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JennGM
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Do you have a tea set for pouring exercises?
Ds loves to play with the sets at his cousin's house. Dh doesn't want anything feminine.
Any suggestions? What do you think of the cups without handles for small hands? Is that easier for them to use?
Thanks for any help!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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Rebecca
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OK, after writing a bumbling response to your post and realizing that I completely misread it, I deleted my response! 
My kids have first started out pouring rice or small beans from carafes and pitchers like these, only I buy mine at Target for a couple of dollars. I put two of them on a small tray. After the kids master the rice, I move onto water, using the same pitchers/carafes. I include a small sponge on the tray for water clean up.
The teapot would be nice for pouring once your son becomes adept at using the small pitchers. My boys had a hard time controlling the teapot due to the handle which is not secure. The pot would wobble as they tried to pour. After they got the hang of the pitchers, the teapot was not as difficult. My boys had a terra cotta set with handle-less cups that worked nicely for them for several years.
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JennGM
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Rebecca,
Since I get the email notifications, I got both your responses, and you'll think I'm a nut case, but you covered all areas with both. I wanted to know where to get masculine looking tea sets, and if they should have handles, but also about the Montessori process.
Another question is would you allow your children to "play" with tea even if they haven't mastered the pouring?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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And I'll just say you didn't bumble, I bumbled my question...I'm all over the place!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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lapazfarm
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JennGM wrote:
Another question is would you allow your children to "play" with tea even if they haven't mastered the pouring? |
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I am so glad you asked this! This is one area of Montessori I have never really understood completely. I have heard that you discourage "play" with the Montessori materials and only allow them to be used as presented. I find this too restricting, but then again, I don't do many things "by the book." I let my dd play with the materials how ever she wants once I have presented them to her. She LOVES her tea set and I cannot imagine not letting her use it just because she spills some. I just always put a towel down underneath it and ask her to please be careful. She is getting better all the time with pouring just through this play.
Perhaps this is a question for another thread, but can someone explain this part of Montessori to me?
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Rebecca
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JennGM wrote:
Another question is would you allow your children to "play" with tea even if they haven't mastered the pouring? |
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Do you mean "playing tea" with no tea in the pot? Like playing "tea party" with little plates and cups, etc.?
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Rebecca
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lapazfarm wrote:
| I have heard that you discourage "play" with the Montessori materials and only allow them to be used as presented. I find this too restricting, but then again, I don't do many things "by the book." I let my dd play with the materials how ever she wants once I have presented them to her. She LOVES her tea set and I cannot imagine not letting her use it just because she spills some. I just always put a towel down underneath it and ask her to please be careful. She is getting better all the time with pouring just through this play. |
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Theresa, It sounds like what you call "play" is really just your daughter "working" with the materials. I would certainly encourage her to use them once they are presented. Children will spill for quite some time until they have mastered the skill, which is what the materials are for. That is why I include a little sponge, so they can clean up their messes and be self sufficient.
I have drawn a line with this situation:
I have a sand tray, which essentially is a flat box with two inch sides filled with fine colored sand. My younger children use it to learn to write, tracing the letters in the sand. My fifth grader uses it to spell his misspelled spelling words (he is a tactile learner). Now, my three year old took it down from the shelf the other day and took out a matchbox dumptruck and began driving it in the sand. At first, I tolerated it but nipped it when she began to "dump" the truck on the carpet.
I think some "playing" with the materials is fine but when it messes up what the materials are intended for, I don't allow it.
Another example is that I once had a "pink" (natural) tower. My son (who was threeish) at first really enjoyed working with this item. After a while, he began to take the littlest cubes in his pockets and use them with his playmobil men, knicking them up and denting the wood. After several of them were missing, I did not allow him to use the cubes anymore.
I think if the child is respectful of the materials and does not damage or lose them, I do not mind them using them for something other than what was intended. My daughter often uses our pouring carafes to water the plants. I do not mind a bit even though in a Montessori school, they would stay on the pouring tray. But, hey, we aren't a Montessori school! 
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Rebecca
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JennGM wrote:
Another question is would you allow your children to "play" with tea even if they haven't mastered the pouring? |
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Jenn, I would not let him pour hot tea until he gets a good deal of practice. If you mean playing tea party without tea, I certainly would allow him to do it! Maybe he could pour iced tea for practice?
That being said, I described in my first crazy deleted post how I allow my babies to use small glasses rather than plastic cups when they are learning to drink. None of my children have ever broken their glass or misused it. I should think if you bought him a real, usable tea set, that he would be so thrilled with it and treat it respectfully. You know, I mentioned that I bought a terracotta one for my boys. Guess who was the one who broke it after several years? Not them! ME! They never so much as chipped it.
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ladybugs
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Jenn,
I haven't taken the time to read the whole thread but why don't you check local thrift stores or Goodwill for pieces of China that he could use and you wouldn't worry about.
I let Joseph play with some creamers to pour beans and rice and these are creamers that we're either given to me or I picked up inexpensively.
Just an idea,
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Maria P
My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!
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JennGM
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Rebecca wrote:
JennGM wrote:
Another question is would you allow your children to "play" with tea even if they haven't mastered the pouring? |
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Do you mean "playing tea" with no tea in the pot? Like playing "tea party" with little plates and cups, etc.? |
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I'm so bad at putting forward my thoughts in the Montessori area. 
Confession: we don't drink tea. Well, I don't, ever, and so far all ds will drink is soy milk and water. So hot tea? I don't think that's happening.
I was simply thinking of using water in the tea pot to pour.
Or like you suggested, if it's on his own, not having anything in the pot and pretending to serve tea. He'll do it for long periods of time with all the motions -- fill the pot with pretend water, on the stove, stir, pour, put cream, serve to others. But is this discouraged by MM?
