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Creating a Montessori-inspired environment at home provides the opportunity to support your child's education and development. If you plan to send your child to a Montessori school or to a school that values Montessori principles, you can give them a head-start at home by introducing some of the materials they’ll encounter in the classroom. If your child already attends a Montessori school, having some classroom materials available at home allows them to practice and reinforce their lessons outs …

Dr. Maria Montessori’s method of teaching children emphasizes the use of concrete materials and hands-on learning to support the natural development of a child’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive abilities. It’s a philosophy that’s still going strong more than 115 years after she opened the first Montessori school in Italy in 1907.But, Dr. Montessori could never have foreseen the technological advances that children have ready access to today, or anticipated the need to develop digital …

You may have heard of Fröebel Gifts (we carry the full selection here), but you may also wonder what they are.In a nutshell, Fröebel Gifts (“Gabe” in German) are educational materials designed by Friedrich Fröebel in the 1840s to support learning and development in his kindergarten in Germany. The Gifts allow for open-ended, creative play as well as providing an introduction to concepts of math, science, engineering, and architecture. Fröebel’s kindergartens became popular in Germany but were ba …

As a parent, you want to be sure that any toys your toddler plays with are safe and age-appropriate.But did you know that manufacturers are not necessarily required to include age recommendations or warning labels on toys sold in Canada?There are certain items for children that must have warning labels, including stuffed animals, play tents, electric toys, chemicals (used in science education sets), and flexible film (i.e. plastic) bags. In addition, Health Canada strongly recommends labelling f …

THINKAMAJIGS’ GUIDE TO CHOOSING EDUCATIONAL TOYS FROM BIRTH TO AGE 3PART 2: AGE-RELATED DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES“What are the best educational toys for my child at different ages and stages of development?”We hear this question a lot - it's something many new parents struggle with. There are a lot of options available. We have developed some guidelines to help you identify the best educational toys for each step of your child’s growth and learning.Part 1 looks at skills development, Part 2 looks at …

THINKAMAJIGS’ GUIDE TO CHOOSING EDUCATIONAL TOYS FROM BIRTH TO AGE 3PART 1: SKILLS DEVELOPMENT“What are the best educational toys for my child at different ages and stages of development?”We hear this question a lot - it's something many new parents struggle with. There are a lot of options available, so we have developed some guidelines to help you identify the best educational toys for each step of your child’s growth and learning.Part 1 looks at skills development, and in Part 2 we look at ag …

Picture this scene. Two toddlers are sitting next to one another, and each one is playing with a toy. Toddler B decides they want Toddler A’s toy and snatches it from A’s hand. Toddler A bursts into tears while Toddler B starts to play with the “stolen” toy.Is Toddler B a bully?February 23rd is Pink Shirt Day and offers a great opportunity to talk about what bullying is and how parents and schools can deal with it. Since 2007, on the last Wednesday in February, Pink Shirt Day has aimed to create …

THINKAMAJIGS BOOK REVIEW:National Geographic Kids Absolute Expert: Rocks & Mineralsby Ruth Strother with Dr. Sarah StampsIN A NUTSHELL:Recommended for ages 8-12, this 112-page book helps your child become the ultimate rock hound. Every page is chock full of geological facts and fun, and the book includes some awesome experiments that are easily done at home. Dr. Sarah Stamps provides stories from the field that will have kids wanting to get out there looking for rocks and minerals. Dr. Stamp …

Plan Toys is an award-winning toy manufacturer located in Thailand and a leader in eco-friendly manufacturing. Founded 40 years ago by seven university graduates, the company has received numerous accolades for their innovative products and excellence in environmental management and green manufacturing processes.THE STORY BEHIND THE TOYSPlan Toys was the first company in the world to manufacture toys using reclaimed rubberwood, a sustainable by-product from rubber trees that no longer produce la …

THINKAMAJIGS BOOK REVIEW:National Geographic Kids: Captain Aquatica’s Awesome Oceanby Jess Cramp with Grace Hill Smith and Joe Levit.  IN A NUTSHELL:Recommended for ages 8-12 years, this book offers 128 pages brimming with information about Earth’s oceans and the creatures that live in them. Featuring Captain Aquatica and her sidekick Finn, the hammerhead shark, this book offers in-depth explanations, cool trivia, and simple at-home experiments. Jess Cramp is a shark researcher and mar …