Our Montessori Chronicles

Hammering Activity

2009-07-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Our new Just Hammer Away! Shape Set was popular today. The corkboard is a little flimsy so I taped it onto a tray for sturdiness. I made the sample cards to give the kids ideas on what can be made with the different wood shapes available, and also reminded them that there are many other possibilities. CC and Enzo both enjoyed the hammering. They initially had a difficult time removing the nails (actually pushpins), but they quickly learned to press the wood piece against another piece to push the nail out enough and allow them to pull the rest of the nail out.

Below is Carissa making a flower and Enzo making a smiley face.

RJ also tried the activity today. He didn’t follow any of the sample cards, instead nailed random pieces throughout the corkboard. When it was time to put the activity away he quickly got discouraged when he couldn’t remove the nails.

We're back!

2009-06-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe how long it’s been since our last update! I figured I would take a few days off after RJ’s birthday party but it turned into a very long vacation from our blog. I apologize to my handful of readers for being away for so long. I have sure missed posting but things were a bit hectic for a while and it took me some time to get back into the swing of blogging…

Although I haven’t gotten around to posting all this time, we have maintained our weekday routine. Our ”school class sessions” are Monday through Thursday in the late mornings, where we spend 1-1/2 to 2-1/2hours (depending on what kind of mood the kids are in). We don’t have formal class time on Fridays, instead we visit our local library for pre-school story time, a craft, and each of the kids gets to check out one book for the week. After the library, we visit one of the local parks on the way home. We have quite a few parks to choose from so the kids enjoy visiting the different playgrounds and also seem to get pretty excited about what snacks I pack for us.

A lot has gone on in the classroom since our last post but since I cannot manage to cover everything, here are some of the highlights...

RJ received THIS stringing/beading set for his birthday, and it has been a fun addition to the shelves. Initially the boys would get sidetracked and start racing cars throughout the classroom (instead of stringing), but now they enjoy stringing and parking all the cars back in the basket without too much distraction.Another activity that has been enjoyed the last few weeks is a water transfer activity using a turkey baster. This is the first water activity that I have made available for the kids indoors so I was a bit nervous about the possible spills but it has turned out well. Enzo is trying if for the first time in the picture below.

I originally thought this activity would only be for CC and Enzo, but RJ was very adamant about trying it the day I introduced it. This was during a rough few days of teething for RJ so I mostly gave in to avoid more weeping. Although I was expecting RJ to spill water, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn’t too much.
Language materials have also recently been added to the classroom. I decided to follow the method used by My Montessori Journey, a wonderful blog written by a Montessori preschool teacher. This blog is very well organized and is great at thoroughly explaining many Montessori activities. Anyhow, her language system which divides the alphabet letters into three groups is explained on THIS POST. We are currently learning the red letters and are working on “r” and “m”. Here is a sample of the sandpaper letters and little sound books that I made.
Here is CC showing the front of the little “m” sound book and saying “mmm”.On the picture below you can see CC writing the letter “r” with her finger on a sand tray (our version of the sand tray is actually a zen garden that I purchased at a yard sale for $1). In the background of the picture you can see RJ on the floor. On this particular day he laid around a lot while chewing on his blanket to sooth the teething)
In addition to having the letter/sound materials available in the classroom for the kids, we are also regularly reading the “My Sound Box” books that I found at the library. These books have been a good way to reinforce the sounds that we are learning in the classroom outside of the classroom setting.

CC has known the alphabet letters for some time now. She easily learned the sounds and was interested in writing before she turned three (pre-Montessori). She now sort of legibly writes most of the alphabet but only in Upper Case. Although she already knows the sounds, our new language materials have introduced an opportunity for her to learn the lower case letters and how to correctly write each letter. Enzo currently only recognizes a few of the letters of the alphabet so I am looking forward to finding out how our new language activities help him learn sounds.

The last picture I will share today is one of all three kids actively working on their own. RJ is practicing pouring with teacups, Enzo is working on THIS counting puzzle (which he has improved on), and CC is working with numbers and counters. I love to see all three kids actively involved with their work. There aren’t very many of these moments when the classroom is actually quiet…

RJ turns TWO!

2009-06-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so RJ has been two for a month now. I wrote this post then but didn’t get around to posting it until now (I've been on a blogging vacation)... Anyhow...

RJ had a wonderful birthday. His birthday was on a Friday and we did our usual Friday routine of attending story time at the library and visiting one of the local parks. The kids and I visit the playground at the park next door almost daily. But RJ’s birthday was a treat for them because we visited a much larger playground with swings, 5 slides to choose from and a rock climbing wall. I guess it was a usual Friday but we did mention the fact that is was RJ’s birthday throughout the day, we sang Happy Birthday to him and RJ practiced saying that he is now Two years old.

In the evening, Grandma brought over pizza, chicken and a delicious ice cream birthday cake.

On Saturday, we continued RJ’s birthday celebration with over seventy of our family members and friends.

It was a great party! More birthday party pictures can be found HERE.

Update

2009-05-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted in a while but we are still here! RJ will be turning two on Friday and I’ve been busy with all the preparations for his upcoming birthday party. We are blessed with a large family and many great friends so our kids’ birthday parties turn into large celebrations with a full house. For the last week, my evenings have been full with party planning details. CC and RJ are excited about the birthday party and have enjoyed shopping for goodies and candy to fill the piñata. Tonight, we enjoyed trying on party hats!Our daily routine has continued… The kids are all doing well in the classroom. CC seems to be ready for more challenging work so I am looking forward to introducing her to a few materials that I have recently ordered. RJ still eagerly begins work in the classroom but needs encouragement when he is easily distracted. A positive note is that RJ is starting to recognize some letters/sounds. I haven’t formally presented him with any letters but he must be absorbing while quietly watching CC work on sounds. He is starting to recognize the letters “m”, “r” and “f”.

