Last Year in Lower Elementary - Singing the Blues

I am so happy - and so sad... My little boy is growing up!

He is entering into this last year of "lower elementary". While we use AMI albums and consider elementary a continuum from 6-12, there is a certain sense of moving forward in this next year that is the typical parental bittersweet moment ;)

For the first two years of lower elementary we have almost entirely just followed the Montessori albums, throwing in our own interests and my own requirements here and there. For the sake of our personal situation, I also have "traditional school" lesson plans on which we mark off accomplished skills and record attendance (our state only requires 180 days per school year of attendance). According to those plans, he finished 3rd grade back in January (of his normally 2nd grade year). Montessori just does that ;) And we have plenty of time to explore all his own interests! A year and a half of Ancient Egypt has been a bit much for me personally, but it has been GREAT for him!

For this third year, we'll have a bit more planning to do. I have pulled all the state standards for 3rd grade in our state. He is responsible, over the course of the next year, to ensure that he has all listed skills, knowledge and experience.

Occasionally items from this list might make it onto his weekly work plan, but mostly it will just be up to him every so often to check the list and decide how to proceed. If he knows something intuitively, he can just let it go, but knowing my son, he'll likely make a little booklet that demonstrates each skill listed on the standards. I will actually be surprised if this doesn't happen.

We're doing mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, art, and physical education (the last two only because he "wants" to - ok, fine ;) ).

Looking things over, the only areas he might be "missing" are contained within social studies, particularly local history. He will develop his own plan for going about the requirements, with my assistance. We'll head to the library for books and videos, then expand from there - he might make dioramas, art projects, timelines, charts, posters, lists, diagrams or who knows what. There are SO many ways to fulfill those requirements - and there is no one right way!

And for the record, it's not that local history is left out of the Montessori elementary albums - it is that local history MUST be developed by the local teacher and the students in conjunction with one another. Montessori history covers the framework within which to study history; and the details are left to personal research. Culture and all other aspects of social studies are covered in-depth.

As homeschoolers in our state, we do not HAVE to follow those standards; but I choose to follow the Montessori elementary albums in this regard; there is a focus on the local public school requirements in the 3rd year of lower and of upper elementary. I believe it will help to instill a sense of responsibility to and respect for local authorities, strengthen his work ethic, provide practice in a safe environment for the future when he has to do things he'd rather not do (without overwhelming him now), and set a sound pattern for a mature adulthood.


So here we are at a benchmark. Leaving behind the total freedom of primary; and the relative freedom of lower elementary; to embrace a year of outside requirements. Then we'll have two more years entirely to ourselves before we repeat at age 12 years.


Ok. Reality is that the public school requirements take an average of 5 minutes per week, if that! So this is just a mommy making a mountain of a molehill ;) Hehe.

A bit of a Break

We've been taking a bit of a break from homeschooling this week - but Montessori continues ;)

I have been assisting a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation course (in the same building where we have our co-op class during the school year, so most of our Montessori materials are there right now).

Between some review mathematics work (yep, even older kids need to review concepts like fractions equivalency once in a while ;) ) and atrium presentations, as well as helping me organize some of the materials, I guess it's not so much of a break from Montessori or homeschooling as much as it is a break from the "work plan" - there is no work plan for this week except to enjoy it ;)

Exercises of Practical Life in Infancy

An infants' focus is almost entirely on practical life and sensorial experiences. And almost everything requires NO materials.


In our home, we had the following material-required skills for the infant years - up to 12 months old.

• toothpicks into a jar wide mouth jar, then water bottle, then mounting onto salt shaker holes
• beginning to cut with scissors - at tray on booster seat with blunt-tipped scissors and narrow strips of paper on special tray that is indicated just for cutting
• using slots and holes (balls into holes; large poker chips into a slot on a coffee can lid --- start with objects that require no force to push through, then ones with more force required)
• feeding self

Mostly we focused on movement skills, language, reading, and being together. We had the mobiles, floor bed, long mirror, and lots of loved ones to provide love and attention. No specially purchased materials here:

• couch cushions for climbing and tumbling - remove cushions from couch to create a safe climbing and tumbling game
• can or heavy jar that rolls across the floor to encourage crawling
• stairs with a gate across the 4th or so step (move it up as the child is safely climbing up and down)
• textures of various fabrics

Above all else, focus on reality - and encourage baby to participate in his own way. Talk to him with whole language (yes, high-pitched motherese is fantastic for the youngest babies!), smile, interact - all those grace and courtesy lessons coming in a few years in primary. 

