Cubing Material - Part Two - the REAL fun begins!

We had a fun morning exploring all of our "new" materials and it was too much for just one post ;)

After building the pink tower with the cubing material:

He finally asked me, "So what is this material for?" He has seen it at work in a classroom but it has been a while and he was not yet ready for it. He has been working with the early squaring and cubing and playing the decanomial games and calculating the values of pyramids and towers (with the bead cabinet material). So now we are on to something new.

I challenged him (before doing the actual album page) to construct one cube into its next cube.

Little secret - shhhh! Don't tell Montessori "purists" (of which I consider myself one, but with a different definition)... but Legoboy has not officially done the work with building from one square to the next square! Ahah! I have RUINED MY SON! Hahahaha - not really! I have followed an interest, in the moment of pure joy over discovering he already knew something about this material, helping me organize it - now is the perfect moment to introduce the concept!


Thus, the challenge:

Can you turn the cube of 3 into the cube of 4,
using ONLY the materials here????? 

Well, he tried all sorts of ways - some with relative success - some were just tedious and annoying (a wall of 1s) and he started figuring out where he could exchange squares of 1s for squares of larger numbers. He was presenting a series of problems (issues) to himself - knew I had an answer, so he continued to keep working, to 1) see if he could figure it out himself and 2) see if he could formulate the right question to get the answer he wanted (he knows I don't easily answer questions - that I am going to guide him in his thinking anyway, and he finds it "easier" to do as much himself first ;) ).

eh!? it was a first attempt to see what he could find
in patterning and sizes.... 

Replaced the cube with a series of squares
just to see what could be done.
he recognized patterns from the decanomial work! 

Not bad - and getting there. But what about all those squares?
isn't there something easier?
I modified the challenge to state, "build this cube of 3
into the cube of 4" (I'd reviewed my album page
in the meantime - yep, even I have to review ;) )

Back to the original cube.

A wall of ones - this got tedious - FAST. 

  

But he managed to get it. Then it all fell off. 

He thought, "what if I use the cube AND add squares?"

I didn't tell him - but this is VERY close to the actual
presentation - all the right components -
just in the wrong spots.
He built the squares at odd angles around the cube. 

It's kind of pretty from this angle ;)
But doesn't express the mathematical formula.
So I told him, "Ah, you are so close!
Is there one more easier way to rearrange just
THESE pieces???"

SUCCESS! And now the mathematics is displayed!

 Yes, I then presented him with the actual album page presentation.

Cubing Material

Last week we received two large boxes of our final Montessori materials order. Turns out there will be a few more things that need replacing - sigh (my own fault for not checking!), but at least we have something for everything, in some state or another ;)

Some of the items we purchased ARE replacements; some are brand new to my son; and some are materials he has worked with elsewhere and only now has a set at home.

We had an open exploration morning with the materials - FORGET the "perfect" presentation - what better presentation than to JUST EXPLORE!?

We had SO much fun!

One of the first favorites was discovered when he was helping unpack the box of squares and cubes - it is introduced in lower elementary (around age 8) and continues into upper elementary - at least according to my albums and if a child is on top of the squaring and cubing concepts. There is obviously going to be a wider range of ages for various children - us adults in training loved these ;) But I have been astounded to hear time and again that this material isn't touched even in upper elementary - on a *routine* basis; and that many elementary teachers don't even bother getting the material because it is more appropriate to adolescence  REALLY!? Tell that to my (non-genius, totally normal) 8 year old son after our experience last week --- and all the children I've shown this work to in schools at ages 7-10. They won't tell you it's for adolescence!

As the styrofoam and bubble wraps was removed from each set of squares and cubes and put into place in the box, Legoboy suddenly said - "Wait a MINUTE! I bet this makes a PINK TOWER!" and proceeded to count how many there were ("darn! number 10 is missing! but I can make the rest of the pink tower!"), and started stacking them. I gave him a quizzical look and asked, "You're going to stack those up and it's going to become pink!? Really!?"

Note the styrofoam still all over the floor.
That stuff is a PAIN -
so we ignored it and got to work ;) 

He just looked at me, all serious, and said, "No." Then he paused. Looked at the half-done tower and said, "It looks like like the cubes from the bead cabinet. Wait.  You mean the bead cabinet cubes are the same as the pink tower, too? I didn't know that!"

