*notcot in gratis , 13:30

Holiday Giveaway #26: Montessorium- 12.17.12

montessorium1.jpg Happy Holidays! 2013 is around the corner, and we’re finishing up this year with more of our annual coupons from our favorite stores and over 30 giveaways from now through Christmas!

Today is definitely baby/kids day of giveaways ~ NOTCOT Holiday Giveaway #26 is from Montessorium! They have quite a generous bundle of giveaways and various ways to win! Through commenting, you have 10 chances to win Letter Work and Number Work Books and all four Montessorium apps: Intro to Math, Intro to Letters, Intro to Geography, Alpha Writer. For those who tweet or instagram, there are 10 chances to win the full app bundle too!

Justine and I grew up Montessori kids - and we’ve never forgotten the awesome minimalist design that is present through all of the montessori objects - from sand paper letters and numbers, to the counting beads, blue solids… and so much lacquered woody goodness. Perhaps those early designs helped influence our design aesthetic here at NOTCOT at an early age… But when we were learning with all of that, there were no ipads… we were barely playing with computers… and it’s a whole new world of options now! Especially with Montessorium, they’ve translated much of the Montessori style of learning to ipads and board books with stunning illustrations. For Alpha Writer, you can even switch between illustrators - Zeptonn, Mike Lowery,and Marloes de Vries! Taking the sand paper letters and numbers to board books only seems natural - and the added texture in the board books is fantastic! The iPad apps, so beautiful, educational, and fun!

THE GOODS: 10 winners will each win Letter Work and Number Work Books and all four Montessorium apps: Intro to Math, Intro to Letters, Intro to Geography, Alpha Writer. Another 10 (via twitter/instagram) will be chosen to win bundles of all 4 Montessorium apps

TO WIN: Either leave a comment here sharing what inspired you as a kid by midnight 12/22 PST for a chance to win. Winner will be contacted via email.

OR - tweeting and following @NOTCOT and @Montessorium and/or instagramming and following @NOTlabs and @Montessorium sharing what inspired you as a kid by midnight 12/22 PST for a chance to win. We’ll direct message/comment to the winners.

See more details of the goodies on the next page!

montessorium2.jpg Letter Work and Number Work Books

montessorium4.jpg

montessorium5.jpg Alpha Writer

montessorium6.jpg Intro to Geography

montessorium7.jpg Intro to Math

montessorium8.jpg Intro to Letters

TO WIN: Either leave a comment here sharing what inspired you as a kid or by by midnight 12/22 PST for a chance to win. Winner will be contacted via email.

OR - tweeting and following @NOTCOT and @Montessorium and/or instagramming and following @NOTlabs and @Montessorium sharing what inspired you as a kid or by by midnight 12/22 PST for a chance to win. We’ll direct message/comment to the winners.

Tags:

133 Notes

i had an amazing teacher who dressed up in silly costumes (vonda viper the verb lady was my favorite!) to teach us about topics that would be less than interesting. she took us on extra-curricular field trips to explore the city’s museums and architecture - on her own time! love. her.

----- sarah 22.12.12 15:53

I was inspired by trees as a kid. Trees and the sky!

----- kathryn 22.12.12 12:20

As a kid, it would definitely be videogames. Although at the time I had no idea, and I don’t have much time to play games now, I can constantly see videogames show up in my design and art work.

----- sam li 22.12.12 08:17

my brother inspired me and still does

----- russ 22.12.12 07:30

as a kid i was inspired by books and being able to express myself creatively

----- Melissa 22.12.12 07:16

Lego’s

----- Adam Edwards 22.12.12 07:14

Books always have and still do inspire me

----- krikor 22.12.12 07:10

My favorite teacher in elementary school inspired me…

----- amy 22.12.12 06:58

Books inspired me as a child and still do

----- hripsime 22.12.12 06:40

I was inspired by nature. I was always outside exploring, riding horse, building forts, slidding down the hill, what ever I could and I learned as I went along.

----- Donna Doyle 21.12.12 22:33

I was inspired by my first grade teacher..god love her..Mrs Taylot

----- Mary 21.12.12 21:43

Great teachers growing up, and reading anything that I could get my hands on.

----- Lori 21.12.12 21:24

Each summer my father made me write to different Embassies. This introduction to the diverse cultures of our wonderful world inspired me to want to learn more.

----- Madoc 21.12.12 21:09

my father. He worked so hard all his life but was still full of fun and always had a twinkle in his eye.

----- Elizabeth Matthiesen 21.12.12 18:47

The Arthur Ransome Swallows & Amazons books

----- Rob 21.12.12 17:42

My uncle inspired me - he was a veterinarian but once he retired he went back to school and learned photography, archeology, among many other things.

----- Carmen 21.12.12 17:39

I was inspired by my books, i read all the time, i was greedy for knowledge and consumed books 3 & 4 at a time rushing to get to the next one and rereading my cherished favorites.

----- jason killing 21.12.12 15:49

I agree with John. Lego!!

----- Simon 21.12.12 14:38

Snack pack’s Vanilla pudding.

----- NYN 21.12.12 11:03

I was inspired by the great photographers Ansel Adams and Albert Eisenstaedt

----- Brian K 21.12.12 10:24

The great outdoors inspired me. I spent 90% of my time in/on/or fighting plants of some sort.

----- Aaron 21.12.12 09:15

My mom, art supplies, and books inspired me as a kid

----- Meredith Jones 21.12.12 08:38

I am going to ignore the instructions. I am 33 and just saw piglets for the first time in my life a few weeks back (this is after reading Oink, the non-fiction account of a writer’s life turned upside down by two mini-pigs). And I just finished an advance readers copy of On the Map, all about maps and cartography, and how they shaped the way the world exists today and our view of it. So, the pig, and the map, and perhaps other items in this gift package, well, they are mine! For sure! (no, really, this is my child writing. I would never write something like this. Plus, I am not 33, I am almost 34, 33 3/4, let’s say.)

----- Blue 21.12.12 07:28

my parents and i hope my kids feel the same way

----- Carmen Woody 21.12.12 06:26

Written word. Good books, poetry, even greeting cards.

----- Tiffany 21.12.12 00:57

legos and the patterns headlights made as they passed through my bedroom window and onto the ceiling

----- rich 20.12.12 21:09

The stars. they were the source of endless conversations and discussions.

----- Jamie 20.12.12 18:06

Great teachers in school inspired me.

----- Andrew Safie 20.12.12 17:20

I loved building toys like Legos - anything that could be taken apart and put back together was what inspired me.

----- Jesse A 20.12.12 12:41

I loved books of all kinds as a kid and that was my biggest inspiration, along with my parents’ encouragement.

----- Nicole A 20.12.12 12:40

I was always inspired by Rube Goldberg. Still am.

----- Brian B 20.12.12 11:36

reading inspired my imagination and fired me to learn more and more

----- helen w 20.12.12 11:20

A pencil and a blank sheet of notebook paper.

----- Katy 20.12.12 11:00

My parents inspired me.

----- Scott 20.12.12 09:56

I was inspired by my 6th grade teacher, Ms. P, who had a tarantula in the class named ChorusLine, who made us study the world’s religions for a big debate, who showed me how to piece together a movie with stills and live shots and who put me on the path to be the teacher I am today.

----- jason 19.12.12 21:17

LEGO and DUPLO began to inspire me at a young age and continue to do so today. I play with these toys that last from generation to generation. It pleases me to share my (growing) collection now with my daughter.

----- matthew harrison smith 19.12.12 20:22

I was always inspired by how my parents always were true to us and true to themselves and how they taught me to treat others.

----- ERIC 19.12.12 19:51

my family inspires me.

----- phil randall 19.12.12 19:46

I was inspired my by mother who was a primary grade teacher and I would spend time before and after school in her classrooms pretending to be a teacher, using the chalkboard teaching imaginary students and making work and art projects for my (imaginary)students to do.

----- Shayna Craig 19.12.12 17:53

I was and still am inspired on how things work. How one thing leads to another.

----- Nick Tefoglou 19.12.12 16:41

I was mostly inspired by Encyclopedia Brown

----- Tarun 19.12.12 16:30

My grade 4 teacher with her spelling bees; I have always been able to spell very well.

----- Debbie 19.12.12 15:50

my music teacher

----- Mary Harris 19.12.12 15:18

I was quite the bookworm.

----- Mia 19.12.12 14:23

I was inspired by all the odd implements in my family garage. We spend hours repurposing things, and I learned a tremendous amount by experimenting

----- kelly 19.12.12 13:39

I was most inspired by the creativity and ingenuity of Roald Dahl’s books. Our kids (2 and 3 years old) are Montessori kids and we read to them all the time, let them cook with us and help with the house work.