Everything is practical life and sensorial at this age! 

Infant Montessori is so easy in retrospect - it really IS a minimalist approach! 

Climbing the couch cushions for the first time
(look at the happy face!)

waiting for his new friend to join him

Adolescent Montessori - Homeschool - Can it be DONE!?

I have fielded more than a few questions on this topic.

The short answer is YES.

The long answer involves a lot of discussional points with those who say "No" and have extremely valid points.

Now, I do not personally have any training or orientation for the adolescent age. NAMTA and AMI are now offering an Orientation to Adolescents course that is great time-wise, but it is frankly more expensive per day than primary and elementary AMI training combined.
OUCH.

And they don't even "have all the answers." It's not a full training - the MES Fund does not consider it a training for scholarship purposes. It is simply an orientation. And it is geared for a group setting (which I am ok studying and practicing, then adapting for homeschool purposes).

It sounds LOVELY anyhow, but I cannot afford to attend :( I need to finish paying off primary and elementary first!

In the meantime, I have started consolidating all of the resources provided in both primary and elementary, along with the required reading list for the Orientation and other resources.

I am putting together a small online discussion group specifically for this age, with reading assignments on a suggested schedule, discussion topics and sharing of ideas and resources. Everything will be from a homeschool perspective.

If you are part of our Keys of the Universe discussion board, you are already in! I will begin the official group June 21 in the adolescent section and Keys of the Universe participants have full access as part of their regular participation.

If you are not part of the Keys of the Universe discussion board, join us here:
Keys of the Universe Individual Album Support - Adolescent Montessori Discussion Group Access
One-time payment; life-time participation

We will begin June 21 in earnest; but anyone can join at any time.

The ideal participant:

• you have a child age 10-16 right now, with or without elementary Montessori experience
• you have an older child and would like to contribute from that perspective
• you have Montessori adolescent experience
• you have extensive other experience working with the adolescent group and you are familiar with Montessori principles; and want to apply those principles to the adolescent group

Anyone with any age child can be participate, but the earliest stages will be better suited for someone in the field right now or very soon; or who has been there and can provide some insight. 

If you are looking for something totally put together with all the answers handed to you - we're not there yet! This initial group is for those who want to explore and share, together. 

Goals - Main Topics:

• establish foundation of understanding of the adolescent age
• including their needs, tendencies; how to meet them
• difference between societal expectations and reality of needs and tendencies
• What if we provide all that Montessori suggested? What will happen?
• Compare our own experiences and work through personal barriers. 
• Establish the universal principles of an adolescent Montessori homeschool
• Lend support to filling in the specifics for each individual home
• Establish collection of resources for use by homeschooling families for this age

Already part of Keys of the Universe: no cost
Join separate from Keys of the Universe: $15 - permanent access

Exercises of Practical Life in our Home - Toddler Years

Many of the simpler exercises of practical life can be done by toddlers; this frees up their primary years for deeper, more purposeful work. Included in our practical life was a lot of sensorial as well - for us the two areas overlapped a LOT in the toddler years.

In our home, we had the following for the toddler years - approximately ages 12 months to 3 years.

• continue cutting with scissors on thin strips - by age 2, using most of the primary cutting exercises
• mounting toothpicks into a mound of playdough
• continue other infant work as long as needed (see June 7 post)
• cutting banana and other very soft items with a butter-spreader
• opening and closing boxes, latches, etc. 
• twisting: caps on bottles, large nuts/bolts
• matching lids to pans (my son put this one together himself!)
• wiping up spills
• preliminary stages of getting self dressed
• how to wash hands
• walking on a wide line
• walking carrying items (such as porcelain statues)
• sweeping with a child-size broom
• safety rules (ie hold hands in parking lots)
• respect rules (ie do not touch visiting friend's keys on the table without asking)
• spooning grains (cereals in particular)
• pouring from small pitcher
• stringing large, then smaller beads
• using knobbed shape puzzles (large knobs, then smaller; all geometric shapes)
• using large eyedropper (a medicine dropper)
• matching shapes
• dressing frames as appropriate - dressing self as appropriate (shoes on)
• matching colors
• hanging loose items on a hanger
• completing work cycle of putting things away
• using spray bottles to clean windows and tables
• setting own place at the table (with an outlined place mat)
• putting away laundry and other household items