This is Enzo’s fourth week with us, and as expected he is fitting right in. He looks forward to our class time and aside from easily being distracted (must be a boy thing) he has adjusted well to our classroom and home environment.

Mother’s Day Crafts

2009-05-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

In preparation for Mother’s Day, we worked on mother’s day crafts today. With help, the kids made Pop-Up Flower Garden Cards. Detailed instructions can be found HERE. I prepared the cards and cut out the flowers and the kids glued everything together. CC worked on a card for Grandma and Nana, and Enzo worked on a card for his mom. RJ started working on a card for Abuela but I had to finish it because he lost interest about half way through.
We also made some simple tissue paper flowers, I found the idea on this website. CC and Enzo each worked on three flowers. They initially had a difficult time twisting the stems but eventually got the hang of it. RJ tried making one flower but quickly lost interest and decided he would watch instead.

The kids were very proud of the final product=)

Hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day!

El Día de Los Niños/El Día de los Libros

2009-05-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

El Día de Los Niños (Children’s Day)/El Día de los Libros (Book Day), a day that celebrates literacy in children, was on Thursday, April 30th. Since I didn’t write it down on my calendar, I completely forgot about this day until this post reminded me about this great children’s holiday. I didn’t want to lose an opportunity to celebrate a special day with the kids (and since they wouldn’t know the difference), I decided to celebrate a day late.

When CC and RJ woke up I told them that Friday was a special day and that it was going to be a day full of fun and celebration of children and books. And when Enzo joined us, we informed him about our fun day planed. Just knowing that Friday was a special day put the kids in an extra good mood.

Generally, we don’t have class time on Fridays, we take the morning off from “school work” and spend time at the library instead… Our usual Friday activity was a perfect way to kick off Children’s/Book day. The kids enjoyed the “Fire Engines” themed story time and craft that was planed for that day.

I also took advantage of the kids’ joyful mood to suggest that we borrow Spanish books from the library that day. The kids happily followed me away from this brightly decorated, children’s section of the libraryto this very isolated corner of the library where the Spanish children’s books are found.

The two partially filled shelves of books with the red labels makes up the entire Spanish books collection found at our local library. A little sad for a mom that is trying to encourage her children to borrow more Spanish books during our weekly library visits. Anyhow, the kids each managed to find a book to take home. CC chose El Libro Magico de Lupe, a fun pull the tab book, RJ chose a favorite Tomás y Sus Amigos, and Enzo found the one misplaced English book on the shelves, an Elmo book about Firefighters. Not in Spanish, but at least it followed the theme of story time.

After the library, I took the kids to a different playground than the one we usually visit. The kids had a great time exploring the different, larger playground, and I enjoyed taking many pictures. Those interested can view more pictures HERE.

After the playground, our children’s/book day celebration continued with baking tasty cookies, reading the library books, riding battery operated vehicles outside, and barbecuing for dinner. I would have more pictures but all the picture taking at the playground drained the battery on my camera and I wasn’t able to take pictures of the rest of our busy day.

Lock & Key Activity

2009-04-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

This lock and key activity was new in the classroom today. I purchased the locks at Dollar Tree, $1 each.
I color coded the activity since the keys are so similar in size. Once the kids get the hang of it, I plan to remove the stickers and hope that they are able find the correct key by trial and error. I also plan to change the way the activity is presented once it loses its novelty. I introduced this activity to CC, RJ and Enzo as a group because I knew they would all be interested in working on it first. Once they each practiced working on one of the locks and keys, I told them that the activity would be available on the shelf so that they would all have an opportunity to try all three of the locks. You can see CC working with the locks and keys below.
They all enjoyed working on the new activity today. RJ had a difficult time getting one of the locks to close but I think he will improve with practice.

Another activity the kids enjoyed today was riding stick ponies after class today. (Thanks grandma=)

Home School Chronicle – Not in the mood for class

2009-04-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Today got off to a normal start like any other “school day”. The kids had fun singing songs during rug time and eagerly started their individual work. CC worked on a geometric shapes activity, Enzo was beading with a needle, and RJ practiced pouring.
However, soon after starting their activities I noticed that the kids weren’t really in the mood for work today. CC was getting discouraged and kept saying “I can’t” (to simple tasks that she can normally complete). RJ spilled pasta and did not want to pick it up. And Enzo quickly lost interest in the beading, which he normally patiently completes. There have been days when one of the kids is disinterested in class but with a little encouragement and extra attention those days usually work themselves out. But since all three kids seemed to be in cahoots today I decided to cut our class session short and head to the park.

A windy day was also a perfect opportunity for some kite flying. The kids had fun taking turns holding the kite, watching it fall and yelling “Fly Dora, fly”.

The kids also had fun singing “Ring around the rosie”.

Renaissance Faire

2009-04-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, our family had a fun day at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. We all enjoyed all the costumes, shows, games and tasty food! And of course there was a lot of picture taking…Dad, Grandmas, Abuelos and anyone interested can view more pictures HERE.

CC's Last Soccer Saturday

2009-04-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today was CC’s last soccer class. It was a noncompetitive class that typically involved learning drills and fun soccer activities. Although, during the last couple of classes the kids were split up into two teams and they played a “game”. Or as best a game that can be played by three year olds. It was very entertaining to watch all the children trying to make sense of the game rules.

