Something I have mentioned before is the importance of bringing our world down to the child's level. This has been something we've tried to do for Sasha because we feel that when she knows she can make a difference by contributing to the daily chores, this gives her a sense of place and purpose. It isn't always easy to get small tables and chairs, and right now in our case, there's no space for it! So we've made sure that she has stools readily available. She can be completely independent when she has her little stool. When possibly exciting things are going on in the unknown adult world above, all she has to do is bring her stool over to ease her curiosity. And then she always wants to help of course, so James and I do our best to set a task aside for her to do all on her own. For example, in the mornings before school, she brings her stool into the kitchen, where I have already set aside her package of oatmeal, a bowl, a spoon and a cup of hot water. She knows to open the bag, pour its contents in her bowl, pour the hot water over it, and stir.

Here she is using her stool to wash her hands:



and clean the kitchen counter!



She's gotten more interested in learning to use the scissors. Here she is cutting along the line:



And drawing her own line to cut:



We had a tea-party with real tea (which she helped prepare). It was so exciting for her:




The rest are of her playing with Daddy, her beads and puzzles: