Has anyone bought anything from Alison's Montessori Materials?

[kayte]

I am looking for a few things and I am floored at some of the prices. I was curious if anyone has ordered from them and what the quality was like.

TIA

[JBaxter]

no but I have bought from www.forsmallhands.com their prices arnt too bad and the shipping is pretty quick

[kitmama]

I have not ordered from Alison's before, so can't attest to service or quality. Like the PP, I have ordered from http://www.forsmallhands.com and have been very pleased.

The main difference in the two companies seems to be that Alison's actually offers some "real" Montessori materials- the same things that Maria Montessori developed for use in the original Casa dei Bambini. These are the specialized materials you will find in a true montessori classroom. Those materials are super expensive wherever you find them.

For Small Hands does not carry these items, but does offer a wonderful variety of things that are complimentary to a montessori approach. For Small Hands is geared mostly toward the parent wishing to extend the montessori experience into the home- though they do have a bigger catalogue geared toward the montessori classroom. The extended catalogue has a variety of trays, rugs, containers and activities to work in harmony with the more specialized Montessori materials.

If you can find what you are looking for at lower prices, then go for it. If you are looking for "official" Montessori materials, then expect to spend a chunk of cash.

HTH!

[kayte]

Thanks for the rec for For Small Hands. Unfortuantely they don't have the items I am looking for. I did check out their site and bookmarked it for later.

[smilla653]

I haven't ordered from them yet, but I recently bookmarked this website:
http://www.appleseededucational.com/

You can also find a lot of things to adapt to montessori-type activities at IKEA.