The last time the kids played a game CC did not enjoy the experience. She did not want to run for the ball and she sat out most of the game. By the way, she wasn’t the only one that did not truly enjoy the game; there were other kids that shed tears when they weren’t able to get the ball or make a goal.

Here are pictures from today’s class. She was in a better mood and (with a little gummy bear candy enticement) she did great during the game. She did not score any goals but she got an “A” for effort. Mom and Dad were very proud!

RJ works on Color Sorting

2009-04-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

This is a video of RJ, an impatient 23-month old, working on a color sorting activity (one that CC uses tongs with). Up until today, RJ would randomly place the pom poms without seeming to be aware of the colors. Today, I noticed that he was attempting to name the colors while picking up the pom poms so I decided to join him. I started by placing one pom pom of each color in the cups and he quickly caught on. I didn’t think about getting the camera until we were almost done, so by the time I started recording you will notice that he is distracted and more interested in showing off for the camera than on the activity. But I decided to post it anyway because I think Dad would enjoy watching.

Home School Chronicle – Earth Day

2009-04-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a bit of a hectic day. All four kids were all wound up and picked on each other a few times. It also took a while for CC, Enzo and Lo to settle down and actually be ready to enter the classroom. RJ mostly watched all the commotion but also had an off day.

Eventually we made it to the classroom where we first had to work through a disagreement that started when everyone wanted to use the same maraca for our rug time songs. After singing we learned about Earth day. I didn’t go into too much detail about the earth. I read a book about the earth and we went over ways that we can help take care of the earth, “our home” and keep it clean.

During the rest of the class session, there were a few distractions, but the kids eventually settled down and I was able to capture all the kid absorbed in individual work!
Lo is working on foam beading, RJ is filling the bank with (plastic) coins, CC is comfortably working on a number/counting puzzle, and Enzo is hammering.

After class today, the kids worked on an earth day activity. Here are the finished products.

I got the idea and earth template here. However, instead of gluing construction paper cut outs as recommended I decided to have the kids paint. The idea was to use green paint for the land and blue paint for the sea but everyone ended up just mixing the two colors together. Nice effect I think. The hands are cutouts of each child’s actual hand print.

Home School Chronicle-Introducing “Enzo”

2009-04-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

Meet Enzo!
Enzo is a new “student” to our home school. He is almost three years old and is new to the Montessori environment. Today was actually his second day in the classroom but I did not get a chance to post about his first day last week. On his first, we spent most of our classroom time in orientation mode introducing Enzo to “rug time” and the classroom basics (learning how to roll a place mat, how to carry work to and from the shelves, classroom rules...). I haven’t encouraged any specific activities for Enzo yet, I have been mostly observing to learn more about him. He seems to know most of his colors but not his numbers or letters yet so I am looking forward to what’s ahead.

Here are a few of today’s highlights.

Enzo worked on this color sorting activity for the first time today. I think he was initially drawn to the actual toys but quickly understood the concept of color sorting and he named most of the colors correctly. Enzo had a hard time maneuvering the tongs and would use his free hand to place the toy in the tongs. I did have to persuade him to continue to try using only the tongs but it wasn’t until CC volunteered to show Enzo how she uses the tongs that he got the hang of it. I guess her demonstration was more successful than mine.

This next picture really put a smile on my face.

All three kids were very focused on their work! RJ is practicing pasta pouring, CC is beading foam beads with a (plastic) needle, and Enzo is working on a pasta spooning/transferring activity.

Seeing RJ correctly match the colored pencils and erasers for the first time also put a smile on my face. Last week, RJ would quickly place random erasers on the colored pencils and be done with the activity. But today, he actually took his time and matched all the colors! He is also starting to correctly name some of the colors.

The kids and I usually have two or three Spanish days a week but we have not had one in two weeks because I didn’t want to overwhelm our new friends (Lo and Enzo). I am now starting to gradually re-introduce Spanish into our days and after lunch today we had ‘Spanish music time’. After lunch we watched one of CC and RJ’s favorites, Cantamos y Aprendemos con José-Luis Orozco. When I play this DVD CC and RJ grab some instruments and like to dance and sing along. Enzo, just watched us for the first couple of songs but then decided to join the fun. They were parading around the living room.

A general note on “Practical Life” activities / message to Enzo’s parents:
The practical life activities that you will see Enzo working on may seem simple, however activities like pouring, using tongs, spooning and the delicate handling of materials are designed to help with concentration, hand-eye coordination, small muscle control... These exercises are also preparatory for further activities to come, including the handling of a pencil that will be needed for writing in the future. I hope you enjoy getting a glimpse at what your son is up to!

No class today, Mom has a “day off”

2009-04-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well I sort of had a day off… I had to report for Jury Duty on Monday. Although I missed my kids, I did enjoy some reading and relaxing in the jury assembly room. I especially enjoyed a rare uninterrupted lunch today. Plus, I got to do some shopping at Ikea and the grocery store, and I was home by 5:30! I had forgotten how quick and easy shopping can be without two little ones in tow. I didn’t have to get two kids in and out of car seats, distribute snacks, resolve conflicts or stop for potty breaks...

CC and RJ got to spend a fun day with Dad, who managed to get both kids dressed, fed, and out of the house (impressive=). Dad said that RJ was “an angel” today but CC not so much. She tried to complicate things in the morning by requesting that Dad comb her hair into three ponytails and wanted to wear a pull-up (she has been out of diapers for a year). I guess eventually he convinced her not to wear a pull-up and they were able to leave the house to visit with Grandma and Great-Grandma today! I’m sure the kids had a wonderful time with Dad and Grandma today, but when I arrive back at home I found a sad looking wild-haired CC and an emotional RJ. Awww, I missed them!

