Little Steps

As much as I love Montessori education, Montessori materials, and the Montessori philosophy, it has been awhile since I've created any Montessori "works" for our home. So this morning I sat down on our living room rug determined to transform a tangled wad of multicolored yarn scraps into a future lesson about colors.

As I untangled my wad, I trimmed off small bits of each color and tied them into pretty little knots. And as I kept finding new colors and shades in my messy wad, I kept making new knots. Meanwhile, Amy sat next to me carefully stacking each yarn-knot into a little pile. Then she'd un-stack the pile and move it a few inches away. Stack. Un-stack. Move. Repeat. She was completely focused, and a deep hush fell on the room. We were both concentrating on our morning tasks.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Amy's small figure begin to rise. Her hands still filled with yarn, she stood up without any type of support. Then -- seemingly oblivious to anything but her yarn -- she raised one tiny foot and took a step, squatted down, stood again, took another step, squatted, stood, and stepped. I held my breath and watched in silent amazement. Amy's first steps!

Then Amy caught sight of a stuffed elephant nearby. The spell was broken. She lunged excitedly for the elephant and began happily babbling to it. And I suppose she did not even realize she just took three small steps. But her Mamma knows... and is very proud!