Aren't those just the cutest little toes!? ;) 

(this is one of those aha! moments when a child who has already been demonstrating clear understanding of a concept for literally YEARS, suddenly "gets it" - the light bulb turns on and the child can VERBALIZE it; it makes us wonder if he didn't really get it before - but he did, it was just unconscious before - and by allowing the child the JOY of discovery, it is truly his own learning!)

He wanted to build it corner-aligned -
he likes that layout so the #1 can "fall"
down the stairs of the tower!

Music Scale Construction

I want to share this post over at Montessori Station:
Montessori Station - Music: Major Scale Construction

Having found this image over at Junk Seller (doing a Google search for C Major charts), I fell in love with this as a potential Montessori activity. The children can build this!




I am going to introduce it to my son later in the month of December - as a manipulative. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Language - An Early Book

Going through some of our previous work and found this booklet in its earliest stages - on the city of Ancient Rome:

"Hello, I am (Legoboy),
I will a(ccompany) you t(hrough) Rome."
Note the lack of spelling, thus abbreviation ;)
I did edit out his name which he had beautifully
written in all lower-case cursive ;) 

Some tracings - some free drawing

He is hiding on every page in addition to his spoken blurb. 

on the left is a helmet - he says "scary!"

This was entirely free work - not directly related to any particular school work at the time. It could have been connected and if he went to school, and did it there, it would be "school" but at home we have re-define what is school and what is home ;)   So this one was personal interest work, thus I did not critique spelling, etc - instead mentally noting what needed work during our regular school time and presenting the appropriate album pages (lesson plans) for those skills in our usual fun Montessori way :) 

Impressionistic Charts - Storage

Here is how the impressionistic charts were stored at the elementary training center I attended, as well as in all of the first elementary schools I was in that I actually recall see the charts in use (some schools I subbed for a short times and the charts were not in use on those days). I have since been in schools that have different organization, from keeping them near their corresponding subject areas, to laying flat on shelves - I personally prefer the storage showed in the first two photos here.

Please note that these two images are from a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium within a Montessori school - they created their song charts and typology charts the same size as the impressionistic charts from the elementary classrooms, thus they chose a similar storage system.
(note 2: the typology charts have now been replaced by the typology timelines - for more information on this aspect, please see Seeking the Plan of God.)

large boards the same size or just
slightly larger than charts - with tabs

the bottom on this one is tipped inward -
this allows the charts to lean properly
without curving; ones with straight sides
in front and back are less efficient.
Wheels on the bottom allow it to be
moved around. 

In my co-op last year, I started to make something similar to above, but time got away from me and Joann's Fabric Store was closing - I picked up several of their fabric shelving units for $5 a piece. 

I nailed 2 large boards across the front
 and removed all shelves. I added
tabbed boards after this photo was taken.
The timelines are in a small tray at the
bottom so they stay upright. 

showing the top-most shelf which held
various supplies for use with the charts
and timelines. 

Finally, here is how we are storing various timelines in the level 3 atrium, that could be modified for some of the timelines in the elementary Montessori:

See the basket to the very far right -
some of our timelines are rolled up inside of it.
Some small timelines belong in the basket on the
3rd shelf down, next to a basket of rocks to hold
down the edges of the timelines. 

UPDATED to add a better photo of that basket. 

Montessori Homeschooling - Socialization

Every homeschoolers faces the socialization question at some point or another, and usually repeatedly. And frankly, the answer lies in what definition for socialization is being used in the question.

• getting along with age-based peers in a group project
• getting along with age-based peers on the playground
• interacting with adults as co-learners
• interacting with adults as teacher-student (boss-employee)
• sitting still in a desk when told to; waiting in line when told to; ask to use the bathroom every time; other incidents related to being a very large group

Socialization is all of these - and more. Homeschoolers can gain all of those skills - it will just look different, though the skills remain the same. My son learns to wait in line at the various stores we visit, when waiting to get into the museum, when more than one of his mates/friends in various activities all need a drink at the same time --- it is natural learning, not arbitrary. 

but... 

My all-time favorite line? It was said with ALL sincerity and love. And seriousness.

You should really put Lego Boy into public school. 

Why is that, dear Grandma? Not even a private school?

A public school. Yes. So he can learn to be teased. And he needs to ride the bus. 