Spill the Beans!

2009-04-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this earlier in the week but did not get around to it until now… During Wednesday’s class session RJ accidently spilled the pasta from a pouring activity all over the floor. After we cleaned up the pasta I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring out a new sweeping practical life activity. My kids usually help me clean up their crumbs in the kitchen using a lightweight cordless vacuum; however, I think it is a good idea that they also learn how to use a brush and dustpan. I got the idea from this post at My Montessori Journey.
Since RJ’s spill got the attention of CC and Lo, I decided to present it as a group activity and it turned into a fun game for the kids. I demonstrated the process first and then CC, RJ and Lo took turns sweeping. They first spilled the beans from the container onto the tray (the kids would say “oh no, I spilled the beans”). The goal is to sweep all the beans in the square, so that they can then more easily sweep the beans onto the dustpan (not an easy task for any of the kids initially). And eventually all the beans get poured back in the container.

During the activity, Lo decided to taste a bean and said that he likes to eat beans but these tasted different. CC then told him that we don’t eat the beans in the classroom because they aren’t cooked yet. All the talk about eating beans led to a change in the lunch menu. We all enjoyed bean and cheese burritos for lunch that day. Yumm!

Home School Chronicle – Lo visits the classroom

2009-04-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

A new “student” joined our home school today! Our viisiting student recently turned four years old, is new to Montessori education and will be known as ‘Lo’ on this blog (what RJ calls him since he is not able to pronounce his real name). I am not sure how long Lo will be joining us, but I decided to introduce him to our classroom since I will be caring for him on three days this week (during our normal class time hours).

During our rug time Lo enjoyed playing the maracas and eagerly joined the singing of unfamiliar songs, even the Spanish ones! After our rug time we gave Lo a mini-tour of our classroom and CC helped me go over some of our classroom rules.

The first activity that Lo chose to work on was the transfer/spooning of pasta. Initially, Lo did taste the pasta and said that he was going to mix it and take some to CC and RJ. But after I explained the activity and a gave him quick demonstration, Lo easily completed the task with only a few spills.
The activity that CC is smiling at below is new. It is a very simple color pencils and erasers matching activity that I had in mind to help RJ work on his colors. Unexpectedly, it was more appealing to CC and Lo today.

Another new activity this week is THIS self-correcting counting puzzle (it retails for $12, but I purchased it at 'Ross' for half the price) . The puzzle counts to 20, but I thought I would keep it simple and only used the numbers 1 through 5 today, I will be gradually adding more numbers. CC has worked on this puzzle outside of the classroom in a more playful setting and she would quickly lose interest. However, today she completed the puzzle a number of times...

...before getting distracted with the new boy in class. You can also see RJ in the background. He did not show much interest in Lo and kept busy (mostly) working on his own work today.

After observing Lo for a while CC did get back to her own work and completed a number of activities but always seemed to be alert to what Lo was doing in the classroom. And when she saw that Lo was not working on an activity correctly she made sure to let him know.

On a side note… Lo did complete the spindles/pencils counting activity but did not seem to have a good understanding of the number zero, so the spindle activity was a great opportunity for him to learn about the number zero.

Overall, I feel that Lo did well in the classroom and enjoyed working on many activities. He did seem to want to rush through activities so that he could move on to the next one. And he did not repeat any one activity in particular. I believe this might be the case because our classroom set up is new to him (he normally attends a traditional preschool). I am curious to find out how the next couple of days go.

After our class session the three kids and I enjoyed playing outside, blowing bubbles, coloring, drawing and chalk writing.

Later Tuesday evening…

The following has nothing to do with home school or Lo’s first day, but since I also took these pictures today, I thought I would share them as well (and I know Dad will enjoy them).

CC and RJ started a gymnastics class three weeks ago. CC has taken this class in the past and she is loving it as usual, and RJ is adapting well. He does get distracted now and then, but his attention span is improving each week.

Here is CC on the low balance beam while RJ patiently waits his turn. RJ loved crawling through the tunnel part of today's obstacle course.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend was full of excitement for CC and RJ... Our weekend included two egg hunts, egg decorating, an Easter celebration with family, and lots of candy!

CC and I decorated eggs while Dad took RJ out for some ‘boys’ time.
CC was very proud of our final product.

On Sunday morning CC and RJ were excited to finally open their baskets.

Hunting for eggs.

Look at our baskets!

The kids help with housework

2009-04-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted in the last couple of days because we did not have official class sessions until today. And today was a short session because we had a pediatrician appointment to get to. Anyhow, we spent the last couple of days running errands around town and doing some spring cleaning in CC and RJ’s rooms. It was time to clear the closet of clothes that CC and RJ have outgrown, and the kids also needed a refresher on toy organization.

Before learning about Montessori education, I will admit that most of my house cleaning happened while the kids were playing in another room or watching television. Although my kids have always been eager to try to help me, I used to find distractions for them so that I could get things done faster. Now Post-Montessori, I don’t necessarily go out of my way and suggest that my kids help me with housework, but if they say they want to help then I try to find a way to include them. Yes, everything takes longer to complete but the kids get such joy out of helping that it’s definitely worth it. Plus, they are learning to be more responsible for their rooms rather than having me pick up after them. Here are a few of this week's highlights…

While cleaning their rooms, CC and RJ (mostly CC) helped me with sorting clothes and organizing toys and books. CC practiced folding clothes, and when RJ would get distracted and try to start playing with CC, she would say, “RJ, it’s not playtime it’s cleaning time”.