----- Gel 19.12.12 12:54

Was always around art supplies…colored paper, stickers, paints, and more. Really thankful for that as an adult, still love crafting!

----- Les 19.12.12 12:35

as a child, books inspired me to realize I could do anything

----- kate w 19.12.12 12:05

Using my imagination to act out what I had read in books

----- Kerry 19.12.12 12:04

When I was a kid I loved history. Old buildings, ships, clothes, stories, anything with a past was fascinating.

----- shell h 19.12.12 11:23

sounds cheesy but my mom. She was always drawing and painting when I was little.

----- Kelly Rae 19.12.12 11:22

I loved colourful crayons and papers in kindergarten.

----- Sandi Tymchuk 19.12.12 10:36

Bruce Lee.

----- Regan 19.12.12 10:33

anime..

and now i work as an animator

----- Mariana Chan 19.12.12 10:26

My Dad inspired me as a kid- he is so smart in many ways and I love how he never, ever talked to us like we were kids! We had many conversations where I would always learn something new-he had a great volcabulary and that has rubbed off on me!

----- Jennifer 19.12.12 09:46

My teacher Miss Loewen inspired me to always stand up to bullies and be proud of who I am.

----- Dana123 19.12.12 08:30

What inspired me as a kid was the crazy colorful books and TV shows made for kids. I still have that love of color.

----- Lindsey 19.12.12 08:04

Captivating a child is a challenge, inspiring a child is a challenge - traveling down this road with a child is an amazing adventure.

----- Narinder Chana 19.12.12 08:02

I was inspired by the books i’d read!

----- carrie 19.12.12 08:02

What imspired me as a kids was games. I had trouble reading in grade school and my parents and a tutor at school all spent extra time with me playing games. I had to read each card and I still love games to this day.

----- Elizabeth Bailey 19.12.12 07:57

What inspired me the most as a child was reading. No matter what bad things were happening or what was going on around me I could curl up with a good book and travel somewhere else.

----- Averie 19.12.12 07:50

My Grandmother was my biggest inspiration, she was the most loving person I know.

----- Laura Erickson 19.12.12 06:48

The stories my teacher in 4th grade told us about a little boy experiencing lots of adventures.

----- Daan 19.12.12 06:47

awesome way to teach children and open the world of possibilites to them at a young age.

----- Sharon Thurston 19.12.12 06:42

I was inspired by pen and paper. I loved to write stories and poetry

----- Leah Smitham 19.12.12 06:36

As a child, my parents inspired me to do what I loved and find my passions.

----- Kim Parana 19.12.12 06:15

My grandfather inspired me to do well and be good to people.

----- Lela Lilko 19.12.12 05:02

MacGyver inspired me as a kid. No need for violence, just carry duct-tape, paper clips & a swiss army knife.

----- Alison K 19.12.12 03:26

my kids were inspired with to learn….once they got to school, teaching them what they learned was so much easier because teacher already had a guidance for them… encouraging and cheering them always gave them proud and succeed…

----- agatha shim 19.12.12 01:22

Spending time with nature!

----- Thu 18.12.12 23:35

Reading with my grandma and my sister made me love reading and helped fill my imagination.

----- Wendy 18.12.12 21:06

I was inspired by my mother’s creativity and thriftiness and by my love of books to begin learning how to do and make as many different kinds of things as I could. As an adult I always ask myself, “Can I make do or make it myself?”, before I buy anything.

My kiddos are inspired by the act of learning itself. They amaze me. They would go nuts over this bundle.

----- Speck 18.12.12 20:04

Books. I was constantly reading.

----- Lillian 18.12.12 19:24

MoM.

----- Yoshio 18.12.12 18:37

My grade 5 teacher

----- Victor 18.12.12 17:42

Dr. Suess!

----- Seth 18.12.12 15:59

As a child, and even today, I am inspired by objects I find in nature.

----- Michelle 18.12.12 14:11

What inspired me as a kid were the concepts of “right”, “noble”, and “duty”. Sounds corny, but that’s not so surprising when looking at my career.

----- Lis 18.12.12 13:09

Reading inspired me. I learned to read at a very early age and had an insatiable appetite for books from that point forward.

----- Kimberly M 18.12.12 12:55

Educational computer games helped me learn math.

----- Iris 18.12.12 12:52

origami - all the incredible thins you can do with just a piece of paper.