Ok. So we'll ignore that private schools in our area share bussing with the public school kids, who all spend anywhere from 20 minutes to 90 minutes (yes, 90 minutes!) on the bus each way.

And we'll ignore that teasing can happen anywhere, any time, any place.

And we'll ignore that not all children ride the bus anyway.

And we'll ignore that I spent 13 years in public schooling, sometimes riding the bus and sometimes walking (sometimes walking when I should have been on the bus and usually begging rides to avoid the bus!). And all the "teasing" left me was bitterness, a refined talent for nasty come-backs, a brick wall surrounding my true self, and hopelessness.

Did public school do that? Not directly. It was a much larger picture. There are fantastic public schools and private schools available; there are fantastic teachers and fantastic classrooms.

But of all the wonderful reasons to send my child to school, learning to be teased isn't anywhere near the list.

Would I send my son to school? Yes. When it meets our family's needs. He has already attended school. He attended a private Montessori school at age 3, 50 hours a week (coming from my having been a stay-at-home mom with a daycare in our home...); he attended a 3-day-a-week non-Montessori preschool (full days) at age 4; and he attended another private Montessori school for 3 months in kindergarten (I was subbing in another classroom). He spends an hour a week at the local public school. And he currently participates in a weekly middle school literature class (it's online).

This is in addition to the other daycares, camps and other educational institutions that met our needs from time to time.

And we sometimes ride the public transportation bus (or subways or other forms of public transportation). It's not the same bus experience from public school - but for those who live in the city, it's the bus that they could be riding a lot longer. Doing it every day doesn't make it a better thing. It just is.




So what about socialization?

What activities can fulfill this "socialization" without going to rows of desks in a line with the teacher gabbing on and the students sneaking notes to one another? or falling asleep? or (gasp!) doodling? Does it have to be either/or?

Yes, all of the following can be done by families who use public school as well. The point is that public school doesn't provide the be-all-end-all. And neither does homeschooling. There are options. You can't do it with public school alone, but neither can you do it sitting in a desk or at a table in your own home all day. REAL socialization happens in society. Period.



Please add your ideas below!

• martial arts: typically multi-age settings, with ranks according to skill not by arbitrary age. Children and adults of all ages have basically the same expectations to promote to the next belt, for which a test is provided when people have met the requirements and are ready - not forced ahead or held back arbitrarily. 
• cub/boy scouts: typically the smaller groups meet within their age groupings, but the  boys are able to move ahead at their own pace and there are bigger meetings with boys of multiple ages. They focus on skill and character development. 
• why not girl scouts? most troops tend to be focused on one grade level; if you have access to a multi-age group that allows for the girls to move ahead when they are ready and not too muh before/after, then great. There can be other issues present, so be on the look-out.  
• Other sports - whether personal or otherwise. As long as they don't rule your life (unless that is what you want) - that provide personal growth and team-playing. 
• just play with other kids. Nothing fancy - this is where MOST socialization happens - in the adult-left-out interactions between children - whether at recess, on the playground, playdates, just getting together with other people of all ages. The adult guides moral behavior, but the children work most things out on their own. Older children will naturally lead into group projects, short-term or long-term. 
• Goings Out: this is a Montessori concept of a "field trip" - the child helps to plan the outing, it is usually related to other things going on in the child's life or education. The children make the phone calls, map it out, interact with the other people involved, all with an adult's guidance. 
• Being out in society: interacting with the people at stores, the employees at various businesses, people on the street, just being out there - and working through the various customs of various cultures. Isn't this the society that the children will have to interact with as adults? Might as well start now! 
• All the better if you can visit as many other cultures as possible. 
• church groups can count, depending on the situation. Multi-age settings such as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atriums, Godly Play worship centers, youth groups and the like. 
• other classes: whether for fun or for specifically academics. Face to face is best, but online classes can provide for certain socialization skills. 

