With Harriet Tubman's birthday this past Sunday, I shared a little bit about the Underground Railroad with my kids. Yesterday, my 12yo and I looked into it more and I found a number of links that I thought I would share with you. My main focus has been on information from the Canadian side of things, but there are links from both sides of the border:
From The Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/underground-railroad
North American Black Historical Museum (in Ontario): http://www.blackhistoricalmuseum.org/
Buxton National Historic Site and Museum: http://buxtonmuseum.com/
North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association: http://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/
From National Geographic (interactive site; very good!): http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/the-underground-railroad/?ar_a=1
I have also done up a post on some places to visit on vacation: http://www.vacationswiththekids.com/2013/03/12/make-history-come-alive-the-underground-railroad/
Reading things from the above got us wondering about slavery in Canada:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Canada
---
Funny thing was that we started looking at information about the Underground Railroad yesterday, which led somehow to talking about aboriginal peoples of North America, which then led us to finding a book online written in 1915 where the opening was almost like reading a Montessori Great Lesson on the formation of the Earth! We ended up looking up "Archaean rock" and discovered that it's the rock in the Canadian Shield, which led to looking at pictures of lakes I've camped at in the Northwest Territories and some images of Yellowknife, where I spent half my childhood. Funny how one topic can so quickly lead to something completely unrelated! lol
Showing posts with label Erdkinder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Erdkinder. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Bugs, bugs, bugs
My 12yo was sitting next to me on the sofa last night as I looked through my Facebook newsfeed. One of the posts had to do with an insect and one thing led to another and we ended up spending a good 30-45 minutes looking through the Bugs of Alberta site and further research on select bugs led us to BugGuide.net where they put the full classification of the bugs (very useful for those of you studying zoological classification!)
One thing we wanted information on and had a hard time finding was the meaning of Chlorochroa (Say's stink bug). I kept looking for Latin but it seems the roots are Greek. Chloro = green; chroa = colour. I thought that Latin names were, well, Latin? Can anybody provide some insight?
One thing we wanted information on and had a hard time finding was the meaning of Chlorochroa (Say's stink bug). I kept looking for Latin but it seems the roots are Greek. Chloro = green; chroa = colour. I thought that Latin names were, well, Latin? Can anybody provide some insight?
Sunday, February 17, 2013
The Herb Garden Report
I haven't had a look at my 12yo's binder to see which day we are on, but two new sprouts showed up today--one sharing a peat pellet with the very first sprout!
My son had put sticky notes on either side of the mini garden so we would know which seeds were planted where (parsley on one side, basil on the other), but I didn't think to tape it down, which meant they fell off. This isn't disastrous as it has allowed him to write in his prediction that the side with 3 (4 now; can't see the 4th) is basil since the package said they would germinate sooner than the parsley. There is one little parsley sprout on the right-hand side.
I don't know yet if we can just leave the herbs in the peat pellets, if we'll need to fill it with dirt at some point or what, but we're not there yet, so it's all good. ;)
Saturday, February 2, 2013
How to Make an Indoor Herb Garden--with Kids
I'm thinking a better, more accurate title for this post would be:
That seemed a little long. ;)
I am having a hard time figuring out what I need to actually get started, especially when every site I quickly look at has a thing about direct sunlight (um... people here get all excited in their FB statuses when we get actual sunlight "What's that bright light?" In response, someone comments, "I'm not sure. It seems familiar..." Or "The sun! The sun! I can't believe it!"). I have no idea what kind of container I need, soil, where to actually get herbs to plant, where I'm going to put it all (starting to think a corner somewhere with a grow light might be a good option; or clear off my son's desk? he doesn't use it anyhow, but maybe because it's so cluttered).
So, instead of finding random things, finding some that look kind of good and bookmarking or trying to find them later, I thought I would post what I've found that that has been helpful and if anybody else is seeking to start such an adventure, they can use what I've found, too!
http://www.lucygardens.com/windowsill-herb-garden.html
Chia Gourmet Herb Garden Yes, that's right, the Chia Pets ("Ch-ch-ch-chia!") that were all the rage and on TV commercials all the time when I was a kid also have this little herb garden kit. Comes with parsley and basil (and other herbs), which is just what we wanted.
Toysmith Italian Herb Trio Green Ceramic Window Set of 3 Stoneware This one's really pretty, but that would make it my project and not my son's.
