Montessori Mobiles

Montessori mobiles are seen as a key element in the early Montessori environment. Each mobile is designed to follow the progression of the child's visual development. The progression outlined in Lillard's Montessori from the Start (2003) is as follows: 1) flat black and white geometric shapes and a glass sphere (aka The Munari Mobile), 2) three metallic paper octahedron in primary colors, 3) five Styrofoam balls covered with embroidery thread in gradations of the same color hung in ascending order from darkest to lightest (aka The Gobbi Mobile), 4) light metallic paper figures and 5) pastel wooden figures. It is suggested that the mobiles should be changed every two weeks and older mobiles should be revisited. Little Red Farm has a great blog post on Montessori Mobiles For Babies that further outlines other mobiles used to stimulate an infant's visual development.

I love the use of Montessori mobiles and intended on providing them for my Peanut, however, as seen on Little Red Farm's post, they can be quite expensive. I attempted to make the six listed below but let's face it, being a stay-at-home mom is time consuming (some are linked to a DIY tutorial I found during my research). With our upcoming move and temporary housing situation, it hasn't and probably won't happen. I hope to still make one or two mobiles for use in Peanut's "learning space" when we land in our next home. By the time this happens, Peanut may have already moved beyond this learning phase but it can't hurt to give her something to study/ discover. If I am able to complete a mobile, I will post a pictorial.

Montessori Mobiles
1) The Munari Mobile
2) The Octahedron Mobile
3) The Gobbi Mobile
4) The Dancers Mobile
5) The Flowing Rhythm Mobile
6) The Whale Mobile