Working-Mom Montessori: Shifting the Clock: This is Painful!

I never quite this post finished - because the title of this post is SO true!

I am naturally a night-owl - I do my best work in the evening hours after most people should be in bed and the world is quiet. I like to use my daytimes for being active and social.

I can sleep 4-7 hours a night (going to bed at midnight or 3 am), with a half-hour cat nap in mid-afternoon and life is wonderful. Get me up before the sun though - and life ain't so pretty.


I spent the first week SO incredibly fatigued all - day - long. I didn't know how I would get through the whole month. Turns out, a touch of almond oil infused with peppermint oil on each temple and real peppermint oil chapstick (coconut oil with aloe vera and peppermint oil) were all I needed to get rid of the fatigue-headache and help me re-set the sleep/wake rhythm for the time being. NIC!


The children and staff I have worked with this past month have been wonderful - I have offered my services to continue being the main sub for this particular classroom the rest of the year as needed. But hitting the brick wall of fatigue at 7:30 at night is SO not cool.

The nice thing is - I am so incredibly tired, I'm in bed by 9 every night, and am awake shortly before the 6 am alarm to be on the road by 6:30. I have all prepped the night before so mornings are VERY streamlined, involving VERY little (any?) thinking process at all.

This all means, I am sleeping far more than I usually do - and despite all of that, I ended up sick ALL MONTH.

I am fighting against my own natural rhythm and I am surrounded by germs I'm not yet accustomed to. I have had a drink with me that varies by the week: peppermint tea, warm lemonade, or plain water (each option with honey, echinacea, and maple syrup). I spent one week eating almost nothing but garlic to get rid of a painful sinus infection. While all my remedies/precautions helped, they didn't stop everything from hitting me - but they certainly helped me stay on task with the needed energy and focus. I have enjoyed each of the 4 snow days received during the month (ending up in bed, sleeping off illness each time!).

CAVEAT: When I say "past month", I mean to say "January". It turns out I added an additional (almost) full week (one more ice/snow day off - spent at home catching up on all sorts of little things - like washing 4 1/2 weeks worth of laundry. By hand.) of subbing.


In the end, I love every moment of teaching; and I will love every moment of being home again on my own schedule.

Adolescent Algebra - and More

UPDATE 2019: This review is for the original Algebra for the Adolescent. Mike Waski has now published a second version, in two volumes (one for lower and one for older adolescents) and has separated out the Geometry to its own album entirely. Please visit The Math Institute to learn about all the resources for adolescent math studies!

The algebra album has new lessons and even more photos than before, from all that I hear. And the first two chapters of the Geometry album? Yep. Spectacular!


Original Post:

At long last, there is an "album" for the adolescent age - at least for mathematics - and OH does it COVER mathematics!
Signed Numbers, Graphing, Lines, Inverse Operations, Inequalities, Exponents, Combining Like Terms, Factoring, Absolute Value, Binomial Theorem, Quadratics, Transformations, Sequences, Functions, Exponential and Logarithmic Functions, Polynomials, Trigonometry, Complex Numbers, Further Work (Matrices, Vectors, Conic Sections), Calculus - ALL get their own chapters!

Then Geometry (a whole section on Euclid) and Arithmetic (one page description of what to do) each get an appendix. 

It is perfect! I love it! I can't wait to delve into it with my son (well, yes, I can, because I don't want him to grow up TOO fast; but I am also SO satisfied we have the perfect resource for the middle school and possibly early high school years).

It arrived via UPS yesterday. Yes, I paid $16 and change for shipping. I didn't feel like contacting them to have them send it media mail. I probably could have driven and picked it up for less, but it saved time. (Edit: 8/20/2019 - Shipping prices are different now with the new website, see links below)

It comes printed on front/back, 3-hole punched, ready for a binder....

Or 2 binders. I didn't want that many pages in one thick binder. So I split it, noting the chapter headings contained in each. It comes with two printed cover pages (presumably a "cover" and a "title" page, so I split those to the binders).

Fully Illustrated!!!