DuneCraft Dome Terrariums - Herbs It doesn't say which herbs come with it (unless I'm skimming too much.) Nice compact pot that would help maintain humidity levels though.
Indoor Culinary Herb Garden Starter Kit- Start Growing Fresh Cooking Herbs & Spices- Great Gift Idea!- Seeds: Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, Savory, Garlic Chives, Mustard, Sage This one looks really good--and simple! lol. I've used that kind of thing before, back when we were part of some tomato plant experiment. Kind of bulky though, so might not be ideal for where we can actually put our herbs.
AeroGarden 3 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, Black This seems rather un-Montessori with the fact it has to be plugged in, BUT it would solve some of my problems. Of course, this brings up the question: What's the goal? Just to grow herbs? This could always be a fall-back: try something else and if it flops, get this. ;)
I've done a bit of store searching now that I have a better idea. I'm not sure if stores would have things that aren't in their online catalogue? Because I'm not finding anything in local stores! :( Our growing project may have to wait a bit because I might just end up having to purchase one of the kits above! :D I may still go putter around a couple of stores and see what they have for growing plants indoors. With our winter temperatures and lack of sunlight, I'm thinking some sort of lamp system may be required. And maybe some growing things will be coming in and talking to a sales rep can give us even more info.
How to Make an Indoor Herb Garden with Your 12-Year Old Son in a Northern Climate During the Winter When You Hardly Get Any Sunlight
That seemed a little long. ;)
I am having a hard time figuring out what I need to actually get started, especially when every site I quickly look at has a thing about direct sunlight (um... people here get all excited in their FB statuses when we get actual sunlight "What's that bright light?" In response, someone comments, "I'm not sure. It seems familiar..." Or "The sun! The sun! I can't believe it!"). I have no idea what kind of container I need, soil, where to actually get herbs to plant, where I'm going to put it all (starting to think a corner somewhere with a grow light might be a good option; or clear off my son's desk? he doesn't use it anyhow, but maybe because it's so cluttered).
So, instead of finding random things, finding some that look kind of good and bookmarking or trying to find them later, I thought I would post what I've found that that has been helpful and if anybody else is seeking to start such an adventure, they can use what I've found, too!
http://www.lucygardens.com/windowsill-herb-garden.html
- HERBS: Suggests starting with basil, coriander, chives, parsley and sage. Since ds is going for pizza sauce (omg, that kid LOVES pizza!), I think will stick with just the basil and parsley. They seem to say to get baby plants. I've read that works best, but I think it would really be something to start from scratch.
- LOCATION: Says to use the window sill. Um... That might be a problem with our house. A warm window. (Um, we had -40 with the wind chill the other day...) And south or facing southwest (another issue for us.)
- BASIC SUPPLIES: Sounds like just about any kind of container will work--but does need drainage. Suggests using even recylables, like old yogourt (Canadian bilingual spelling, if you're wondering ;) ) containers. Soil.
- OTHER TIPS: Snip herbs often; encourages growth.
- Ok, doesn't have tips, but at least gives me a visual so I have an idea of what it looks like, or different possibilities of what it can look like. (Glass jars are kind of appealing--you can really see what's going on!)
Indoor Herb Gardening -- tips Very cool--an entire site dedicated to indoor herb gardening! (Basil plant doesn't like the cold! Ach, (that's a German "ach"), we might have issues! Ironically, cultivated basil freezes well. lol)
Do It Yourself Some really great tips!
TLC's How to Grow Your Own Indoor Herb Garden Tips, as well as encouragement to get a kit. :P
Do It Yourself Some really great tips!
