Bay Area Haunts for Your Young Ones

Whether you have just moved to the Bay Area or you are looking for new places to take the kids, there are plenty of Bay Area haunts for the whole family to enjoy. Here are just a few you may want to check out.

Bay Area Haunts for Your Young Ones

  • Inside the Children’s Creativity Museum you will find a fun hands-on museum in Buena Gardens. Join in on the activities, run and jump in the colorful playground or visit the historic carousel that is just a few minutes away.
  • In Oakland, you will find the unique Museum of Children’s Art. This is a museum that only displays the work of children. For a small fee, your kids can join in on one of the studio sessions. The museum itself is free.
  • The Seymour Marine Discovery Center is a great place to visit if you have kids that are interested in all that happens under the sea.
  • The Bay Area Children’s Theatre offers great adaptations of all your favorite children’s books.
  • Want to visit a farm and teach your children about history? Ardenwood Historic Farm is the place to visit. This is a Victorian era working farm that includes pigs, sheep, rabbits, chicken, turkey, goats, and cows.
  • Want to feed the Otters and Bobcats? CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point in San Mateo is the place to visit. Plus, they offer daily feedings.
  • The Oakland Zoo is less crowded than the San Francisco Zoo and is a great size for little ones to get around by themselves. Rides are additional but offer plenty of extra fun for the kids.
  • The Bay Area Discovery Museum is also a great place to visit. There are great playful permanent exhibits, an art studio and plenty of activities to keep the kids interested.
  • The Tech Museum in San Jose is another great place worth checking out. Social robots, exploration galleries, and a fun play zone make this a great place to spend the day. There is a cafe on site if the family gets hungry.

If your child is curious, independent and loves to explore the world, the Montessori style of education might just be a perfect fit. If you would like to learn more, come and take a tour or contact our staff at Montessori School of Fremont, who will gladly answer your questions. At our Montessori schools, we pride ourselves on helping children grow in all areas of their life, providing a safe space to grow and explore.

When Should Your Child Stop Napping?

Nap times are needed by both parents and children when children are young. For the children, it helps with the growth emotionally, physically and mentally. For the parents, it is a time to get things done or to recover from a busy morning. Naps are a wonderful thing, but maybe your child has stopped taking them, and you are worried they still need them or maybe you are wondering at what age does a child stop napping.

When Will My Child Stop Napping?

On average, many children stop napping altogether when they are nearing 4 years old. This is certainly not an age that is set in stone, in fact, many kids 4 and over continue to take naps. There are signs that your child may be ready to give up their nap; these include:

  • Restlessness and fidgeting at nap time.
  • No afternoon meltdowns when a nap is missed.
  • Consistent energy levels and attitudes.
  • Too much napping makes it hard for them to sleep at bedtime.
  • A consistent struggle to get your child down during the day.

If your child is at the stage of consistently showing the above signs, then nap time may be coming to an end.

How Much Should My Child Nap?

In general, your child likely needs the following amount of sleep during the day:

  • 0-6 months: 3-4 naps with a total of 2-4 hours at a time
  • 6-12 months: 2 naps a day with a total of 1-3 hours at a time
  • 12-18 months: 1-2 naps a day with a total of 1-3 hours at a time
  • 2- 3 years: 1 nap with a total of 1-3 hours
  • 4-5 years: 1 nap with varying durations

If your child is constantly fighting nap time yet you still feel like they need a nap for their physical and emotional health, there are a few things you can do to make napping a little easier.

  • Stick to a nap routine so your child knows when nap time is.
  • Put your child down to nap before they are overtired.
  • Keep the room quiet and dark – you may want to use a noise machine.
  • As they get older, read together at the beginning of nap time.
  • Don’t keep them up later at night thinking it will help with nap time – this can have the opposite effect.

If you feel your child is ready to give up their naps but you both still need a little down time, turn nap time into quiet time. Teach your child that it is time for reading or quiet play. This is a great transition and can allow you to have the time you need without fighting nap every day.

Here at Montessori Children’s House, we believe that children need downtime to be at their best.  To learn more about Montessori education and the programs we offer, contact us today and schedule a tour.