CC and RJ now help take out the trash by taking out the recycle trashcan. We talk about what is recyclable and what isn’t. It takes a long time but they seem to like the challenge of getting all the recyclables in the tall trashcan.

This week, CC also started helping keep their small dining table clean. I filled a small spray bottle with non-toxic cleaner (which I watered down to be extra safe), and she now sprays and wipes down the table after messy meals.

All the organizing lately has even influenced CC to start organizing her refrigerator alphabet letters.

She likes to keep her letters lined up by color… they stay that way until RJ comes around.

Home School Chronicle – Class time, then off to the Strawberry Patch we go.

2009-04-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

After an eventful weekend, the kids and I made it back to the classroom today. I brought some of February’s activities back out to the shelves and CC and RJ were immediately drawn to them. After Rug Time, both CC and RJ dashed to the shiny spooning-transfer activity below. Thankfully, RJ quickly found something else to work on when I reminded him that he had to choose an activity from his shelf first. You can tell from the picture that CC needs some brushing up on her spoon transferring skills. RJ is working on a foam puzzle that he struggled with just a few weeks ago, but now enjoys often.

RJ then moved on to some hammering.

But as soon as CC put the spooning-transfer activity back on the shelf he decided to give it a try. He did much better than I anticipated.

The color sorting activity that CC is working on is the first Montessori inspired material I made. Except for the pom poms (which I purchased for $1), I used all recycled materials. It was made with the white box that packaged a case of water bottles, small apple sauce cups, and a larger container that used to hold rice pudding. CC enjoyed finding it on her shelf after not seeing it for over a month.

I must have been a little distracted because I almost missed the fact that RJ seems to be getting better at color sorting. He normally just randomly places the small toys in the compartments with his hands. But today he grabbed the tongs from another activity and got most of the colors sorted correctly=)

After today’s class session, the kids and I went to a local strawberry patch to pick some fresh delicious strawberries. The last time we were there, RJ was much younger and didn’t do any strawberry picking, but today CC and RJ both had a great time filling their own containers.

Soccer Saturday

2009-04-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

CC is enrolled in a soccer class on Saturday mornings. It is the first class that she has been able to take with Dad and they are both really enjoying it. Since the class is only for three to four year olds RJ is not able to join his sister, but we all go to the park anyway and make a fun family morning out of it. I usually try to keep RJ distracted and busy at the playground or watching other kids play basketball, another sport he would love to join but can’t yet=(.

After unsuccessful attempts at joining CC and Dad for some soccer drills, he found something else to do today. He started lining up all of the scattered cones. His own little Montessori inspired activity!

Once he lined up all the cones, he then moved them from one area to another…

After organizing all of the short cones he moved on to the large cones. (Please excuse the video quality, it was taken with my phone). By the way, he continued organizing the cones but I ran out of memory on my phone.

I wouldn't have guessed that RJ had the patience to complete something like this. I guess our Montessori activities are rubbing off on him after all!

Recommended Home Pre-School Books

2009-04-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years, by Elizabeth B. Hainstock
This was the first Montessori book I read and would recommend it as a good starting point for those new to Montessori. It is a short easy read that is not overloaded with too much Montessori information which can sometimes be overwhelming.

Montessori Play and Learn: A Parents' Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six, by Lesley Britton
Also a good introduction to the Montessori Method. The first half of the book would actually be good reading for all parents in general. It covers the importance of the role of the parent in the development of their children. It also offers good suggestions on how to make your home more child-friendly.

Montessori: A Modern Approach, by Paula Polk Lillard
A good book if you are interested in more in depth reading of the Montessori approach. Not technically ‘modern’ since it was written many years ago. However, the Montessori method hasn’t changed since, so this book still applies today.

By the way, I found all of these books at our local library. I would suggest visiting a library and browsing through their collection of books in the subject. The library has been a great resource for me. Something I recently learned is that if my local library doesn’t have a book I need, I can request it and they will borrow a copy from another county library. I then get an email when the book arrives. How convenient!

Home School Chronicle – Productive Tuesday

2009-04-01T23:07:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a very productive day in class (I know, I’m a little behind). It was our first day back in class after four days off so the kids were eager to enter the classroom. You will notice that our classroom doesn’t have typical Montessori materials. There are so many great materials that I wish I could have available for CC and RJ, unfortunately purchasing pricey Montessori materials is not in our budget at the moment. So I’ve had to get creative. Here are some of the activities CC and RJ worked on.

After an extra jolly and musical rug time, CC first chose to work on my version of the Spindles Activity. THIS is a description of a typical Spindle Box and its function. Ours is not so much a box with compartments and has pencils instead of spindles, but it still serves its purpose. CC usually likes to work on this activity together, however today she pulled it out and worked on it correctly all by herself=).

Here is a close up of the box. To make this box, I cut down and resized a larger cardboard box, cut out the openings and wrapped the box with the brown paper (left over painter’s roll). The cylinders are cut from a roll that our ‘Rug Time’ rug was wrapped around. All the materials needed were found around the house, I only had to purchase the pencils so the total cost of this activity was $3.

After watching CC work on the Spindles for a while RJ chose to work on the Bowl of Clothespins. This activity is meant to help with fine muscle control and strengthens the three finger grip. You’ll notice that there are numbers in the bowl. This is not necessarily Montessorian but I added the numbers to give CC an extra challenge when she chooses this activity from RJ’s shelf. When CC works on this activity she clips the clothespins in numerical order while saying the numbers out loud.

Here is CC working on a Color Sorting activity. CC completes this activity using tongs very easily. I have been trying to work on colors with RJ, but he still does not show much interest in sorting by color. The tongs aren’t available for RJ with this activity, when he works on this activity he uses his hands to randomly place the small toys in the compartments.