TLC's How to Grow Your Own Indoor Herb Garden Tips, as well as encouragement to get a kit. :P
---
I think I might just buy a kit, make life easier on myself. Here are some kits:
Chia Gourmet Herb Garden Yes, that's right, the Chia Pets ("Ch-ch-ch-chia!") that were all the rage and on TV commercials all the time when I was a kid also have this little herb garden kit. Comes with parsley and basil (and other herbs), which is just what we wanted.Toysmith Italian Herb Trio Green Ceramic Window Set of 3 Stoneware This one's really pretty, but that would make it my project and not my son's. DuneCraft Dome Terrariums - Herbs It doesn't say which herbs come with it (unless I'm skimming too much.) Nice compact pot that would help maintain humidity levels though. Indoor Culinary Herb Garden Starter Kit- Start Growing Fresh Cooking Herbs & Spices- Great Gift Idea!- Seeds: Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, Savory, Garlic Chives, Mustard, Sage This one looks really good--and simple! lol. I've used that kind of thing before, back when we were part of some tomato plant experiment. Kind of bulky though, so might not be ideal for where we can actually put our herbs. AeroGarden 3 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, Black This seems rather un-Montessori with the fact it has to be plugged in, BUT it would solve some of my problems. Of course, this brings up the question: What's the goal? Just to grow herbs? This could always be a fall-back: try something else and if it flops, get this. ;)
---
I've done a bit of store searching now that I have a better idea. I'm not sure if stores would have things that aren't in their online catalogue? Because I'm not finding anything in local stores! :( Our growing project may have to wait a bit because I might just end up having to purchase one of the kits above! :D I may still go putter around a couple of stores and see what they have for growing plants indoors. With our winter temperatures and lack of sunlight, I'm thinking some sort of lamp system may be required. And maybe some growing things will be coming in and talking to a sales rep can give us even more info.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Know What I Want?
It's a little after 8:30 pm here as I start typing this. I'm dreadfully tired, but if I go to bed now, I'll either just nap--and then not fall back asleep until something like 1 am and completely mess up my sleep cycles--or I'll sleep through and be wide awake around 4 am. Or earlier. What to do? My mind can't focus on reading, I can't work on my other website, computer games are holding no interest and if I put on a movie or the TV, I'll just fall asleep.
So, I'm blogging. :D
I was thinking I would babble about how much I like the way we use Faith and Life (nope, I'm not an affiliate with them! ;) ). But instead, I've decided to babble about what I would like to see:
Yeah, I know, demanding request. It can be hard to find any real solid information about Montessori and the adolescent years. Training programs are few and far between and, afaik, don't have online options that we homeschoolers could take part in.
Maybe what I need to do is to gather all the information I can find and make myself a little book. A guide I can hold in my hands.
Of course, I could do as I always tell other people to do: Experiment! ;)
My thoughts are multiplying and jumbling together. I'll stop here for now, but I think I might babble to myself in a Word document. And maybe share some stuff at a later point!
So, I'm blogging. :D
I was thinking I would babble about how much I like the way we use Faith and Life (nope, I'm not an affiliate with them! ;) ). But instead, I've decided to babble about what I would like to see:
A Montessori homeschool curriculum or book for the adolescent years.
Yeah, I know, demanding request. It can be hard to find any real solid information about Montessori and the adolescent years. Training programs are few and far between and, afaik, don't have online options that we homeschoolers could take part in.
Maybe what I need to do is to gather all the information I can find and make myself a little book. A guide I can hold in my hands.
Of course, I could do as I always tell other people to do: Experiment! ;)
My thoughts are multiplying and jumbling together. I'll stop here for now, but I think I might babble to myself in a Word document. And maybe share some stuff at a later point!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Our Tuesday... So Far
It's been an "interesting" day today. And it's only 12:04 pm as I start typing this.
First, I "slept in" until just after 5:30 am. I normally wake up sometime between 4 and 5, move down to the couch and try to fall back asleep. (My husband's alarm goes off at 6 am and I am often able to sleep past that--if I don't have the alarm waking me up.) But I finally got out of bed close to 6 and realized I probably wasn't going to go back to sleep. I did some things on the computer instead.
My son, who has been awake before 8 for days now, showed no signs of being alive until after 8:30. My daughter, who thought she had her alarm set for 8:15, but wasn't feeling great yesterday so I didn't wake her up when it turned out her alarm wasn't on, didn't get up until after 9, I think it was.
Before she was ready, my son and I tackled the first activity in the TOPS chemistry unit we are doing:
Our coffee filter wasn't quite the type of filter they had wanted us to use, apparently, because the jar on the right was supposed to have clear water, but it still did a decent job since you can tell the iodine made the other jar's solution a much deeper purple.
When my daughter was finally ready, she actually said she was feeling great. Finally had a decent night's sleep. That didn't last long. We didn't have what she wanted for breakfast but needed to go to the nearby Service Canada--in a mall where Safeway is--so she decided to wait on breakfast and we headed to Service Canada. 1.5-hour wait, we're told. Oh. It was already after 10 am at this point. We sat down and she started complaining about pressure behind her eyes. I thought it must be sinuses. I go buy her a bottle of water and a package of Pop Tarts. After a couple of minutes, she has a blind spot. Shoot. Sign of a migraine. She's had one before. A little later, pressure was gone from her eye and the blind spot was gone. But her forehead was hurting. By the time we actually got into see someone, she was really not feeling well. We skipped Safeway and went straight home, but she ended up vomiting in the van. Including on her black suede boots.