Three Toddler Friendly Apps

The toddler years are a great time for children to get used to the idea of apps and the many ways they can teach them about the world. Even the littlest ones who aren’t talking much and have only started walking can get excited seeing the bright colors and hearing the sounds associated with these apps. Why not make the experience both educational and fun for your child?

Three Toddler Friendly Apps

The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – First Words

This app is available for Apple devices, including the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone and recommended for ages 2 and up. A digital format uses the pop-up images associated with the classic children’s book that teaches toddlers words. Because the app is available in five languages, it is perfect for parents who want to teach their child a second language. You can easily explore the app together with your child while knowing it’s easy for them to use alone.

The illustrations in the app are as high-quality as the illustrations from the book, helping a new generation learn to love this book. There is a conversational quiz that allows kids to practice their new words very easily.

Pat the Bunny

Available for the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone, this app is another new, interactive take on a popular children’s classic. Several page elements are interactive, bringing the story to life in a unique way. You can record your own voice reading, which will help your child 2 and up learn the story by heart.

A fun coloring feature, activated by your child brushing a finger along the screen, will help foster creativity. Devices that have cameras can display your child’s face in pictures with a mirror. One of the things parents like the most about this app is how quickly children learn to navigate it.

Five Little Monkeys

Available for Apple devices, Android, and the Kindle Fire, the app teaches your toddler how to count by using a fun song. With a choice of three music styles, the song will never get boring for your child. There are other items that appear on the screen your child can interact with in addition to the monkeys.  Kids will learn to appreciate the good, clean humor behind this colorful app. Fun touches include the monkeys’ mom heading to the phone to call the doctor. The doctor, portrayed as a wise owl, gives the monkeys a gentle admonishment.

These are just a few of the fun apps for toddlers that will help them get a head start on learning in a very fun way.

Though much has been said about the academic achievements of Montessori children, the main value of the educational method lies in the self-discipline, self-motivation, independence, and love of learning that the children achieve.  To see if a Montessori education is right for your child, contact one our Fremont Montessori schools.

Art and Science Activities at Home

It is a mission of the Montessori Schools to encourage parents to continue to do at home some of the proven Montessori methods of early learning activities that teachers incorporate. Young children have a keen desire to have caring demonstration and encouragement to support and foster their ongoing excited efforts.

What is learned?

Whether the projects are in science or art, actual hands-on experiences are the quickest and easiest way for a child to learn how to accomplish the desired results. Coloring, drawing, painting, using stickers and embellishments, and other skills can be the start of a budding artist. Observing seeds turn into plants, viewing animals and insects, watching flowers bloom, and similar experiments can teach physical science.

Materials Needed

There are hundreds of child-size age-appropriate materials and publications, as well as, simple household objects that can be used in many forms of creativity and problem-solving.

  • Jumbo Thermometer
    • This oversized sturdy plastic weather tool, without mercury and with easy-to-read numbers can be used to teach the skills of observation, measuring, recording, math, writing, and learning the differences between the Fahrenheit and the Celsius (centigrade) scales.
  • Design Cards
    • Art, writing and language creativity can be accomplished on 4” x 6” cards that can be used by the children for birthday and other greeting cards, invitations, or as thank you notes for gifts received. Let the imaginations take over as they create with crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint, lace, small bows, ribbon, and stickers.
  • Body Doodlers
    • Children love face and body painting, and these washable non-toxic crayons glide on and wash off easily. A set of six would probably include white, black, green, blue, red and yellow packed in a convenient plastic case for storage. Not only meant for Halloween, they can be used for any birthday party, make believe plays that the children can put on, dressing up, or just any time for fun.
  • Real Bowles stethoscope
    • This is authentic and really works! It is chrome-plated, has white polyethylene ear tips and plastic flexible 24-inch-long tubing that can be cut to adjust the length. The children will be fascinated as they listen to their heartbeats and other noises in their bodies.
  • Bug Viewers
    • You can purchase real glass magnifiers with an extra-large non-scratch glass that are ideal for small hands and the big eyes of children as they are intrigued when observing insects as well as other small nature objects, leaves, flowers, and more in their outdoor explorations and field trips.

See for Yourself

If you would like to learn how a Montessori preschool education will benefit your child, feel free to contact our school for a tour. The knowledgeable instructors and staff at the Montessori Children’s House will be more than happy to answer all your questions.