Trees Make the Best Mobiles by co-authors Teich & De Bravo was my introduction to the Reggio Emilia approach and I like what I know of it so far (which is very little). I stumbled across this book in the library when I was searching for information on how to create and use Montessori Mobiles. I did not find any information about Montessori mobiles in it but I found like-minded parents. Folks who have a desire to slow down out of respect for the infant in their life. In this link you can read a blurb about the book. Here's an excerpt that describes it well:
"Jessica Teich and Brandel France de Bravo help new parents- who barely have time to return a phone call or wash a sock- learn to do less, listen more, and spend focused, fruitful time with their children. Practical and fun to read, Trees Make the Best Mobiles urges parents to treat every task-even diapering and feeding-as a chance to connect with their child, and gives calming advice about hot-button issues from pacifier use to temper tantrums."
I like how each chapter is short and concise. Having said that I did find the chapters to be dense, in a good way. It was like cheesecake or peanut butter, delicious but a little bit goes a long way. I felt challenged by this book to provide as much high quality time for Eva (or any infant) as opposed to my personal desire for getting a quantity of things done. As an adult I have ambitions, goals, checklists and it is hard to re-frame those. Specifically, I own and operate a small business (I have taken time off from working in Montessori classrooms for a season) and that alone could easily divide each day up into little pieces of errands, phone calls, driving, working without my child. I feel very fortunate to be married to a man who helps with my business so that I can slow down and raise our children on a daily basis.
What do you know of the Reggio Emilia approach? The only other research I've done on it has been to briefly scan this Wikipedia page about it. This method seems so very similar to Montessori's.