What to look for: 

• multi-age - to reflect real society. My mother works with someone with whom I went to high school. They are co-workers. My first "real" job outside of summer camp programs, I had higher qualifications than the 40-60 year old women working there - and I quickly had authority over them. Yet I still needed to respect their years of experience and they respected my educational background. We learned a LOT from each other. This was not something to be gained from "school" of any sort. 
• respect for all members - my son's tae-kwon-do has 3 rules: never mis-use martial arts, never criticize, and never forget your instructor's name ("master ___ "or "sir"). If they follow those rules, they are laying a strong foundation for RESPONSIBILITY when they have a power that someone else does not; RESPECT for those in authority over them; and respect for those under you and equal to you ---- they must NEVER laugh or make fun of someone else in class or out of it. There is also a foundation of respect, period; found in all 3 rules. No name-calling, no inappropriate fighting... that sort of thing. 
• let the adult in charge BE in charge - we parents have to back off and share our authority. We will not always be there for our children despite our best intentions and desires. We need to help our children discern appropriate authority figures, so they do not naively put themselves in danger later in life. If YOU don't trust, then pull out of that activity (at an appropriate time - because we also want to teach our children commitment) - do not stay without that trust and that ability to pass the baton - it will only set up the children for confusion. 
• fit with your family's values - yes we want to expose our children to other ideas and develop discernment in them; but that doesn't mean we "throw them to the wolves" until they are ready. :) 

Command Cards - Elementary Montessori

This post started as a quick note about Geometry Command Cards, but quickly got off on other tangents as 3 ladies asked me related questions at the same time ;) Talk about coincidence! (or alignment of the moon or something!)


ORIGINAL POST: 

Fast drawing the concept on paper
From a command card for "two lines"
note the opposite direction of the stick work
showing mastery of the concept in a different layout

Just a quick post to say that I have added sample basic geometry command cards at the end of the following previous post:

Geometry Command Cards Original Post

This file includes additional pre-formatted pages to add your own additional ones; I have left it in Word so you can edit it as you like.

More advanced versions are being added to the Keys of the Universe Geometry album.





ADDING ON: 

NOT ALL CHILDREN need these command cards. Sometimes (in the case of my son) they are a great way to provide quick reviews for a slightly older homeschooled child without the benefit of having watched his peers doing the work, or helping younger ones, before moving on to more advanced work.

Sometimes a child just needs a little push into ways that he can work independently with a material.

In pure Montessori terms, the command cards should be presented only when needed to get work going, then pulled out as the children are finding ways to work independently and come up with their own ideas.

EDITING (11/27/2012) TO ADD this sentence:
*Writing* command cards is an excellent exercise for a child to develop skills in planning and organizing --- especially when there are many ideas going through his mind at once and he can't go all directions at once! So if a child hears a lesson and has 5 ideas, he can write out each of his ideas on a card - choose one to work on now, and now he has 4 ideas in back-up to pursue later that day, later that week, or just later in life.





Again - in the homeschool, I see more of a use for them from to time.

• get work going
• encourage working independently when toddlers and babies and teens or home businesses need a parent's attention
• as review for that middle aged child (8-9) to review concepts not explored recently before moving on to more advanced work. 
• As a way of monitoring work, combined with the work plan and work journal. 
• I DO NOT recommend using as your child's sole source of inspiration for work. Use them judiciously. 

How do I feel about the curriculum cards created by Albanesi?
You are about to read a completely wide open, honest and blunt response.

You have been forewarned ;)

• I think (my opinion!) they are ridiculously expensive for a homeschool (even though homeschoolers might have a greater use for them, supplementing the cards where 30-35 children are not present; but then you have to buy the materials too!? And still have the albums!? NO WAY!?)
• And entirely unnecessary in such large quantities and sets for a classroom where there IS the influence of so many other children. 
• These curriculum cards are not command cards so much as almost everything is done by the child, with very minimal work with the adult. This is NOT Montessori - this is independent learning - not really the same thing at all. And it is too "curriculum-like" to borrow my primary trainers term (for another Montessori-styled item) - it's not about following the child or meeting the child's needs of the moment. 
• Yes, there are a couple of yahoo groups that are trying to do something like these sets for homeschool purposes. They (we, actually - since I am in on those groups), continue to hit brick walls because of these conflicting notions of what they are meant to be and how they are meant to be used. So yes, I have looked into these cards extensively. And a homeschool version is likely to be created at some point in the next year or two - but it won't be like what the original project set out to do. 
• I do NOT recommend purchasing them, for home (expense) OR for school (appropriateness in the environment). If someone gifts them to you, then great - use them as you see fit. But don't spend your own money on them! 

How's that for an honest response? ;) 

Fractions in Lower Elementary

My Boys' Teacher over at What Did We Do All Day just posted about fractions and asked for some samples.

