My introduction to Montessori education wasn’t good: when my son was almost three, the teacher/director of the Montessori preschool we were investigating cringed with disapproval at his high-energy nature. She seemed more concerned that he was going to knock something off her perfectly-arranged shelves than finding out a bit about who he was. It was all downhill from there.

I’ve since learned enough to know that my bad first impression had everything to do with the preschool teacher and not Montessori. In fact, the notion of child-centered “work” as the building block of a child’s early education appeals to me on a basic level — it just seems like a no-brainer. Children want to learn to do things independently, and giving them purposeful work not only teaches them a whole host of skills (motor, social, practical, etc. etc.), it helps them build confidence in an organic, sensible way.

The one thing that did impress me during our visit to the Montessori preschool was its array of tools and materials. Pitchers and glasses made for small hands. Simple, well-made tools that were obviously sturdy…they’d handled years of kid-use with graceful wear. So, when a Montessori catalog (For Small Hands) showed up in my mailbox the other day, I curled up in my chair to read it.

It immediately brought to mind Heather’s parent hack about getting kids involved in the kitchen: making the tools accessible is half the battle. For Small Hands’ tools for food preparation are marvelous: check out the wavy vegetable choppers and non-skid mixing bowls. Crumb brushes (for tidying the table) and mini broom/duspan sets give kids a way to pitch in with the cleanup.

Of course, there’s no need to go out and buy all-new gear when you can modify the stuff you already own. Take a section or two out of your Swiffer handle to make it toddler-sized. Or give your preschooler a washcloth and small squirt bottle filled with a water/vinegar mixture and let him wipe down the kitchen table (just a couple of the many great ideas shared by Parent Hacks readers). Even so, it’s worth reading some of the product descriptions at For Small Hands for a good reminder that meaningful work well-done can be a reward in and of itself.