If you are familiar with Montessori math (NAMTA presumes you have training when you purchase this album), you will be able to follow along very quickly; the introduction chapter provides a good outline for how to work through the material with the children - not in linear fashion. There is also a flow chart in the appendix which shows initial presentation (everyone gets one way or another), suggested follow-up presentations (not everyone "needs" - some things the child needs to demonstrate understanding one way or another; some things are entirely optional) and the ultimate key experiences (all children should get to those ones).

If you are new to Montessori math, the wordy introduction might be overwhelming but will be VERY helpful.

The materials list is decent, although it lists chapter number rather than presentation needed for (but, ahem, that is more information than the Keys of the Universe albums provide - only listing the material and not even the chapter or specific album page it is used for. Yes that organization is in progress! ). 

GUESS WHAT!? Those expensive wooden squares and cubes we elementary Montessori homeschoolers keep balking at the price for a few small elementary presentations!? And think we might just going to skip? Yeah. They're in here! I am so happy - it means more work with them, more use of a somewhat expensive material - and more fuel for my adamant stance that we don't need "more" materials - we just need to go DEEPER with what we have.
(for the record, I did try to think of cheaper alternatives; in the end, I went with the wooden set from IFIT - I am 100% pleased and I know I can re-sell them if/when the time comes)

Indeed, there are very few new materials, comparatively speaking; most of which can be hand-made, with instructions included; or find relatively easy alternates. 

Other elementary materials include (I'm not promising I am covering it all here - there could be more as I'm just browsing quickly down the list): 

• Geometry sticks
• fraction circles
• bead bars, squares, cubes
• wooden cubing material (noted above)
• Powers of 2 and 3 (AMI only includes the power of 2 at elementary; but the power of 3 is available)
• Second and Third Pythagorean Insets
• Binomial Cube (my friend! the link here is about the trinomial, but the concepts apply)
• Checkerboard
• Pegboard
• Fourth and Fifth Power Material (not included in AMI KotU albums - other albums may use these???)
• Special Triangle Box (the box of 12 blue right-angle triangles)
• Yellow Material (area and volume)
• Large and Small Solids

Drawbacks:

• no page numbers noted in the table of contents. ANNOYING. 
• needs tabs to find the chapters (because of no page numbers) - easy enough fix. 

This album covers a LOT of ground at just over 800 pages. I could imagine using this material for the equivalent of 7th, 8th AND 9th grades, with possibly some of it being a foundation for additional high school studies - it gets into trigonometry, etc. We may very likely do this album for middle school, then see about placement testing or other testing into/out of high school math courses (or seeing how Life of Fred fits into the whole thing when the time comes - I cannot yet say if there are enough credit-hours here for which courses on a high school transcript - I need more time with it, comparing directly with actual trig coursebooks, for example).
EDIT: after attending his workshop, there are portions here that are solidly high school. This album set goes all the way through. 

I highly recommend picking up this resource when your elementary child is around age 10 - so you can have time to get organized with it ---- the author suggests that some of the work could begin in elementary with a ready-child; and the AMI albums (including KotU) have work that COULD bridge into adolescence. So you'll want some time to get a feel for it and find what path your child will need.


From a Facebook post in 2015:

A tidbit for anyone who owns the Montessori Algebra for the Adolescent album/book by Michael Waski ----
pg 221 has a typo he wants corrected: it should say "multiplication over addition" in the next to last line.

And get this - the algebra tiles that are used a LOT? They can be made out of foam-sheets (not foam board - that would be too thick - just the foam sheets that can easily be cut by hand! Awesome stuff. (the algebra tiles include the "green/gray counters" and "skittles" noted in the album)

Links for it (non-affiliate):
The Math Institute (also has some of the materials available for sale)
Table of Contents (will be updated soon)
Samples (will be updated)


I am writing this review on a snow/ice day with lots and lots and lots to do around our home - so I know I've not covered everything I'd've liked to cover. Please ask any and all questions and I'll respond with what is pertinent to what people want to know :)

Caveat: I cannot answer how this album aligns with following any elementary albums besides the AMI ones, because I have only seen tiny portions of non-AMI upper elementary albums.



6/15/2019: Updating to reflect a longer-term link for purchase and to note: GEOMETRY is now available as well!