This Coins In the Bank activity is very simple, but RJ and CC both like it. You can see how much RJ focuses on this picture. RJ repeated this activity a number of times before moving on. When CC works on this activity she tries to name the coins out loud. Although she still doesn’t quite understand the value of money, she is learning the difference between quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies.

I have been thinking about removing this shape sorting activity because it has been ignored lately, but I recently added the blindfold to help CC work on her sense of touch. It is going well, so this activity will get to stay in the classroom a few more weeks.

After CC and RJ got a little distracted and had some fun blindfolding each other I suggested that they do one more activity before ending class. CC chose to cut paper and as usual RJ joined her. CC’s cutting is improving while RJ doesn’t yet have the hang of it. I also just noticed on this picture that he was cutting with his right hand... RJ is left-handed. That reminds me, I need to go out and find some left handed toddler scissors.

We usually end our class session by reading some books. On this day we read the latest issue of Little Kids National Geographic. This is such a cute toddler magazine designed for three to six year olds. CC gets excited when it arrives in the mail.

Here is a peak at one of the activities found in this issue which helped CC practice on Sounds. RJ doesn’t know letters yet but he enjoyed pointing to the animals that CC named. I would highly recommend this magazine.

"Rug Time" (Circle Time)

2009-03-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

In our home, we usually have Class Time after breakfast. Before we enter the classroom we go over some of the rules (i.e., no yelling, no running, put work back on the shelf…). We then always start our class sessions with “Rug Time”. CC suggested the name after watching it on one of her favorite shows, Sid the Science Kid. This is our Rug Time area.

Our Rug Time consists mostly of singing songs with maracas. It is mostly CC and I who do the singing but RJ’s singing/mumbling is slowly starting to improve. You’ll notice that everything in the Rug Time area is in English and in Spanish. We do sing all of the songs in both languages.

Although, CC and RJ can’t read yet, I still want to have this area for them so that they can become familiar with the calendar, the days of the week and the months of the year. As we progress, I plan to change and add Rug Time activities. Here is a close up of The Calendar/El Calendario and the Days of the Week/Los Días de la Semana.

We begin at the Calendar where CC moves the clear yellow marker to highlight the date. We then sing the following song as we point to the days on the calendar. The underlined blanks are changed accordingly. (Both are sort of to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Yesterday was ____day, ____day, ____day,
Yesterday was ___day all day long.
But today is ____day, ____day, ____day
Today is ______day all day long.
Tomorrow will be ____day, ____day, ____day
Tomorrow will be _____day all day long.
But today is ____day, ____day, ____day,
Today is ____day all day long.

Ayer fue Domingo, Domingo, Domingo
Ayer fue Domingo todo el día.
Pero ahora es Lunes, Lunes, Lunes,
Ahora es Lunes todo el día.
Mañana sera Martes, Martes, Martes
Mañana sera Martes todo el día.
Pero ahora es Lunes, Lunes, Lunes,
Ahora es Lunes todo el día.

We then, go over the days of the week/los dias de la semana. Although CC can’t read she is usually able to figure out each day by sounding out the first letter. These are the songs we sing:

(to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine")

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Wednesday,Thursday, Friday, Saturday.There are seven days, there are seven days,There are seven days in the week.(repeat)

(to the tune of “The Addams Family")
Siete dias (clap clap)
Siete dias (clap clap)
Siete dias. Siete dias
En la semana(clap clap)
Domingo, Lunes
Martes, Miércoles,
Jueves, Viernes,
y Sábado. (repeat)

After we go over the days of the week, we move on to the months of the year/los meses del año. I’ve changed the months of year board a few times to try to find a way that CC and RJ can best understand the concept and relate the months to familiar events. The close up picture below shows the current layout, which seems to be working well. CC loves birthdays and can read ‘mom’, ‘dad’, ‘rj’ and her name so that’s why I chose to include our family's birthdays and those funny cakes. I included the snowman and train in January because CC and RJ had a memorable snow day and a fun family train trip that month. The rest of the drawings are self explanatory.

We also sing these simple songs to review the months of the year. Both are sort to the tune of “Doe a deer”.

January, February, March, April,
May, June, July,
August, September, October, November, December
Oh, these are the months of the year.
Oh, there are twelve months in a year. (repeat)

Enero, Febrero, Marzo, Abril,
Mayo, Junio, Julio,
Agosto, Septiembre, Octubre, Noviembre, Diciembre.
Son los meses del año. Hay doce meses en un año. (repeat)

After these songs, I often ask CC different questions about the months. (i.e., What month is RJ’s birthday on?, What month is Christmas on?, What month comes after March?...) This typically ends Rug Time since CC and RJ are usually eager to start their work. Although sometimes they ask to sing more songs, so we do!

The ‘Girls’ Have a Fun Day Out

2009-03-28T01:27:00.000-07:00

Not many of my family and friends know this, but I am a huge figure skating fan (living in sunny Southern California, there aren’t very many of us). Today was a great treat when I was lucky enough to find some passes to an official practice session of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at an unbeatable price. Friday, became a last minute day out for “just us girls”, as CC likes call us. We dropped off RJ at grandmas and off we went to watch some figure skating!

Here is CC outside of the L.A. Convention Center
CC enjoyed watching all the skaters, listening to the music and taking pictures.

Although, her favorite part was probably waving to the zamboni driver.