His chosen embellishments for this page
include math signs and the number 3 ;)
He mounted this paper onto colored paper
and inserted into a 3 ring folder as a portfolio.

I went to pull my son's math folder... and found in our recent un-organization of our home... the folder is pretty much missing. I did find the folder Lego Boy started in the co-op with some of that year's sample work.

















And he so graciously offered to create some samples on graph paper to show how he has written fractions on graph paper in the past. Unfortunately he did not go back to the basic-of-basics and instead did what "he" considers basic which is equivalency within operations. ;)

This is smaller graph paper than the first graph paper he used, but it hopefully still gets the idea across? There is no one right way...




But I did have an order of operations in fraction writing, not so much from any album but from what seemed to follow the child at the time:

• start him on blank paper - showing both ways in our culture for writing fractions (horizontal line and slanted line)
• then large large squared paper (each fraction in a square); 
• then larger graph paper, with a number, then line, then number, then space - each in their own squares ---- in order to align numerators, denominators, fractions bars, equal signs, etc. 
• regular graph paper, with the entire fraction written within a square - he can now write smaller AND this gets him ready for writing mixed number (whole numbers with a fractional portion). The whole number written big in the square and the fraction written within its own square. 
• He can write them out on lined paper as well, but true to Montessori, we try to stick with graph paper for math work. The graph paper helps with organization, mathematical principles, drawing out samples in geometry and multiplication  etc. --- it just FEEDS that MATHEMATICAL mind, where lined paper feeds the LANGUAGE of writing. 

Later, we will explore other cultures' ways of writing fractions. 

Also, I offer this file I created when my son was in primary. It is a printable file for the labeling and basic operations with fractions - I'd forgotten about this one and was about to share a funny looking one that worked and fit into our tacklebox we used - but is not "ideal" - I am so happy I found this one for you all!

Montessori Fractions: Labels and Simple Operations

I did start another file for sample elementary level problems; I will fix it up and have it included in the elementary albums at Keys of the Universe - if you're in that course and don't see it up soon, please do bug me about it ;) I am good-natured about those sort of things ;)

Last Elementary Montessori Order

I just placed our final Montessori materials order - and couldn't believe what a struggle it was to reach the free shipping level! We had all else we needed!

Wow.

One more year of lower elementary, 3 more years of upper elementary to come... and we have everything???

Ok, we'll still be purchasing and borrowing things along the way - items to correspond with interests, replacement chemicals and other supplies - but the Montessori-specific items are done.

Overall... elementary is no more expensive, Montessori-wise, than primary, perhaps cheaper (I'll look at actual numbers another day!) - and covers SIX years.

And the re-sale value canNOT be over-stated!

He was still sleeping in this photo,
but he reached out to me as I sat down next to him.
Those hands that were so tiny at birth.... 

This is a bittersweet day. It means a preparing for a closing of one area of life (browsing Montessori catalogs, determining what to make and what to buy and from whom), but it also means a true settling in. Settling in for the next 4 years. Settling into just BEing in elementary. Then on to adolescence.


Ok, scratch that last sentence. Just focus on this time. Right now. The moment we have - right now - together.




ETA: November 12: IT'S HERE!

Geometry Command Cards

Legoboy (new nickname for the blog ;) ) is working on the Geometry Command Cards, partially because he needs review on geometric concepts, partially because I need the materials checked before I offer them to others and partially so I can get some updated images to correct the incessantly annoying mathematics album files!

He is rushing through some of the work, but I thought I'd post some of it anyway :) 

Working on convergent and divergent lines: 

Reviewing the concept with the geometry sticks

parallel - the children are
neither happy nor sad

convergent - connecting of
paths - the children are SO happy!

divergent - paths are going two ways
the children are so sad!

Fast drawing the concept on paper
From a command card for "two lines"
note the opposite direction of the stick work
showing mastery of the concept in a different layout

BONUS:
ETA a link to the sample geometry command cards my son used above. These are also being added to the Keys of the Universe Geometry album, along with more advanced versions for older children. 

Homemade Vanilla

The resident child (hehe) has been studying a bit about herbs of late. And it has been on our plans to make homemade vanilla extract for quite some time. 

Obviously, not something he can do on his own... He can cut the beans, he can drain the extra fluid, he can drop in the beans, label it all and seal it up, he can store it. 