Adolescent Algebra-Plus Album

I just bought this with part of my subbing income:

http://www.montessori-namta.org/Print-Publications/Adolescent-Readings/Montessori-Algebra-for-the-Adolescent

It will arrive in a couple of days.

I'll let you know my follow-up thoughts after this coming weekend.


My initial thoughts based on TOC and several samples:
I like it. It seems to follow quite well on the AMI elementary mathematics album; a 12-13 year old could finish up the end of the AMI elementary album as needed, then move into this album.

I'm not sure there are many illustrations though. I have been able to follow the samples based on my knowledge and experience with the AMI elementary mathematics album.
UPDATE: Plenty of illustrations! Woohoo!


More thoughts to come. Curl up with some warm peppermint tea and my favorite blanket in my cozy chair that I've not seen for a few months now (it's buried - time to resurrect it!).


(for the record, my final thoughts won't be for a few years yet - not until my son finishes it - and he's only just about to be 10 - so it will be a while ;) ).

Home Science Tools - Geography and Biology Supplies

Just a quick post today to remind everyone moving along in the elementary albums or those who are preparing for next year --- Home Science Tools carries a Montessori kit that includes most of the science supplies needed for AMI Elementary Geography and AMI Elementary Biology. If you have Keys of the Universe albums, your materials lists will specify further details. If you have other AMI albums, check those albums for a materials or scan the materials for each album page.

If you have other Montessori albums? I can't guarantee a perfect or even a close match - however, Home Science Tools is a fantastic source for your science supplies regardless of doing Montessori or something different. They cater to small schools and homeschools. Fantastic customer service, fantastic prices, small amounts of chemicals....

The kit is 10% lower than purchasing the items individually; and coupon codes DO STILL apply - so a free shipping coupon is great (they have a flat rate of $7.95 regardless of order size - I ship out a lot with my Garden of Francis business - this is a fantastic shipping price!) - or a 10% off coupon still takes another 10% off the kit itself. I bought mine for $83 or so. Their computer automatically generates the kit price according to current prices of the other items.

Caveat: chemicals can only ship to continental US (check your order contents if you live elsewhere).

NOTE: If you live elsewhere, contact me with your location, and the science supply companies that you do have access to - I'll see if I can set up a kit or package with them for Montessori homeschoolers in your area.



Home Science Tools

Working-Mom Montessori: Domestic Sanctuary

No matter the circumstance, all of us want to have our home be a sanctuary - a safe place from the worries of the world - not an additional source of worries in itself.

But when our time at home is limited by full-time out-of-home employment and even 1 or 2 evening activities, it doesn't matter if the children are homeschooled or not (or even if there are children or not!), a home is easily made messy and there is insufficient time to maintain it.

Stay-at-home and work-at-home moms do NOT sit around doing nothing all day and still end up with a clean, organized home! The ones whose homes aren't pristine, are not necessarily doing nothing either - a home takes time to maintain.



So what we can do to minimize that maintenance load so as to maximize family time and to minimize additional stress?
That utilizes Montessori principles of order, respect for all persons in the environment,


De-Clutter:
I am a huge advocate for "use it or move it". Not that I practice it (anywhere near!) perfectly - but in the areas I have used it, the peace that flows is something wonderful!

Before going to full-time employment - or the first full off-day you have - or before starting homeschooling full-time (especially if you are pulling children out of school) - or before preparing to move - or any plethora of pretty major life changes:
I always recommend you take some time to do what I call "mindless purging".

This does not mean to waste anything or to throw something away you KNOW you will use in the next 5 years (some people say 1 year - but when I have items that I know will be used by an older boy than I have and it's not easily replaceable? yeah, we're keeping it ---- or when my son was a toddler, I had Christmas decorations I wouldn't use at that time (home size, family daycare regulations, single parent to monitor usage) but I would when he got older - yeah, we kept those too).

So be discerning, but don't get hung up on the emotions. 

