Work Rug Responsibility and Carrying Works

One of my plans for the beginning of March was to show Tyler how to unroll his work rug. He was great at pulling it out to let me know he wanted to work and it seemed to be the right time to work on rolling and unrolling as children his age do in Montessori school. As has been the case a few times with Practical Life activities, Ty did it himself the very day I planned to introduce it!

Rolling the rug back-up was more of a challenge, though not because he couldn't do it, but because after a while I tend to walk away and before I know it, he's off and focused on something else so I would just roll the rug and put it away myself. Once shown how to do it, he enjoyed taking responsibility for this task. He has even taken to lifting it and carrying it to it's place, which isn't an easy job for a small boy!

Another Practical Life activity that goes along with this is carrying a tray to a rug or table properly (without spilling). Some of the baskets and trays we have allow him to do this easily, though others are heavy or the weight isn't evenly distributed. Recently I've been having him practice carrying his dry breakfast or lunch to his table (where he typically eats while I prepare the rest of our meal). It was tricky at first, as he always seemed to spill just before placing the tray onto the table, but he's getting quite good and is proud of himself!

Many of the works that we use at his work rug at the time are up out of reach (though I'm finding this isn't always the case anymore...someone has grown!) due to choking hazards, but I've noticed him not only pulling them off of the shelves, but also attempting to return some of the lighter, less bulky baskets and trays to the top of the shelves. I'm going to have to rethink our spaces and storage and how to keep him safe very soon. I want them to be accessible, though I'm of course concerned about small pieces. If anyone has any tips I'd be glad to hear them!

Returning work