But I had to make purchase. My first alcohol purchase of my life! The things we do for our children! It does seem ironic I just purchased an alcohol for my son, though! 

(for the record, I am not opposed to alcohol, I just don't tout it or drink very much, and I have not had a reason to purchase it before now.... wait.... when I lived in Belgium, I bought some wine to bring home to family, but that was a different culture - alcohol was out with the sodas!). 

Grandma was given this kind of rum/vanilla; and we
were so happy to find it stocked at Kroger.
It has fantastic flavor, so we are excited! 

The beans we purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs: 

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/index.php?AID=135782&Redirect=/search?page=1&q=vanilla+beans&utf8=✓

We have the "1oz Vanilla Bean organic and fair trade" and it smells right! ;) I do wonder if we got quite the driest beans (apparently you are supposed to use grade B beans - but I also wanted fair trade, etc). These seemed more most than I anticipated. So we'll see. Either way, it will work from what all sources say - it's just a nuance ;)

He has been looking at the history of the use of vanilla - and true to Montessori style, we want to look at the PEOPLE involved. Most fascinating is that a 12 year old child worked out how to hand-pollinate the vanilla so that it could be grown outside of the Latin America countries. 

Forget gold and corn and other such things - the greatest gift that the Europeans found in the Americas: VANILLA! 

Ever had chocolate without it? 

We did! Never again, thank you! 

Vanilla brought chocolate to the impoverished Europeans! And now they make the best chocolate in the world. One plant changed the world! One little boy's discovery! 

Practical Life in our Day: Mint

We are trying to be good stewards of the earth, while not letting the earth get in the way of the most important gift of human beings: relationship.

It is even better when the two are the same thing :)

In this case, we are growing mint in our living room. As it grows long, we trim it, hang it to dry, grind it up and make tea... and more... While it is drying (upside down so the oils flow back into the leaves, maximizing their potential), we have a beautiful decoration that makes our home, truly homey. Comforting. And there is a natural inclination towards being with one another in a cozy, homey home ;)

Once it is fully dried, we spend time together pulling the leaves off into a large bowl (easier to collect everything then, transfer in small quantities to the mortar and pestle). I bought a set of 3 of these on Amazon years back (affiliate link there) that have been simply fantastic!

The mint leaves are stored in a jar to use for making tea, or to add to our homemade toothpaste or anywhere else we need some mint flavoring.

That leaves the stems - which are fine for adding to the composting, but well, we have an interesting set up with our apartment management and mouse-traps get pricey when management does little to alleviate the issue. But fresh mint keeps them away.

My mother will cringe when she reads that I tuck these stems in all the places where the mice have been spotted. Despite her cringing, I can confidently report success (so far!) - ice-free and my home smells so nice! We freshen them up when we harvest new mint and THEN we compost the stems. There may be other purposes for them, but that is what we do for now :)

mint, dried, laying on the stove
because our counters were full at the time. 

grinding mint leaves with mortar and pestle

Daily life Montessori style

I've received a few comments that I don't post much about my son's actual daily work and it would be nice to see how it all works together.


The trouble is - I don't monitor everything he does. I wish I could! But he has his work plan, his work journal, times to meet with me, and he does a LOT of independent researching; a LOT of building with Legos; a LOT of reading high-quality literature (re-reading Fellowship of the Ring as I type this); and as much snuggle time as we can get in. Within there somewhere are the Montessori math materials, the language materials and some geometry yet. But mostly at this point he is working with materials that are not specifically Montessori in nature, but are used in a Montessori way.

That is the result of a Montessori education ;)

We start with the Montessori materials and presentations and totally branch off from there.


For example, this past year we delved into the Montessori botany album heavily again, re-discovering eco-systems, parts of seeds and plants, classifying leaves, etc. A friend offered some space in his not-so-great-but-better-than-nothing-at-all garden space and we planted beans, broccoli, squash and watermelon. We didn't get much (in fact we got a bit more off our balcony space and that wasn't much either!) but it did provide lots of all-too-real lessons on sunlight, wind, soil, gravity and nutrients. We also had a variety of plant leaves to explore; flowers to dissect; unripened and underdeveloped fruit/vegetables to explore the various stages of growth (did you know certain squash, if under-developed, can be treated as though it were zucchini - just chop it up and add in with mixed vegetables where you would have zucchini. ???)

