A letter to our dear audience as we reflect on the Past Three Months

Dear Gigglers and Chiselers,

As the wooden Fellows and I are taking a few days to travel and recharge our batteries, we thought this week would be a good time to pause and reflect on the start of the year.

First, a quick reminder of the core of our mission: young children possess unique abilities—abilities that are sometimes unseen or misunderstood by the adults around them. But when we take the time to truly see them, to pause, listen, and appreciate their individuality, we can fully engage with them and advocate for their growth in peace.

So, what have we done in the past three months to ensure we fulfill our mission to elevate the uniqueness of young children, and raise everyone’s curiosity towards those amazing little brains? 

Well, we’ve started three new series—Being a Child, Young Children’s Journey Towards Early Mathematics, and Reviewing 5 Picturebooks a Month–and wrote a few independent posts. We included a few questions for you so you can reflect as well : )

Being a Child

This series focuses on children as they grow—from their first steps to their increasing curiosity about the world around them. Petite Clothilde’s dream is that everyone start appreciating their individuality and find joy in celebrating their differences, whether or not they meet traditional milestones, their neurodivergence, physical or cognitive disabilities, or health conditions.

We started with exploring what it is like to be four, followed by what it is like to be two, using child development milestones from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Next, we will dive into what it is like to be an infant in April 2025, followed by what it is like to be three in May 2025, what it is like to be one in June 2025, and finally, what it is like to be five in July 2025.

We invite you to share with us the milestones that have stood out from our first two posts in the series. How do you celebrate the uniqueness of each child? We also welcome discussions on the benefits and drawbacks of focusing on milestones. Let’s keep the conversation going by sharing stories in the comments below.

Young Children’s Journey Towards Early Mathematics

As plenty of research-based resources are already available online to strengthen young children’s mathematical skills, our main goal with this series is to raise awareness that mathematics is all around and we engage with it all the time. Hence, young children, too, engage daily with early mathematics through their exploration and natural curiosity, as well as discussions, games, and stories. So, let’s put any bad school experiences we may have had aside and have fun with young children, shall we?

We began by looking at young children’s journey toward counting, then moved on to exploring how stories help us engage children go beyond counting. In the coming months, we will dive into topics like measurement in April 2025, geometry (shapes) in May 2025, geometry (spatial sense) in June 2025, early algebra in July 2025, and data representation in August 2025.

What fun, everyday activities would you use to explore early mathematics concepts with a toddler? A preschooler? The wooden Fellows and I would love to hear your creative ideas in the comments.

Review of Five Picturebooks

Finally, Mme Rigolotte and I started reviewing five picturebooks each month, randomly borrowed from the library. We share what stood out to us, discuss the themes, and focus on how these books can be used to engage young audiences—especially when it comes to incorporating early math concepts. This is so fun to discover new stories and challenge ourselves with meaningful ideas to discuss. Two books truly stood out to us in the past three months—My Mama is a Work of Art by Hana Acabò (Review #2) and Bird is Dead (Review #3). So far, books have been mostly suitable for preschoolers, but we will have some months fully dedicated to infants and toddlers. Never too early to start reading! : ) We will also start organizing our reviews by themes.

Have you come across any picture books recently that moved you, took you by surprise, or that you feel bring early math concepts to life? Let us know your favorites in the comment section.

Independent Posts

In addition, we wrote a few independent posts, such as one on Questioning to Stimulate Young Children’s Critical Thinking, and another using census data to help everyone “see” them more clearly.

Have you noticed how children naturally ask questions that challenge our assumptions? Share your favorite questions your child has asked, and let’s discuss how these little inquiries can open doors to bigger learning experiences.

Looking Ahead

What topics or ideas do you think are missing from our blog so far? How can we continue to help celebrate and support the magic of early childhood development? We want this blog to continue to grow, learn, and celebrate the magic of early childhood development with all of you.

Stay tuned for more exciting reflections, discoveries, and milestones!

With warm curiosity,
Maurice, Petite Clothilde, Mme Rigolotte, Pierre-Qui-Roule, and me!