“First the education of the senses, then the education of the intellect"- Dr Maria Montessori, Italian Educator and Founder of the Montessori method of education.

Children deserve to live in a world where there is mutual respect and acceptance of differences in customs, beliefs and cultural practices. They deserve to live in a world free of judgment and not be subject to cultural stereotypes. It is also important that each and every one of us learn how to live more sustainably so we can protect and preserve our planet for ourselves and future generations. 

Have your recent travel plans been cancelled because of the current pandemic? Are you feeling overwhelmed, confused and pressured to follow a curriculum with your child while they're home during this period? Finding different resources (that require a lot of preparation on your end!) which are interesting to your child is easier said than done - even if you’ve been saving all those printables on Pinterest or Instagram!

When my oldest child was born 6 years ago, I had zero knowledge about the Montessori approach and minimalism when it came to purchasing toys for him. We had a plastic mobile for his crib, plastic shape blocks, a noisy activity table.. you name it and we had it! He was our first born and of course I wanted to get him the best there was available for his age. After he turned a year old, I happened to stumble upon a Montessori blog (after googling how to purposefully engage him at home) and a Facebook group of Montessori homeschoolers that discussed toys which would meaningfully engage children for prolonged periods of time.

When my father-in-law suggested we go to Africa a few months ago on our next family adventure, we jumped at the chance without giving it a second thought (although we later came to realise that not many people thought it was safe to travel here with young kids). Who could say no to letting the kids experience a different culture, seeing wildlife in their natural habitats and spending quality time with extended family? Luckily for us, my father-in-law had traveled to Kenya 5 times before for work and we knew he would be an excellent guide! (we had a Kenyan guide in addition of course!) Do read on for my local travel recommendations and why it is absolutely safe to travel here with your families!

"If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. It must initiate them into those kinds of activities which they can perform themselves and which keep them from being a burden to others because of their inabilities. We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run, to go up and down the stairs, to pick up fallen objects, to dress and undress, to wash themselves, to express their needs in a way that is clearly understood, and to attempt to satisfy their desires through their own efforts. All this is part of an education for independence." - Dr Maria Montessori

My family and I started traveling when my oldest was around 5 months old. We've been to countries in Asia and Europe and loved exploring them. Since returning from Vietnam last year, I had been wanting to introduce my children to different countries' cultures in a way that is fun, informative and engaging to them. During my research on how I could do that, I read about Maria Montessori's (the great Italian educator) belief that education of the senses in a child is of a higher importance than intellectual development during the early years. I knew that if I curate activities around our cultural studies that would enhance their sensorial development, I would be giving my children the opportunity to use their 5 senses to better understand the world around them.

I've been tempted to start living a minimalist lifestyle with my family for ages. My husband is a minimalist and he has been my biggest source of inspiration! I stumbled upon a book by the Japanese organising Guru Marie Kondo: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up sometime ago and fell in love with it almost instantly! According to Marie, you keep things in your life that "spark joy" and give away the rest.