She's now resting on the sofa, perhaps even sleeping, with HGTV on in the background, a large bowl ready just in case and her cat keeping her company.
We were doing not too badly at trying to get her math course done before the end of January. I'm keeping my fingers crossed she'll still manage!
First, I "slept in" until just after 5:30 am. I normally wake up sometime between 4 and 5, move down to the couch and try to fall back asleep. (My husband's alarm goes off at 6 am and I am often able to sleep past that--if I don't have the alarm waking me up.) But I finally got out of bed close to 6 and realized I probably wasn't going to go back to sleep. I did some things on the computer instead.
My son, who has been awake before 8 for days now, showed no signs of being alive until after 8:30. My daughter, who thought she had her alarm set for 8:15, but wasn't feeling great yesterday so I didn't wake her up when it turned out her alarm wasn't on, didn't get up until after 9, I think it was.
Before she was ready, my son and I tackled the first activity in the TOPS chemistry unit we are doing:
Our coffee filter wasn't quite the type of filter they had wanted us to use, apparently, because the jar on the right was supposed to have clear water, but it still did a decent job since you can tell the iodine made the other jar's solution a much deeper purple.
When my daughter was finally ready, she actually said she was feeling great. Finally had a decent night's sleep. That didn't last long. We didn't have what she wanted for breakfast but needed to go to the nearby Service Canada--in a mall where Safeway is--so she decided to wait on breakfast and we headed to Service Canada. 1.5-hour wait, we're told. Oh. It was already after 10 am at this point. We sat down and she started complaining about pressure behind her eyes. I thought it must be sinuses. I go buy her a bottle of water and a package of Pop Tarts. After a couple of minutes, she has a blind spot. Shoot. Sign of a migraine. She's had one before. A little later, pressure was gone from her eye and the blind spot was gone. But her forehead was hurting. By the time we actually got into see someone, she was really not feeling well. We skipped Safeway and went straight home, but she ended up vomiting in the van. Including on her black suede boots.
She's now resting on the sofa, perhaps even sleeping, with HGTV on in the background, a large bowl ready just in case and her cat keeping her company.
We were doing not too badly at trying to get her math course done before the end of January. I'm keeping my fingers crossed she'll still manage!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
The New Year Is Almost Here
Just taking some time this Saturday morning to think about this fall, my kids' schooling, what went well, what needs to be tweaked and what might need to be thrown out all together with 2013 starting. ;) But, let's face it, my mind is more on starting off 2013.
As we sort out my daughter's health issues, I do believe that will help get things on track better with her. She has already decided that she will resume math next week, with the aim of getting the second-last unit done the first or second day officially back. She has until the end of January to get the math done--the unit work, a project she needs to do and the final exam--but it's the only subject she has with these sort of requirements, so it should be okay. I think we do need to sit down and go subject-by-subject with things and figure out a plan for January in terms of what to get done. Her novel study for English ought to be one thing--if she gets that done, she will be on track for a full-year course. But art is getting neglected, her phys. ed. hours haven't been tallied and sent in, German... who knows where that is. She has science and social studies starting second semester and they will likely take up a good amount of her time.
As I write all this, my mind goes back to her health. We can have all the plans we want, but if she's not feeling well, then it's very hard to push things through. At the same time, my mind is going we need some sort of routine. Routines help. They can be hard to start, but they help in the long run. I'll need to think about this more.
When it comes to my son, I reread what I last wrote. I do definitely want more "real life" work with him. Some ideas off the top of my head:
*menu planning
*cooking
*inside gardening: what kinds of things could we grow in the house? what would we need?
*household care--his laundry, dealing with stains, fixing things in his room, cleaning his room... ;) ; he already has been using the snowblower this winter and shovelling the driveway and walks, largely because my husband broke his big toe and developped an infection in it and really had to stop doing as much
*pet care--he keeps saying he'd like this pet or that pet, which are all impractical at this point (like a rabbit), imho, but if he can participate more in the animal care around here, and we can get his room clean (only possible place for a caged animal), then it might be a possibility
*building things--um, what could he build?
He's gone grocery shopping with me a couple of times recently. I had been in the habit of going alone for years--it was faster and we bought less. (lol) I do think bringing him along more often will be good and can be tied in with things like the menu planning: "How much does it cost to buy everything we need for that meal? Etc." He did get a lesson in looking at the price tags and comparing prices based on volume and started using it right away with other things.
