February was an interesting month for us. We surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World. It was fun but it was a lot of work for me. There was so much to plan and pack, especially with a highly allergic child. I had to do everything in secret which was worth it when we finally told the kids the morning we left. But more on that later...
Finding our groove on the return has been challenging. I'm still not fully unpacked. The weekend after our return, I attended an out of state dance convention. Then all the males in the house get sick. *whew* But yes, learning did happen. The again, it's always happening; sometimes despite me.
Finding our groove on the return has been challenging. I'm still not fully unpacked. The weekend after our return, I attended an out of state dance convention. Then all the males in the house get sick. *whew* But yes, learning did happen. The again, it's always happening; sometimes despite me.
To say the little guy likes the pink tower would be an understatement. I've never formally given him a presentation but he gets the general idea from watching his siblings. He enjoys laying out a rug and carrying the pieces over. This was a surprise session that occurred just before bedtime.
He only recently took an interest in stacking it. I can see he doesn't quite grasp the concept of grading the cubes yet. As I learned from the other two, one day, he'll just do it.
I have no idea how he managed to stack this. It looks like a play on physics.
And since I was occupied with the camera, it was the perfect opportunity to grab a marker and draw on something. It's not a phase I enjoy but at least the washable markers seem to wipe off easily.
W has been interested in weaving. Just when I think he's given up on the practical life shelves, he comes back to something.
He asked for a presentation on the binomial cube. Thankfully, I remembered how. He did fairly well with it. I was so busy helping him that my one picture is of the lid being replaced.
E has been in love with the knobless cylinders for a long time. Here she wanted to compare how tall each tower was. It's something she's done numerous times.
We're continuing to work through the countries of Europe. The kids really enjoy the map work. They don't always remember where a country is but they certainly remember all the names.
W put this country over his mouth because it's Hungary. Wah, wah.
We took a field trip to see the local symphony with our Classical Conversations group. It was a dress-up affair. The discovery concert was amazing. They did a brilliant job of playing short but interesting clips that held the attention of a theater full of children. They ended with the Star Wars Theme by John Williams. I was amazed at how incredible that one sounds live. And yes, both yelled "Star Wars" as soon as they heard it.
I loved this picture of W. He was in such a good mood at the concert. He seems to have the strongest interest in music out of the bunch. He was tapping along and nodding his head to the beat. He asked a lot of questions.
E was more reserved but still enjoyed the experience. Here she is reviewing a layout of the instruments on stage.
There's our short and sweet February! Stay tuned for more in-depth updates for March.
Bess
Hi Bess, I found your blog through the montessori facebook group. Just wondering where you would suggest to buy a pink tower, broad stair and knobbed cylinders? Kid Advance, Alison's Montessori or IFIT?
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough call. They are all good suppliers. Alisons used to be favorite supplier by a mile but I've heard a number of negative reviews lately and I fear that both the product quality and customer service is slipping a bit. The knobbed cylinders are always a bit hit and miss due to the level of difficulty in executing it correctly. I only had the half set until recently. Mine was originally from Alisons and it was gorgeous. But I purchased it 4-5 years ago. I only recently purchased a full set. Mine was from IFIT. I had have two knobs replaced for being loose but they sent them at no charge.
DeleteIf you are in the US, I'd probably lean towards IFIT since they are offering 25% off site wide.
If you intend to purchase the knobless cylinders in the future, it might be best to get it at the same time as the knobbed... if you are able. They should match. But if you can't, you'll want to consider purchasing from the same supplier in the future.
Hi Beth, Thank you for your response! I made my first purchase of montessori materials through Alison's. Only the sandpaper numbers arrived in perfect condition. The sandpaper letters had bumps and dents on the front, weird paint smears and paint chips in the corners right out of the package. Some of my moveable alphabet letters had paint chips and/or scratches. I was most disappointed with the knobless cylinders. More than half of my cylinders in each set had paint chips. After sending pictures of damages and contacting them 3 times about a return shipping label, I am waiting for a full replacement of the knobless cylinders and replacements of individual letters for the sandpaper letters and moveable alphabet at no extra charge. I decided to go with Alison's despite the higher shipping cost (I'm on the west coast) and heard the most positive reviews in terms of quality and customer service. Did your replacement knobs fit properly after receiving them from IFIT?
ReplyDeleteI am a bit hesitant on purchasing from Alison's again and a tad bit concerned that if I purchased more painted materials from them, that they would be chipped. I do understand that with time and wear, the blocks can become chipped..but I don't think I am being "picky" by wanting my items not chipped on arrival. A customer service rep from Alison's recommended their premium line pink tower instead of the value line..if I was expecting flawless. Told her it didn't have to be flawless, just not already dented and chipped!
I have seen the sale going on at IFIT and have been debating whether to stick to Alison's for the pink tower and broad stair (not sure if I will get the knobbed cylinders yet) or give it a try with IFIT or Kid Advance. I am also looking to get a metal inset tracing tray and wooden pencil holder (the one that holds 3-4 pencils) as well.
Wow. What an awful experience. It confirms everything I have been hearing about Alisons lately, unfortunately. When I purchased 4-5 years ago, the materials were amazing - and I'm fairly picky. I would be extremely unhappy with the experience you described. I've heard enough stories in the last week alone to stop recommending them.
DeleteAs to IFIT - Yes, the new cylinders solved the problem and I'm happy with my purchase. That was the only thing I've had to contact them about. It seems like most who purchase from IFIT on the Montessori Homeschooling group are pleased with the experience. They have some issues getting the knobbed/knobless right but they have fixed it free of charge in every case I know of - and quickly at that.
I only recently ordered from Kid Advance. I was pleased with the experience but I didn't have a need to use customer service. Granted, that's a good thing but sometimes it's nice to know how they respond to issues.
I've read in the fb group that they switched warehouses, so I am not sure if that is the reason why I received most of my products with so many imperfections/damage. I was slightly annoyed that I didn't receive a return shipping label right away, had to call a second time to say that I sent pictures of all the damage..the customer service rep seemed annoyed that I had asked for return shipping labels (the customer service rep that emailed me told me he wanted a list of what I wanted replaced, as well as photos of the knobless cylinders put in order and indicate which ones were chipped) and mentioned he had never emailed back/nor indicated to me if only some/all of my order needed to be sent back. She said she would email me with an answer and send me a return shipping label by noon..and of course that didn't happen. Luckily when I called back later the same day, I had a really nice customer service rep that was able to send me a return shipping label right away and tell me what needed to be returned. Since it took a week to get here, I'm sure it will take the same amount time to get there and come back again.
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear about new cylinders working out for you! I have narrowed it down to IFIT and Kid Advance for my next purchase. I've only been considering IFIT with the 25% sale going on now because normally it would be more expensive to purchase compared to Kid Advance.
Do you mind if I ask what you purchased from Kid Advance and what else you have gotten from IFIT? Would you recommend IFIT over Kid Advance?
Also thats good to know that others in your homeschooling group have been content with IFIT. I've used the seed puzzle from IFIT that my coworker had purchased, it was in great condition. I've also heard in the montessori fb group that their other puzzles and the maps have held up well.
It does get confusing since there are so many good/bad experiences of all the companies. I've read from old posts some people thought IFIT wasnt as "good" of a quality compared to Alison's. I'm only looking to use it with two preschoolers and for my future children, so I'm hoping IFIT's materials will last if I do end up making a purchase with them.