Welcome to
BlackBoard Bistro
Amazing Montessori Toys & Beds
We’re a company specializing in selling toys and beds specifically designed to be used with the Montessori method of childcare and early childhood education. Our toys and beds are perfect for helping children grow more creative, confident, and independent, all while playing and learning at their own pace.
What is Montessori?
The Montessori method is an educational philosophy created by the Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori. It focuses on encouraging independence and self-directed learning by involving the natural interests of children.
FOUNDING
Founded in the early 1900s, Montessori schools soon made their way to America before almost dying out completely by 1920. Around 40 years later, concerned parents managed to revive Montessori programs in the US, with great success.
SCHOOLS
Though initially thought of as mainly something for private schools, the increasing number of public schools allowed for more varied education programs. This let the Montessori method – and Montessori education – find new popularity, with more people of varied backgrounds discovering its benefits.
ACTIVITIES
Most Montessori classrooms feature activities and learning materials that are designed to help children develop their cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and fine motor skills, and the children’s ages vary. A Montessori school isn’t the only way of incorporating the method into a child’s life though – you can also create a Montessori environment in the home.
Montessori equipment - WHAT DO YOU NEED?
A lot of the equipment used in the Montessori method is designed to let children have different sensory experiences to develop their senses. Often Montessori materials will feature numerous colors, shapes, textures, and sounds, all meant to promote learning through play. Montessori toys and beds are some of the best and simplest ways of incorporating the Montessori method into a young child’s life.
Montessori toys
Usually made from natural materials (most often wood), Montessori toys are an amazing way of turning playtime into a way of both having fun, and fostering creativity and independence, as well as an appreciation of the natural world. A Montessori toy will often have an interactive or puzzle element to mentally stimulate the child playing with it, encouraging cognitive development.
It’s also common for them to be based on real-world objects such as kitchen equipment, meaning as they play they’re getting a headstart on learning about and becoming familiar and comfortable with the real-life scenarios that await them as they grow.
Montessori beds
Maria Montessori believed that children need to be given the freedom to learn and move around on their own in order for them to truly thrive and come into their own, both in a Montessori classroom and in the home. Montessori beds are beds designed with this philosophy in mind. Generally, a Montessori bed is a floor bed (or at least, a bed very close to the floor) without any railings, in order to give the child the freedom to get themself in and out of the bed on their own.
In a traditional crib, children can move very little relying on adults to take them out of the bed. Montessori beds allow the child freedom of movement, letting them leave the bed when they please, developing their independence as well as their motor skills.
If you have safety concerns, that’s understandable – giving your child the freedom to leave their bed when they like can be daunting. Montessori beds are best placed in rooms that have been fully child-proofed, with furniture secured to the walls, and with any low-lying potential hazards – such as electrical outlets – covered or removed.