Restart!

Exams are done and I tried to get them going this week, but it didn't work. The weather, time of year, people sick and feeling blah... There was a definite need for just some downtime.

I am trying to envision the coming week that I want. ;) I don't know if the 17yo will fall in line--he's got some family stuff going on (he's not mine) and his 2nd semester doesn't officially start until Wednesday, so I'm not sure he's going to really get started on that work until then. So be it. [EDIT: HA! I've planned and prepared deadlines for him for Friday. He'll get to work tomorrow. :P One motivational factor is that two of his distance learning teachers have NOT been accounting for weekends and spring break in their deadline calculations, and he definitely doesn't want to be working during spring break, so he needs to start earlier, or work faster.]

My daughter has been blah this week, too, although she has been attempting to get into work. But it's been hard. She's even found just concentrating on reading hard this week, despite being an avid reader and normally fine with hours at a time. Hopefully this week will be better.

The plan for this week: restart! Take baby steps at reincorporating Montessori more into our lives. How have I let it go so much? I have thus far this weekend had a look at some math albums I bought from R&D, looked at an old message about the folder system Donna Bryant Goertz used in her classrom, have had the urge to start reading Montessori again--I think it fuels me and keeps the vision right there in my face--have worked out a grid to figure out lessons I can give my son. It's just a basic chart. Here's the jist of it:

LESSONS	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Writing
Spelling
Math
Science
Geography/History
Music/Art
Reading

It is as much a planner for me as a work tracker/planner for him. I can add things in and he can pick an area to spend time in. For example, I've added things where I have something to show him, do with him or a lesson to give; blanks are for him to decide if he will work on it then and if so, what he will do:

LESSONS	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Writing	Calligraphy drills		Calligraphy letters		More Calligraphy letters
Spelling	pick: French or English		pick: French or English		pick: French or English
Math	Next booklet in fractions *do at least a few of the written	*do at least a few of the written	*do at least a few of the written	*do at least a few of the written
Science		Report sheet for Leo da Vinci
Geography/ History
Music/Art					(do something in both areas by the end of the week)
Reading

It's a start! I have on my wish list to do something from the Chemistry album with him this week, too. I should maybe just plan it in and then it will force me to do it. ;)

Okay, off to find this book:

 

It's really about kids in difficulty, but it is so inspirational and gives such a good feel for how Montessori can be at the elementary level, I really, really love it and recommend it. It's even good for parents who just want a better insight into kids and things parents can do! I wish there were a good book about the Erdkinder level. :-/