He does still love doing science things so I do need to resume that. He loves working with the chemistry sets and experiments and all that.
One thing that definitely is not working is allowing him to go off into his room each morning under the guise of reading. I've realized lately that he's actually laying down for most of it, just reading his comics. Hm. There's more to life than laying in bed reading comics! It's my job to show him that. I'll really need to do more reading and research and get a plan and perhaps schedule in place. Schedule--that has me thinking...
As I face the next part of our school year and current schedule, I know in my heart I don't want this schedule next year. It is good income with the French classes and is fun, but the schedule makes it hard on us: Monday afternoons I'm unavailable, all day Thursday, busy. There's something about it that affects our flow. Granted, dd is in a program on Thursdays which will be starting on Jan. 10, so there's that upheaval anyhow, but... As much as I am loving teaching the French class kids, my heart is yearning for something different, for it to be just us. Income-wise, this means I'm going to have to figure something out, but I've got some time for that. Online classes through Learn It Live, perhaps, or writing or some online business I can work on early in the morning or in the evening or get more earnings from Stampin' Up or a combination thereof or... Something. I'll put this desire out there with the faith and hope that the answer will come to me. :)
For right now, that's enough thinking. It's no longer Saturday morning, but 12 noon and I'm hungry. :)
As we sort out my daughter's health issues, I do believe that will help get things on track better with her. She has already decided that she will resume math next week, with the aim of getting the second-last unit done the first or second day officially back. She has until the end of January to get the math done--the unit work, a project she needs to do and the final exam--but it's the only subject she has with these sort of requirements, so it should be okay. I think we do need to sit down and go subject-by-subject with things and figure out a plan for January in terms of what to get done. Her novel study for English ought to be one thing--if she gets that done, she will be on track for a full-year course. But art is getting neglected, her phys. ed. hours haven't been tallied and sent in, German... who knows where that is. She has science and social studies starting second semester and they will likely take up a good amount of her time.
As I write all this, my mind goes back to her health. We can have all the plans we want, but if she's not feeling well, then it's very hard to push things through. At the same time, my mind is going we need some sort of routine. Routines help. They can be hard to start, but they help in the long run. I'll need to think about this more.
When it comes to my son, I reread what I last wrote. I do definitely want more "real life" work with him. Some ideas off the top of my head:
*menu planning
*cooking
*inside gardening: what kinds of things could we grow in the house? what would we need?
*household care--his laundry, dealing with stains, fixing things in his room, cleaning his room... ;) ; he already has been using the snowblower this winter and shovelling the driveway and walks, largely because my husband broke his big toe and developped an infection in it and really had to stop doing as much
*pet care--he keeps saying he'd like this pet or that pet, which are all impractical at this point (like a rabbit), imho, but if he can participate more in the animal care around here, and we can get his room clean (only possible place for a caged animal), then it might be a possibility
*building things--um, what could he build?
He's gone grocery shopping with me a couple of times recently. I had been in the habit of going alone for years--it was faster and we bought less. (lol) I do think bringing him along more often will be good and can be tied in with things like the menu planning: "How much does it cost to buy everything we need for that meal? Etc." He did get a lesson in looking at the price tags and comparing prices based on volume and started using it right away with other things.
He does still love doing science things so I do need to resume that. He loves working with the chemistry sets and experiments and all that.
One thing that definitely is not working is allowing him to go off into his room each morning under the guise of reading. I've realized lately that he's actually laying down for most of it, just reading his comics. Hm. There's more to life than laying in bed reading comics! It's my job to show him that. I'll really need to do more reading and research and get a plan and perhaps schedule in place. Schedule--that has me thinking...
As I face the next part of our school year and current schedule, I know in my heart I don't want this schedule next year. It is good income with the French classes and is fun, but the schedule makes it hard on us: Monday afternoons I'm unavailable, all day Thursday, busy. There's something about it that affects our flow. Granted, dd is in a program on Thursdays which will be starting on Jan. 10, so there's that upheaval anyhow, but... As much as I am loving teaching the French class kids, my heart is yearning for something different, for it to be just us. Income-wise, this means I'm going to have to figure something out, but I've got some time for that. Online classes through Learn It Live, perhaps, or writing or some online business I can work on early in the morning or in the evening or get more earnings from Stampin' Up or a combination thereof or... Something. I'll put this desire out there with the faith and hope that the answer will come to me. :)
For right now, that's enough thinking. It's no longer Saturday morning, but 12 noon and I'm hungry. :)
Monday, December 10, 2012
Some thoughts this Monday evening
I'm at my daughter's dance studio, trying to work out a plan for my son for the week. There has been some attempt on my part to work on the inner preparation that is so vital to implementing Montessori... well... anywhere. There is "Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful" that I started rereading and I'm trying to absorb what I need to. Then tonight, some research on the Erdkinder approach.