Fun at AdventurePlex

2009-03-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

My parents, sister and brother live about twenty-seven miles away from us, the kids and I visit them about once a week. Today, CC and RJ had an exciting play date with their 6 year old cousin. We all had some fun at AdventurePlex, a children’s fitness center with an open play area that has an enormous indoor play structure. We last visited this facility about five months ago and on that occasion CC and RJ spent most of their time in the toddler area. This time they explored every inch of the structure and had a great time climbing, crawling, jumping, swinging and sliding.

This was the first time CC and RJ both entered a ball pit without being afraid.

We then made it out of the toddler area and into the play structure. Here is RJ sliding and bouncing.

CC's favorite spot was this rope swing.

RJ initially spent his time following CC around (like he usually does at home), but then he started to explore on his own and this is where he ended up. On this picture, you can see CC in the background and can get an idea of the size of the play structure.

We all had a great time at AdventurePlex, especially since we had the whole place to ourselves during most of our visit. I only wish it was closer to our home so that I could take the kids there more often.

Home School Chronicle – Sunflowers and Daisies need water

2009-03-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

As much as I enjoy flowers I don’t have an ounce of a ‘green thumb’, so I am starting small. The kids and I are attempting to grow two tiny flower pots of Daisies and Sunflowers (found in Target’s dollar section). Our goal is to eventually plant them outside and hope they bloom. We had a minor setback… we found a very sad looking sunflower pot in the classroom this morning.

“This is what happens to flowers when they don’t get watered”, was today’s first lesson. It actually looked worst when we found it. The picture above was taken about an hour after it was watered, none of the stems were pointing up this morning. Our sad surprise made CC a little upset but she quickly suggested that we give it water QUICK. Thankfully, the sunflowers seem to be making a recovery.

Today we had a productive short class session since we had a pediatrician appointment to get to in the early afternoon. Here are some of the highlights.

RJ spent quite a bit of time working on a Practical Life pasta pouring activity from CC’s shelf. You can see that not all of the pasta stays in the cups but he really enjoys this activity and doesn’t seem to mind cleaning up with a little encouragement.

CC is working on my version of a Sensorial geometric shapes activity. The wooden shapes are part of a small puzzle that I found in the toy clearance section of Cost Plus World Market. I made the pattern cards by hand with colored pencils. For the last three weeks it has been one of CC’s favorite activities and it cost less than $2! Here is a close up of the cards.

CC & RJ ended our class time at the organ. They hadn’t touched the organ in some time but today they both had fun making music for mom.

Our School Room

2009-03-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Our game room is now our classroom. I am so thankful that we have the space available for CC & RJ to have their own school room. I know we could have managed to hold class time in another area if we didn’t have the space. However, CC has visited a few preschools and was of course drawn to the bright colors, small furniture and toys in the classrooms. She is also very aware that most kids she knows go to daycare or school while their parents are at work. And I don’t want her to think that she is missing out on anything by staying home and not attending “school” like her friends do. She now enjoys telling her friends and family that we have our own classroom at home.

Here are before and after pictures of our classroom. The pool table has been moved to a corner of the room. When we have parties at our home I temporarily store the school furniture in the garage and it becomes a game room again.

Here you can see that our bar now serves as additional storage space in the classroom and placemats have replaced wine bottles.

In our classroom CC & RJ each have their own shelf and work on either the table or on the colored mat (depending on the size of the activity). The Montessori method encourages the use of mats or rugs to give children a physical boundary for their activity. We don’t yet have large rugs to identify their work area when working on the floor, so I have temporarily placed a blue tape boundary line. For the most part they are pretty good about staying on one side of the line and not scattering materials too much. The brown and tan rug is where we have “circle time” at the beginning of each class session. I will go into detail of what our circle time consists of on a future post.

We all enjoy our class time. CC and RJ are doing great and have adapted well to our new routine. Although, it can sometimes be challenging to have a 3-year old and a 22-month old in the same classroom. CC has enjoyed all the different activities and it has been a joy to watch her progress. RJ is doing as well as can be expected from an impatient toddler. He often wants to do what his sister is doing and I find myself constantly redirecting him on some days. He has also enjoyed most of the activities but seems to distract easily as you can see by this picture…

Our Montessori Environment - The Kitchen

2009-03-20T00:55:00.000-07:00

Soon after I started reading about Montessori education I learned that it is not just about what is done in the classroom environment, where my children only spend a couple of hours a day, four to five days a week. I have since made changes to the rest of our home environment as well.

I started with the kitchen where we seem to spend the majority of our time each day. Pre-Montessori, both of my children used highchairs for meals, coloring, and other potentially messy activities. Now, they have the option to dine on their own small table and they love it. I wasn’t too sure about setting up a separate table for them because I prefer that the whole family eats together at the same table. So now we change it up… when it’s just the three of us I sometimes pull up a little chair and join them for meals. Once my husband is home, the kids usually eat at their table while dad and I eat at the regular table not far from them. We’ve kept the highchairs around so they sometimes still use them when they feel like sitting next to mom and dad. Where they eat, is up to them.

There have been other changes in the kitchen. Instead of it being “mom’s kitchen”, it became “our kitchen”. CC and RJ now help with what they can. Depending on the menu, they may help me with meal preparation and they are very good about clearing the table when they are done eating. They now have their own drawer in the kitchen which stores their dishes and utensils. Below is a picture of CC and RJ getting items out of their drawer. They usually ask me what we will be eating to determine if they will need a plate or bowl and a fork or spoon.
Here is a close up of CC and RJ’s drawer. I know the plastic dishes aren’t very montessorian. I have been shopping around for new dishes for them, but have not found the right ones just yet.