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Rebecca
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Jenn, I do not think I would discourage pretend play. My kids love to pretend and to play dress up as well. My kids have all played with little kitchens and toy cups and are quite normal . That being said, there is a big difference between allowing a child to play pretend tea and expecting him to only use plastic, unreal items to do every day work. There are some parents that only allow plastic cups or plastic plates because they do not want to take the time to teach them to use the real thing or to allow them to make mistakes and occasionally spill something until they have learned how to do it correctly. We have a relative whose child is six and still uses a sippy cup. That, to me, is an insult to the child. Ahem, I digress  ...
MM thought it was important to provide the kids with real working things to use. For example, if your son got a bit older and wanted to learn to use a hammer, you would not provide him with a plastic one that frustrates him but you would provide him with a piece of wood, show him where to do the work and how to carefully line up the nail, how to hold it straight and hit it with a real (small sized) hammer.
I would see your son's pretend play as a sign of readiness to learn to pour, arrange and serve. Bananas are a good food to learn to cut, using a small blunt knife. Then he can arrange them on a plate for a snack to serve the family. Also, learning to "spoon" is a fun thing for a three yo. I used foods like applesauce or hummus. He may enjoy cutting flowers and arranging them in a vase.
Pretend play, to me, just shows me what things the child is interested in but does not know how to verbalize yet. I use it as a cue to where they are at developmentally.
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mary
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i have two tea sets. one is a lovely but sturdy oma's housefor the big kids. my little girl (3 yrs) uses a plastic tea set. i put tea in all of the pots (mixed liberally with milk) and they practice pouring, adding sugar and cream, etc.
so, to answer your question, i suppose the plastic set is for practice. it has little handles that are perfect for little hands.
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CathinCoffeland
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We were given a childrens tea set from ikea that is white with a thick blue stripe.
Dh said-:i wish those came in big sizes"
Is that masculine enough? 
They are sturdy stoneware and our 2 yr old and 5 yr old use the plate and bowl for their snack and the go thought the dishwasher and everything.
i dont know if you have a store near you (we dont ) but you could look online.
Fiestaware makes kids set to but they are in brighter colors but still solid-no patterns.
They sell them in a local tea shop along with all the "girly" ones (which i like )
but they are pricer than ikea.
Good luck. Maggie
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lapazfarm
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Thanks for the clarification on playing with the materials, Rebecca.
As for tea sets: My dd has a plastic tea set that she uses for her pouring practice (this one). I like this set because it is thick, heavy plastic so it has the same feel (weight) as real teacups. I don't like the plastic sets that are so lightweight that they get knocked over easily. I got it for her instead of seperate pouring materials because she loved the idea of a tea set so much I knew she would use it alot. Plus, it comes with it's own tray-a nifty little bonus! I just fill it with water and she pretends it is tea. Downside-we all have to drink the water when she serves it to us and pretend it is yummy tea! Hmmm.. maybe I will put real tea in next time!LOL!
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MaryMary
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Jenn,
I purchased stainless steel creamer and sugar bowls without lids (set of 2) for a dollar each at the dollar store. They are excellent..durable, unbreakable, washable, and just the right size for small hands. I have two sets of each and both of my girls have been busy pouring and scooping rice, lentils etc. this week.
Hope this helps!
Mary
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MaryMary
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Oops! I forgot to mention that you can get mini stainless steel trays to sit them on as well. Check out your dollar stores!
Mary
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JennGM
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MaryMary wrote:
Jenn,
I purchased stainless steel creamer and sugar bowls without lids (set of 2) for a dollar each at the dollar store. They are excellent..durable, unbreakable, washable, and just the right size for small hands. I have two sets of each and both of my girls have been busy pouring and scooping rice, lentils etc. this week.
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Mary, Thanks for the tip. Was this the official Dollar Stores or the copycat?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Rachel May
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Everyone--including Cec--pours tea at our house. We put milk in the tea, so it isn't so hot. We use a 6 cup china pot. The tea cups are thrift store cast offs mostly, like Maria suggested.
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JennGM
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Thanks so much for all the tips and advice. Dh gave me the morning to shop around and our neighborhood had a community-wide yard sale, so I was searching around for some appropriate pouring materials. No luck. But after lunch I popped into an antique store and found a nice little pitcher (creamer size) for cheap.
After I said I never drink tea (it makes me nauseous), you might find it amusing that for my wedding reception I used teapots and cups and saucers for my table decorations. The teapots had flower arrangements and I had floating candles in the cups. During our engaged time, dh and I had fun "antiquing" trying to find pretty teapots and place settings.
The cups and saucers have been sitting in a box since we wed, moved twice with us. So I hauled them out today to find appropriate cups and saucers for ds. I do think the size is a bit big, but I found a few that will work for now. He's just thrilled.
I do have a little miniature teapot one of my grandmother's gave me that will be just perfect for pouring. I can wax sentimental about it, but it will be put to good use. I don't know why I haven't thought about all this before -- the teapots I have staring me in the face every day!
I'm happy to see them out and being used...and if they break, they have been put to good use.
Another question: Do you keep the pitchers and teapots at a level where they can "work" at their own pace, or do you usually set up the environment at certain times and keep the breakables up out of reach? My son is very good at pouring...but the concept of "fragile" is not quite there.
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MaryMary
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Jenn,
I see that you found a solution before I got back to the computer to answer your question . But, just for the record, I found the stainless steel creamers etc.at the Dollarama. I live in Canada, though. Do you have them in the U.S.? I live fairly close to the U.S. border, and from what I recall from our last visit to a U.S. dollar store, y'all have many of the same items that our stores do.
Teapot centerpieces sound DELIGHTFUL, by the way! What a lovely and creative idea for a wedding!
Mary
Mom 2 3
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Tea Set Ideas
