on-line store closing

I have NOT checked this out closely - at first glance it seemed too good to be true. There's a store on-line that is going out of business, and they sell Montessori materials and other quality toys. littlecitykids.com

Trying something new

I was inspired by Sara's designated "school time" that I thought I would try it with dd and ds. Because our "work area" is in the basement, it makes it kind of hard for me to present new work to dd when ds(20 mo.) is interested. I've only done it twice so far, but so far so good. Dd loves "school time." We have also started out with the silence game, which I was not sure how she would do, but she really took to it. I then move both kiddos to the island in the kitchen. I first give ds something to work on (puzzle, shape sorting, coloring, etc.), then I present new work to dd. So far I am convinced that this is the way for us. I have discovered that dd's writing/tracing skills are further along than I thought. I plan to have 4-5 "school" things for us to work on each morning. Hopefully, this will spark more interest in dd to spend more time in the work area during ds's pm nap.

things we have done:
tracing practice (shapes)
tracing name
red knobless cylinders
blue knobless cylinders
review of /a/ sound
tracing "a"

thanks Sara!!!

other resources...

I admit I haven't checked these out yet, but here are links to 3 new Montessori videos on YouTube.

12 minute intro.

elementary video

benefits of Montessori

Also, MontessoriForEveryone has a blog that's worth reading. If you haven't already read it, she recently posted an article about homeschooling with Montessori that I thought was well written.

examples of our beginning schedule

I'll take a moment to describe what we've been doing in "school." There have been 6 days so far that the boys have heard me shake a tambourine - their signal that I'm ready - and have taken a seat on a rug in the classroom. We usually begin with the "silence game" to calm down. We close our eyes and listen. When I make a noise with a percussion instrument, they open their eyes and list all the things that they heard. Most of the time the main thing they hear is their little brother playing in the other room! They also hear things like traffic down the high way, geese flying over head, or perhaps the washing machine.

We review classroom rules and basic grace and courtesy items such as: sitting down & getting up from a chair at a desk; using and rolling up work rugs; saying "hello" and "goodbye" with eye contact; asking if you can watch someone else do their work. Then I do some presentations for the 3yo (always watched with interest by the 5yo,) then 1-2 presentations for the 5yo, and then I work on letter sounds (aka "pink reading activities") with the 3yo. I try to end with hugs! All in all, it's only about 10 minutes that I'm actually in the room with them. Of course it takes a lot more time than that to plan activities and get presentations set up!

Presentations so far for the 3yo:

using a hole punch
transferring water by sponge squeezing
putting clothes pins on a box (2 sizes to clarify "big", "small")
name tracing
transferring pom poms to an ice cube tray with tongs
putting rubber bands on a peg board (the 5yo loves this)
dry pouring beans
transferring colored water with a large baster
flipping lids with a pancake turner
hammering golf tees into clay
dusting
table setting and table matters, including rolling napkins & using napkin rings
passing sharp objects
transferring water with an eye dropper
brown stairs (5yo additionally measured them with a ruler)
sandpaper letters & numbers - reviewing 3 each day
red box of knobless cylinders ("narrow", "wide")
large button dressing frame
salt tray for tracing letters and numbers
pasting (I've tried school glue bottles & glue sticks without success. Eventually they are too tempting to misuse! So I got this bottle and it works great. Also got these for them to use as mosaics for patterning.)

Recent presentations for the 5yo:

shoe lacing (he learned to tie last month)
plant care including leaf washing
capitalization of proper nouns
stamp game
Hundred board review
grinding with a mortar & pestle (egg shells so far, though I'm looking for other things to use.)
pasting

Also, a typing program on the computer.

As soon as I get a chance, I have binders ready for him to begin narrating to me about books he has read as well as a Book of Centuries. Ahhh, if only there were more hours to each day!

learning-room pics

(sara):


Below is a photo of some recently-emptied shelves, ready to hold new activities! I am doing 3-4 new presentations each morning after breakfast, and so far it is going over very well. When all the shelves are full once again, I will begin replacing the trays that aren't getting used.

Below, from left to right: squaring chains (a math activity) which got partially hung on top of our picture family tree, recently-emptied cubes, small & large - I'm considering using the large ones for continent kits this spring, a rack for puzzles and the violin up high and out-of-reach! and the closet where I store things for the future. There's a 24-pocket shoe holder on the door that I'm currently using for things like miscellaneous 3-part-cards and flashcards.

what next?

(Sara): Hi, all, and Happy New Year!

Here at our home it seems I've been spending a lot of time trying to catch up from the holidays (which included 8 days back home), finding places to put new things, and just keeping up with the daily necessities. I have been spending time getting ready to "start school" - for lack of a better phrase - with my 3 & 5 year olds. I continue to clean & reorganize our classroom, purchase some last minute items, and make lesson plans.

I think we'll be ready in a couple days. I intend to focus on teaching my 3yo the "Montessori Rules" - keeping quiet, being respectful of his brother's work, only choosing materials he's been shown by me, and putting away his work when he is finished. I will be presenting 2-4 new activities each morning for a while, mostly practical life to start out with. Although my 5yo is mostly beyond many of the activities, I think he will enjoy watching them and trying some, to fill in "gaps" from his own formation. When I started with him 2 years ago, I didn't present activities in as timely or orderly a fashion as I'm prepared to do now with #2.

My 3yo has much room for improvement when it comes to self-control. As I witnessed with my 1st son, I look forward to watching him concentrate on work that he finds interesting, which naturally results in better self-esteem as well as self-control. He is ready, and I am trying to be, too! I'll post some of my lesson plans as time continues...