It's hit me that I've fallen into just trying to get him to cover some work. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I've lost the vision, I've lost sight of what I'm working towards. If I just want work for him, I could just get the school texts and hand them over and say, "Here, read this and this and that." Or I could use the Ambleside curriculum and just "get him educated' and develop work habits.
But here's the thing: I love Montessori. I may not have known how to make it work with the schooling situation we had in the house the past several years, but I love Montessori. I believe it is better for my son to learn to explore and question and think and have the freedom (within limits) that the Montessori method offers. When I get into "gotta get work done" mode, I lose the essence of Montessori. Am I making any sense? I'm tired; it's probably showing.
I was just reading this article from the Montessori for Everyone site, as well as checking out the Hershey Montessori school site. I love what these two sites have to say. Is my son still at the 6-12 level, I don't know. But surely it can't do any harm to pick an element or two to start incorporating into our days? Just today, he asked specifically for spaghetti for supper. I said we could, it changed my plans, and I wanted him to help me. He was quite happy to! Wouldn't this be a wonderful thing, for him to develop skill and confidence in the kitchen at the age of 12? He can make some things on his own, but this idea of really working on kids being self-sufficient at this age, rather than a focus of more academics, is really catching me. (He also told me that he didn't have anymore clean underwear. I told him to bring his laundry down to the washing machine. There wasn't any grumbling or anything, he was quite happy to sort his clothes into the washer, fill the cup, get it going...)
He does enjoy the books I find from the library, and he's amenable to doing math and handwriting practice (when I have him do it), but there's been a core element missing. That vision of where we're going or something. Maybe it is that I'm sensing a change in him. He's no longer seeking out things to do like he used to not long ago; if not given something to do, he will just spend his time reading comics. There's been a change and I somehow didn't see it until right now that the change was a signal to a developmental change going on. He likes to be included, he likes to be able to do things that make him independent. I'm going to have to keep this in mind as I plan things from now on!
It's hit me that I've fallen into just trying to get him to cover some work. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I've lost the vision, I've lost sight of what I'm working towards. If I just want work for him, I could just get the school texts and hand them over and say, "Here, read this and this and that." Or I could use the Ambleside curriculum and just "get him educated' and develop work habits.
But here's the thing: I love Montessori. I may not have known how to make it work with the schooling situation we had in the house the past several years, but I love Montessori. I believe it is better for my son to learn to explore and question and think and have the freedom (within limits) that the Montessori method offers. When I get into "gotta get work done" mode, I lose the essence of Montessori. Am I making any sense? I'm tired; it's probably showing.
I was just reading this article from the Montessori for Everyone site, as well as checking out the Hershey Montessori school site. I love what these two sites have to say. Is my son still at the 6-12 level, I don't know. But surely it can't do any harm to pick an element or two to start incorporating into our days? Just today, he asked specifically for spaghetti for supper. I said we could, it changed my plans, and I wanted him to help me. He was quite happy to! Wouldn't this be a wonderful thing, for him to develop skill and confidence in the kitchen at the age of 12? He can make some things on his own, but this idea of really working on kids being self-sufficient at this age, rather than a focus of more academics, is really catching me. (He also told me that he didn't have anymore clean underwear. I told him to bring his laundry down to the washing machine. There wasn't any grumbling or anything, he was quite happy to sort his clothes into the washer, fill the cup, get it going...)
He does enjoy the books I find from the library, and he's amenable to doing math and handwriting practice (when I have him do it), but there's been a core element missing. That vision of where we're going or something. Maybe it is that I'm sensing a change in him. He's no longer seeking out things to do like he used to not long ago; if not given something to do, he will just spend his time reading comics. There's been a change and I somehow didn't see it until right now that the change was a signal to a developmental change going on. He likes to be included, he likes to be able to do things that make him independent. I'm going to have to keep this in mind as I plan things from now on!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)