studies and plays with your hands Can shift between loud and soft sounds Produces sounds that resembles vowels	Montessori mobiles: gobbi mobile in gradations of colour, dancers mobile (this one moves very subtly) Bell rattle Box of textured fabrics *maybe a good time to introduce baby sign language
Week 19 (4.5 months) World of Events String together patterns and transitions to become events eg. he can reach out for a toy, grasp it, shake it, turn it around to inspect it, put it in his mouth Speak in babbling sentences Recognize short flowing sounds Recognize familiar tunes Can understand simple, familiar sentences Enjoys mirror games - recognizes mom and her reflection Dramatic changes in brain waves and increase in head circumference	Bell rattle Puzzle ball Sing musical scale Movement mirror

The best toy

These Russian nesting dolls are really the best toy for Téa at 7.5 months.

She was immediately drawn to the bright, pleasing doll's face.  The dolls are just the right size for small hands to grab and handle.  They roll away if she fails to grab them, which is great for crawling practice.

After I showed her how you can take them apart, I put them back together loosely so that she can open them up herself.  She likes to bang the pieces together, and to try to fit pieces against each other, telling me "da-da-da-da-da" while she's at it.  Learning to put the dolls together and nest them will be a great puzzle for her to solve when she gets older.

I also like to assemble the three largest dolls separately (I've hidden the smallest ones) to show her the concept of size. Children are drawn to difference, and Montessori materials call for a set of materials to be exactly the same except for the concept/variable being taught.  Most commercial nesting cups vary in both colour and size.  These nesting dolls are really perfect because they are (almost) identical.

We also get to explore the concept of "in" and "out" as we take them apart or put them back together.

This set belongs to her uncle, so I'm going to have to look for a set for her very own.  Any recommendations?