This same friend gave us some mint to grow in our home. Noone can kill mint. HAHA! I did! Three times over in fact! And then, suddenly, it lived! And we have had our own fresh mint tea for several months now! This, along with references to natural poultices in his literature as well as his Young Man's Handybook, led to some interest in plant usage for more than food and fun tea.

mint, dried, laying on the stove
because our counters were full at the time. 

grinding mint leaves with mortar and pestle

Somehow or another we discovered a children's herb book on Amazon. I finally purchased it and it arrived. My son was interested but not overly excited at the time of its arrival. Perhaps that is because the order also included the long-coveted Minotaurus Lego game ;)

But he did sit down to read it - and now he is devouring it! It is so nicely laid out for children, including silly songs, interesting information, decent size font, with non-cluttered pages.... recipes, remedies, history, and more; it even gets into the best materials to use for tea-making (earthenware and the like is best; stainless steel if metal must be used, but preferably not) and all the reasons why. It far exceeds my expectations! And he has started a list of herbs he wants to start growing this winter inside - just a few for the most important things.

He gets a kick out of this one:

He said to me, laughing,
"Just give me this when I start whining, Mama -
you'll never have a problem with me again!" ;) 

I could get used to this song ;) 

All this, from starting with the Biology album again!

So, in a nutshell what happens in elementary Montessori is that the albums are used heavily at first - but then you SHOULD BE MOVING AWAY from the albums. Mathematics is relatively continuous, but all the other albums keep moving away and coming back, moving away and coming back. The albums are touchstones to personal and practical research, daily learning and personal growth. We don't need an album presentation every single day, because we are taking advantage of a multitude of learning opportunities - branches off from the album presentations.

American History

Now that my beautiful baby is a great big 8 year old, he is now responsible for meeting the 3rd grade requirements of the state in which we live.

Ok. Let's put it all out there: 

• Our state's homeschool laws require "180 days attendance" starting at the 7th birthday if the child will be private schooled (homeschool here counts as a private school), or 180 days of instruction at a public school starting in the school year that a child turns 7. Public schools MUST follow the state standards. Private schools (including homeschools) do not. The state cannot impose such definitions. Neither can the state impose a definition of attendance on private schools; public schools can only count full days, half-days count for nothing. 
• That's it - no reporting; no other record-keeping; NOTHING. And we can define our attendance - so 5 minutes counts. 
• But *I* am a Montessorian, and just because the state doesn't care what we do, doesn't stop me from teaching my son to be a responsible citizen. And part of that is following the Montessori practice of introducing the local education requirements (public school requirements or state standards) at 3rd and 6th grade (or the grade ending at age 9 or 12 in your local region if grade levels are marked different). 
• I also want him literate in what the other children are learning. It is hard to be a responsible citizen if you don't speak the lingo - in a healthy way (I am not referring to negative issues). 

SO. Here we are. And this is how we address the fact that Montessori children DO speak a different lingo and DO have different foundations in their education. For those people who want to add things to the Montessori curriculum, THIS is the place and the mannerism it fits into Montessori.
(See? Montessori covers ALL the needs of the child - including the needs of the child entering into larger society, whether going on to a non-Montessori public or private school, or simply interacting with other people in society). 

As for our current situation: 

One thing we noticed right away is that despite my son's love for all things ANCIENT history - modern history is a bust. Now, I could SO easily wait for this interest to perk up - and I have faith it will - but the corresponding goal is responsibility - even if we really don't have an interest. 

The public school requirement is United States History. The requirements are loose enough to have plenty of wiggle room - and I LOVE that they actually WANT the children to make their own timelines! How Montessori!

So, NO, I will not be purchasing United States history timeline. I am sure they are beautiful - but this IS the child's work after all. 

He balked at the idea of studying such a topic. He has NO interest. Again: responsibility. So we do the work together. He will learn how to get over hurdles of things he is not excited about and still get the task done. We've been leading up to this for a long time and now here it is. 

The ADULT'S PLAN: 

(insert laughter!)

