Place setting

Ellie is such a helper these days (at almost 20 months old)! She loves helping set and clear the table, empty the dishwasher, feed Marah, and find the picture for her toys and clean up. I know this behavior is likely ever-so-short-lived, so I'm trying to capitalize on it while I can!

Part of this is incorporating some Montessori philosophy into our home -- letting Ellie be independent and self-reliant, even if things aren't done perfectly or quickly. In a book I was reading awhile ago, there was a beautifully simple idea for teaching kids to set a table -- a piece of cork with tracings of a plate, bowl, cup and silverware. That would be a little tricky for her now, so I made this placemat for Ellie last night.

Front (for now -- this is a picture of her actual stuff on our table):

Back (for later, when abstract concepts are a little easier):

Here's a PDF (11x17) of the back. Feel free to download it. It cost me about $7 to print and laminate both sides. Not too shabby.