Our dialogue with experts, pedagogists, children and their parents is what our project is truly sustained by, and the moments in which we put together your feedback are extremely important to us.
In a recent campaign posted on Facebook a number of questions from people interested in our latest product emerged. As these all regard ideas we are very keen to discuss, we would also like to share them with you.
What follows, therefore, is a sort of “condensed” version of the questions we received on the Kit Pappa and the answers we gave:
Why is Flowerssori’s Kit Pappa FeliceMente “Montessorian”?
IRST: the horizontal vision of the whole meal, first course, second course, side dish and fruit. The difference is clearly drawn. We adults have a way of setting out the meal that is vertical. We know the difference between the various elements and we are able to distinguish them, but the child needs them to be presented in a certain way. All the Montessori material – we are referring here first and foremost to school material – is laid out in a clear, visible, and most importantly, in a tidy manner, within the furniture that contains it.
SECOND: The separation of different flavours. Often in schools and at home the various courses of a meal are served on the same plate, so that the condiment of the pasta, for example, ends up mingling with that of the meat or with the vegetables. The consequence is that if the child doesn’t like one type of food, he leaves the whole meal. This will not happen with the Kit Pappa.
THIRD, and very important to us: order reassures us. One quality at a time, but the vision must remain an overall vision.
The distribution of the meal within the food pyramid may also be represented through design
FOURTH: manual skills and the control of movements. Our Kit Pappa is truly “child-sized” both in its weight and in its size.
FIFTH: the fitting together. By this we mean the precision which must characterise all Montessorian material in order for there to be a single solution to its assembly. Con questo intendiamo la precisione che il materiale montessoriano deve avere per far sì che la soluzione sia unica (spiegare di più). If you’ve noticed, the shape of the plate is not round, there are concave and convex curves. There is only one solution to how the various parts of the plate should be put back together, and, if you bring the mouth close to the eyes, the line of separation must be very very fine. To allow this, the rejection percentage is very high, forcing us to cull as mush as a third of the dishes during the cooking process.
SIXTH: the pairing of the porcelain with the wooden tray is another very strong reference to Montessorian materials. We asked for the tray to have slots within which the child could lodge the plates following the same principle of the plane figures. There are many possibilities for fruitfully experimenting with this set, but we will leave the excitement of the discovery to all of you, who probably already apply, even without knowing it, these concepts every day!
Why have we chosen porcelain? Is it not too fragile for a child to use?
This is a crucial issue! We understand that it may initially seem absurd, but did you know that there are many many nursery schools and especially crèches that have long been using porcelain plates and glasses rather than cups on a daily basis? This shows that children can understand the difference between materials and naturally through this acquire independent knowledge also of … respect. It is through the sense of touch and the experiencing of a material that is different from that of their toys, that the child finds things out, understands, grows and learns to respect. This is what Maria Montessori believed and what we find applied not only in all her schools worldwide, but in all evolved systems of education!
If you have children, try this yourself at home.
The price is higher than comparable sets in plastic. Why is this so?
It is fundamental that we should try, to the best of our abilities, to give our children tools that help them grow independent and happy.
The Kit Pappa FeliceMente is a step in this direction and the price derives from a long research and optimisation process that determined the use of industrial moulds, the development of shapes that are original and never banal, and from a long period of study and pedagogical research under the aegis of the Fondazione Chiaravalle Montessori. In other words, a 360 degree guarantee of quality.
And that’s not all! Objects educate and thus educate our desire to search for things that are different and our refusal of standardised ideas. The Kit Pappa Flowerssori is not a game, but an actual job that the child can perform in complete independence. The choice to place the child in close contact with precious things and valuable materials is part of the Montessori scientific pedagogy, which we have always taken as our point of reference.
This is extremely high quality porcelain: it is the best available in Europe and very resistant (it is suitable for dishwashers, the oven, microwave and fridge). Attention to detail is another thing we have given great importance to, because it is the decors that most attract and consequently visually “dialogue” with the child. All our decors are completely free of chemicals.
And finally, the packaging has been studied down to the smallest detail, which makes this the perfect gift to receive, collect, discover, open, read and experiment. In other words, just like all the objects we create, it tries to offer the child an experience that does not simply exhaust itself in a few instants, but instead re-invents itself day after day… and becomes a learning tool and an instrument of knowledge.
4) And what if it breaks? Can I buy individual spare parts? Where can I get these?
No problem! Very shortly all the spare parts for the Kit Pappa FeliceMente will be available on our e-shop and, for those of you who already have a Kit Pappa Flowerssori, at a really special price!!
Follow us and we will give you as soon as possible all the details to buy any replacements you may require for your FeliceMente Kit.