----- Agnieszka 18.12.12 11:46

What inspired me as a kid was star gazing. I always thought to myself that if I could think it and work hard enough at it, I could be able to achieve anything.

----- Jasper 18.12.12 10:35

Star Wars inspired hours upon hours of play. Most memorable to me was the time I spent on my bike pretending to be Leia on a Speeder Bike flying over Endor’s surface at break-neck speed.

----- Erin P. 18.12.12 09:57

My dad brought us to the Art Gallery of Ontario when we were kids and I fell in love with Henry Moore and Picasso. It made me realize that people can make beautiful, wonderful things that can stay with you forever.

----- Joanie 18.12.12 09:35

my montessori education inspired within me a love of learning, which continues today (i’m a grad student)!

----- siena 18.12.12 08:34

Blades of grass that turned into lava, sidewalks that became giant canvases, a lone swingset which turned into a rusty abandoned castle and my yorkie/schnauzer mix that was the most ferocious dragon in all the land!!!!! My mom always encouraged me to find inspiration in everything… although I think that reading books was what gave me the ability to FIND that inspiration. :)

----- Jenni 18.12.12 08:14

Playing with Legos and Erector Sets with my Grandfather was always an inspiring time.

----- TonyF 18.12.12 08:08

What inspired me as a child was gummy worms; my montessori school had a game where we fished for gummies with paperclips through them using magnets on string… I am not ashamed to admit there were a few of those ones with paperclips that never made it to a teacher to be traded in (in retrospect though, eww).

----- Michael 18.12.12 08:07

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman! Superman inspired me as a child with the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound and pick up trains and always save the damsel in distress.

----- Tyler 18.12.12 08:07

My parents!

----- Geoff 18.12.12 08:02

Puzzles! Loved them, me and my brother would have competitions on who could finish one first! Continually activated our minds.

----- Sandy 18.12.12 08:01

My dad used to bring home junk/broken electronics with all kinds of crazy cool knobs and switches and dials. It was a blast and got me interested in engineering and computers; all from a bunch of tossed out junk!

----- jack 18.12.12 07:34

All kinds of fiction books inspired me when I was younger — I read voraciously.

----- Julie 18.12.12 07:23

I was into inventors and 101 science experiments gave me endless inspiration

----- Erastos 18.12.12 07:07

My LGB train set. It was always my job to set it up (this time of year) and run it. I also learned the value of maintenance as the set corroded in storage over time.

----- Eric Brockmeyer 18.12.12 05:21

I was inspired by the other kids around me who had normal lives. I knew I could have one too and that was what I provided for my own kids when they were born.

----- Joanne Gregory 18.12.12 05:03

My father, who died a year ago, was a sailor. He was the chief mate of a ship moving corn and wheat from the USA. As a young girl, he used to take me with him to his trips on summer vacations. I used to stay with him in his watches on the bridge. I would sit on the big table, with a huge map of the world spread over it. he would draw the rout of the ship, and tell me all about the straits and gulfs, islands and currents. he taught me the names of all the constellations, and when he told me that the stars in the southerns hemisphere are different - I didn’t believe him. He left a desire to know the world in me, a desire i still pursue, in traveling, and in my studies ( I am a masters student in Geography now). I miss him.

----- Hadar Gatt 18.12.12 04:15

Non-Fiction books mainly but also the PC game the magic school bus! Classic!

----- Tom 18.12.12 01:45

my grandparents gave a lot of inspiration in my childhood

----- martins 18.12.12 01:38

Movies. The idea that we can suspend disbelief to watch paid people wear costumes, reciting scripts on a set, that somehow makes us feel more about life than reality does.

----- B Louie 18.12.12 01:32

Architecture it he city

----- Levi Montez 17.12.12 23:22

When I was a kid, playing with play dough really inspires me. I can form them in different shapes, colors, and I always came up with my own creatures. :)

amy [at] utry [dot] it

----- Amy Tong 17.12.12 23:03

Creative stories my dad would tell us when we were growing up to keep up entertained.

----- Matt Z 17.12.12 22:43

I love @montessorium work!
And I would love to get both of their books.
That would be awesome for my toddlers.

----- Eric Pramono 17.12.12 21:52

Reading inspired me; I devoured books from morning until night.

----- kim 17.12.12 21:33

I developed a love for drawing by reading Japanese Manga.