• Reader's Guide to American History - available from a variety of sources, but this is where I got mine. It is NOT overly Catholic or even Christian in nature - I can't find any specific references anywhere. It is simply a fantastic resource guide to the main eras of US History, with book lists, date lists (very short - and we can turn those into our timeline cards!), list of names to be familiar with, suggested extension activities, and a list of educational standards the era addresses. There is a bit more but that is what I remember off the top of my head. Each era has only 2-4 pages, with lots of white space. It is a FANTASTIC framework! 
• A History of the United States and Its People by Edward Eggleston. I have to admit I was not overly excited about this book at first. But it seemed the least terrible of the worst (and only) options available. The fact is, that history books come with a bias. Good, bad, indifferent - it's a bias. And I want my son to have a fair amount of balance. So, while we are devoutly Catholic, NOT ONE Catholic history textbook has ever or will ever cross the threshold into my house - unless a truly balanced one comes into existence (a possibility, however slim). Anti or Pro a particular religion, group of people, political correctedness, lack thereof - all are unacceptable - just give the facts please - and let the reader form his own opinion. BUT I did want an overview story of the history; then use the above guide for more specifics on topics so we can research the original sources.  I am surprisingly pleased with the first two chapters of this book. While the emphasis is still that Columbus "discovered" America, it does not unduly toot his horn either. It lays out the facts as they were known at the time of publication. This leaves us so much room to explore the meaning of the word "discovery", the Vikings, the early monasteries present on US soil, history of the Native Americans (called Indians in this book for obvious reason of publication date). I can handle the few idiosyncracies present. 
• Use the story-based book together to read the chapters corresponding to an era in the guide book; visit the library to select a few books; perhaps watch an appropriate video; and create a timeline with notecards with the pertinent dates (use the notecards to either mount or copy onto actual "timeline paper" (banner paper)). 
• Read the Little House series along the way. 
• Call it good. 

The CHILD's RESULT: 

• Read the chapters aloud to mom on car drives; working on pronunciation, speech, diction and more - all while extrapolating where needed right in the moment. 
• Child creates a list of research ideas (before even seeing the guide!). 
• Timeline materials are already being gathered.
• Family time; lots of discussion; child finds a way to meet the requirements while minimizing cutting into personal work time -- if we're going to do it might as well enjoy it along the way, he said to me today! 
• He is really getting into it! 

(ETA he's still not "excited" about it, but he is responsible and thorough in all that he studies)

So yes, sometimes requirements are good things. Everything in balance.

Elementary Practical Life

Primary level practical is so beautiful - all those trays, with neatly laid out items.

The Exercises of Practical Life can be such a conundrum though!



Most of society does not eagerly embrace the idea that a 3 year old can safely and appropriately utilize a very sharp utensil (the sharper, the safer!) to chop carrots. Among other beautiful practical life activities.

Those who embrace the Montessori way of observation and response, DO see this ability and strive to respect it in the best way each person can (with personal limitations). Thus we provide this necessary work for the child's development - with all of its benefits that go far beyond knowing how to cut a carrot. We embrace it, we love it, we multiply to the point it no longer is "practical" just because we can! It is almost TOO easy! I've been there too, so I am not condemning those who might "EPL" that are not really truly practical life ;)


On the flip side, most of the society recognizes that elementary children are capable of chores and some responsibilities, thus there is recognition of the value of "exercises of practical life" in that regard. Still there is little to no recognition of work for work's sake, or work for the sake of developing the inner person.

And us Montessorians do not have a pretty laid out practical life section in our elementary albums. There are lots of lists of ideas - and all are fantastic! But gone are the nice, neat trays - replaced with supply shelves that look more like real life; gone are the nicely laid out album pages - replaced with presentations that look more like grace and courtesy style and can (and sometimes SHOULD) look like a LOT like you're teaching on the fly. Which is ok! Because that is real life!

but it so hard for us to let go.

YES. We need to think through as much as we can (analysis of movement; hence the umpteen steps in the primary EPL); but if your child is ready and has the necessary background to make you scrambled eggs and cheese in pita bread for breakfast... might I suggest you NOT  (meaning me) hold him back because YOU (meaning I) have not been able to analyze the 327 steps in preparing such a meal not to mention clean-up - he's probably ready. If you've given the foundation, then HE knows how to analyze movements and slow down and think through what he is doing (imperfectly perhaps - but we all start from somewhere) and he has confidence and just enough skills to challenge himself on something that is just within his grasp.

Enjoy the moment! Seize the day!

Eat the eggs! Have the courage to ask for more!

;)

A VERY delicious breakfast!