Another small but important addition to the kitchen are two prayer frames. The kids and I include prayer throughout our day. In the kitchen, for example, we have our Morning Player and our Mealtime Prayer. The mealtime prayer frame can be seen on the picture of the kids’ dining table. CC and RJ can’t read yet but having the frame next to the table reminds us to pray before our meals. Below is a close up of our Morning Prayer frame.

You might be thinking that the kitchen is an odd location for a morning prayer. I used to try to remember to pray with my children when waking up in the morning. However, CC and RJ don’t always wake up at the same time and praying is something that I want us to do together, plus some mornings can be hectic and we would often forget. The kitchen, however, is where we have breakfast every day. The first thing I do when we walk into our kitchen is open the blinds to the kitchen window, so that is where I placed the Morning Prayer frame.

On a side note:

Starting our Montessori journey hasn’t only made changes to our environment. I feel that it is also improving my parenting style. I have a better understanding of CC and RJ’s developmental stages and how they see the world. We follow more of a structured daily routine and I have slowed down the pace of our days to better suit the pace of my children. I’ve always tried to do this but now I am more consistent about it. I am also taking the time to teach them to do more things for themselves. I take advantage of the many learning opportunities that present themselves throughout our days. I’ve learned that they are always watching me and learning from me, therefore, I must do my best to set a good example for them at all times. I remind myself that I am not raising children for the moment; I am raising children that will one day become independent adults. Gosh, what a great responsibility!

Why Am I Montessori Home Pre-Schooling?

2009-03-18T01:45:00.000-07:00

Explaining Montessori education to those not familiar with it is not easy. It took a couple of months of online research and book-reading about the Montessori Method before I felt I had a good understanding of it. When I started homeschooling I did not think about how to explain Montessori education to those who had never heard of it. In fact, the first couple of times I was caught off guard and I don’t think my explanations gave this great teaching method justice.

Now, when asked the question “What is Montessori?” my answer varies depending on who is asking, how much time we have, and how much interest in shown on the topic. I have gathered my reading notes and below is a summary the Montessori approach and its positive characteristics that led me to choose this teaching method for our family. I try to read it periodically to keep me motivated and remind me of why I chose Montessori…

The Montessori teaching method is based on the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian who became the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School in the late 1800s. She then devoted many years to working, studying, and teaching about early childhood education. Her philosophy encourages children’s natural love of learning by creating a safe and enriching environment. It emphasizes the importance of education throughout the “Sensitive Periods” in the early years (birth trough age 6). For example, it takes advantage of the natural desire to learn and work and the willingness to please in preschoolers. Montessori taught that education does not need to be imposed on children; giving children the proper learning environment and freedom of choices offers opportunity for constructive growth.

Montessori is based on a profound respect for a child's personality. It is a child-led learning philosophy. Children work on their own free choice, at their own pace, and are allowed a large measure of independence; this forms the basis of self-discipline. A Montessori classroom uses carefully selected self-teaching and multi-sensorial materials with control-of-error built into lessons. Montessori education encourages children to discover for themselves the world around them. It instills a sense of discovery and awareness in preschoolers, as opposed to mere surface learning in an environment where a teacher makes all the decisions.

Sometimes instead of trying to explain a complex method it is easier to go over some of the basic goals and principles of the Montessori philosophy:

Treat children with respect and understanding.
Control of the environment not the child.
Encourage children to develop independence and self discipline.
Teach children to think for themselves and help discover individual uniqueness.
Allow children to work at their own pace in ways that work best for them as individual learners.
Instead of doing for the child (because it is easier), take the time to teach them to do it themselves. Don’t do for a child what he/she is able to do for him/her self.
Promote structure and order.
Teach respect for everyone and everything.
Teach grace and courtesy.

I don’t know how long I will be homeschooling CC & RJ. Many factors will determine how long I am able to stay home with my children. However, through Montessori education I hope to give CC & RJ a solid foundation on which to base future learning. Through early homeschooling, I want to help my children become independent, build a strong positive self-image, and help them reach their full potential in all areas of life.

Introduction - My First Post

2009-03-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

I’m fairly new to this blog world and have recently spent many nights perusing homeschooling blogs. I enjoy reading about other moms that are going through similar Montessori experiences. The blogs I follow have inspired me and given me many ideas that I have implemented in my own home. Through this blog I plan to journal my personal experiences and hope that someday it becomes a place for other homeschoolers to reference as well. This blog will also be a place where my husband (and any interested family and friends) can catch a glimpse of what the kids and I do at home.

I recently officially started home pre-schooling my 3 year old daughter Carissa (to be known as “CC” on this blog) and my 22 month old son “RJ”. When CC turned 3, we started looking into half-day preschool programs. I researched different preschool options including Montessori, Tiny Tots and Mommy & Me classes. After CC and I spend time visiting different “schools”, we found that the best fit for CC, and the only place where we felt comfortable leaving our first born alone at, was a local Montessori school. However, we are a single-income family and the cost was not in our budget. We could have probably managed the tuition for one child but we realized that we would soon be paying double tuition. So we had to find an alternative…

After giving it a lot of thought and many hours of online research I came to the conclusion that “I can do it at home”! Our family has been blessed with the opportunity of having me be a stay-at-home mom (thanks to my amazing husband=), and my main “job” is to care for and raise my children so I know that I can find a way. After all, where else would our children be exposed to everything our family values? Thankfully, there are several books on the subject and countless wonderful (and free) resources on the internet.

My goal is to offer my children bilingual Spanish/English education, teach them prayer/religion, and help them reach their full potential in all areas of life; all of this in a Montessori inspired environment, AND on a budget. I let my children guide me and learn with them as well as from them. This blog will help me document our adventures in homeschooling. I am excited to discover where this journey takes us.