----- Casey 17.12.12 21:13

well, so…it was saturday morning cartoons like rocko’s modern life and ren & stimpy that made me want to draw, so i guess that’d be the inspiration? I started drawing when I was young and never really stopped, now i’m a starving (but happy) artist.

----- taryn 17.12.12 20:29

I was inspired by views from a higher altitude.

----- William 17.12.12 20:23

my parents

----- jason 17.12.12 20:17

Legos inspired me and cannot wait for my boy to be old enough for me to get to play with them again.

----- Brian 17.12.12 19:32

Stars

----- Oliver 17.12.12 19:16

I was inspired by mccalls storytime treasury series from 1969. awesome illustrations and format.

----- laura h 17.12.12 18:56

i’d always think the tv series Voltes V inspired me - i’d love to be a robot one day :)

----- jay panelomo 17.12.12 18:53

blocks…. I played with them for hours on end. I was also inspired by kaleidoscopes.

----- melissa 17.12.12 18:44

When I was really little, I was inspired by traffic signals (like the actual red/yellow/green lights) - in fact, I told my mom I wanted to “be one” when I grew up. Funny that in my current job, running a small startup, I am a lot like a traffic signal, helping people decide when to proceed full speed, slow down, speed up to get through something and succeed and (of course) stop.

----- Julie C 17.12.12 18:13

so awesome!

----- noel n 17.12.12 18:04

Mad Magazine especially Spy vs Spy. We were a tad too young for these reading materials but my awesome parents guided us through and through.

----- Ellen Bautista 17.12.12 17:28

In those days there of less media scare and parental control exploring local neighborhoods was a fact of life for kids. Since most city-scapes today are either flat suburbia maze or a city jungle - there ain’t many places a kid can philosophize. Thus anything which would look like an out of place in our city - would be the escape spot.

For me there were two places: railroad tracks behind a shopping mall - where the road seemed to be endless and clear, hugging the horizon, promising the escape to whatever-i-want-i-can-do land; and any sharp slopes (usually leading to a dumpster ditch), not just because there was a treasure load of “gadgets” a boy can claim, but even the run or slide (depending on season) down the hill was the most exhilarating filing in it’s simplicity.

In the end it is not a person or phrase that inspires you to go in any particular direction - but it is a place and time where you trust yourself to make that choice.

----- Lascar Anderssen 17.12.12 17:03

My grandfather was the one who influenced me the most. He was an artist with his own studio. He painted in watercolours and oils, he made Wood and metal art. I especially remember a musical statue that stood in the courtyard of a bar he opened in Spain, where he retired. And he read to us. Tolkien, CS Lewis and Conan Doyle. He taught us to go for your adventure!

----- Tim Driscoll 17.12.12 16:57

I was inspired by my parents and the environments that I came in contact with… I remember my dad saying you can learn just by looking at things around you… Teaching observation to a child… My dad was a brilliant man!!

----- Blake Johnson 17.12.12 16:31

King Quest - The Princeless Bride. I had so much fun with computer games when I was younger. Both the kings quest adventure games and the fun educational games live Treasure Cove and Math Blasters!

----- Allison 17.12.12 16:25

the outdoors

----- John 17.12.12 16:16

Tons of books and cartoons.

----- David 17.12.12 16:15

Lego!

----- John MacDonald 17.12.12 15:47

I was inspired by Madeline L’Engle books.

----- lauren 17.12.12 15:21

Carl Sagan inspired me beyond explanation!

----- Seth B 17.12.12 15:15

For me, the art of Mary Blair. (though it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized she was the one behind it all!)

----- monica 17.12.12 15:13

NASA always inspired me as a kid.. I used to want to be an astronaut..

----- Namtran Nguyen 17.12.12 14:52

The animated Hobbit movie for one, also my art teachers.

----- Mikell Johnson 17.12.12 14:42

Spy movies. I had notebooks full of nifty inventions and escape plans for areas all over my neighborhood. I love that stuff.

----- Adam 17.12.12 14:36

My sister & I grew up in the Montessori system as well - these are stunning! I guess I’ll have to start accepting that technology is a daily part of children’s lives now :-) I was inspired by my grandpa - who passed on to me his love of exploration and investigation of the world around us.

----- Christina 17.12.12 14:07

The Day of the Tentacle and other point and click adventure games.

----- Daniel 17.12.12 13:59

My father inspired me and still does to this day~

----- Alan B 17.12.12 13:55


Copyright NOTCOT INC 2005-2019 - Privacy Policy - Work In Progress! Please be nice!