• Make a "gift" pile (items to set aside to use as gifts for birthdays and holidays - label them with the recipient if one comes to mind quickly - or just place it in that box/bag)
• - and a variety of "donate" piles - local thrift shop is the obvious - but does your local church use a Montessori-based or materials-based religious ed program? or do you have other materials that could be donated to the church religious ed program or the office? to a local pregnancy crisis center? other collections that could take used items? 
• if it's NEW and you've not used it since its purchase and you don't have specific, realistic plans for it - consider donating it to the places that can only take new items
• or return it if you can. 
• Recycle what you can. 
• Throw away only as a last resort - irreparable items, inappropriate items, and the like. 

Get the children involved in this process - if you're about to start homeschooling, this could be the transition from school to homeschool: getting the home in order, learning about community resources and what each one serves, interacting with people in the community - all those things that non-homeschoolers don't realize are real socialization ;) 

Your goal is a home free of "things" that drag you down, that eat up space, that contribute to stress levels, require maintenance (even such as dusting - a home is so much easier to breathe in with fewer items in it that aren't routinely moved and used, meaning less dust) and that otherwise make your home not a sanctuary. 

Now, some people like lots of stuff, or think they do. That's great! Just make sure it's stuff that you like and want and will enjoy - not just stuff for the sake of stuff. 

Projects:

Another area to get the children involved in. This is typically best for a different day than the de-cluttering day. And you may not get everything "done" before a deadline you have (starting full-time work, moving day). 

Have to start officially schooling by a certain day? That is negotiable - here's why: 

• Almost all projects I can think of around my home, count as ART. And many include Practical Life skills ("home ec" if you need a credit - track the hours)
• Got stacks of photos to get into a binder or photo album? The children can help with that - it counts as art - throw in some family stories for social studies - these will not be full credits if you have children at the age of needing credits (track the hours though in case they decide to go off on a related study that would add up to full credit), but elementary and middle schoolers? this stuff is perfect! Preschoolers can help trim pretty paper, be the runners for supplies, help prepare basic snacks. Get all the children involved (except the infant who only wants to eat truly internalize the current project) - this child can be set at a table with some claywork or crayons and paper. 
• Sewing to do? Again - have the children help. At least to observe what you do so they can learn too. If they need/crave to do something with their hands, give them some scrap fabric, needle and thread and let them practice stitching together the edges or creating Xs or creating lines. Draw a simple design on a piece of fabric and let them do a back-stitch or straight-stitch over it, while you are doing the main work. This keeps the children involved even if they can't help with the actual project - and hopefully they CAN help with the actual projects. 
• House repairs? Teach the children. It might take a bit longer, but then they learn. Have them help with all possible and observe the rest. Talk about what you are doing. Learn WITH them if needed. 
• If you have a true deadline - PRIORITIZE. What needs to be done for the sake of the deadline that would cause a financial burden? A relationship burden? An emotional burden? In that order. (normally I put relationships first, but if we're talking about moving out and needing to make repairs to avoid high fees, or you could be evicted if the particular project isn't done by a particular time - well, that contributes to the relationship factor ;) )

PRIORITIZE:

I know this is listed above as part of the projects - but let's look at the bigger picture. You simply aren't Superman or Supermom - so how are you going to decide what really needs to be done first? 

The words are simple anyway: 

Go through your day. What do you need to have in place (or gone) to run your day smoothly. 

Make it happen. 

That "simple" - and that tedious. At the same time.

Need a bullet-point list? 

• Morning routine: what is it? Mad dash to the bathroom to comb hair, get dressed and use toilet in that order (yes, this is my son's routine - even when he really has to use the toilet). Can you simplify any of it? What do you WANT to happen. Now make it happen: have clothes out the night before and in the most convenient place; breakfast items out and prepped the night before when doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. Assure all items have their easy access home. Whatever it takes. 
• Meal preparation: are the dishes and utensils you always use always hidden in the back of the cupboard? Keep THOSE items out - the ones you use every. single. day. Don't put them away - have a nice place on the counter for them. Have items you never-never-never use? Gift them; donate them; sell them (don't trash them, that's wasteful and poor stewardship). Items you rarely use? Those ones put away. 
• Coming home: I am the type of person who wants to come in with my load of groceries or whatever it is, but then I need a minute to re-connect with being home (some aspect of asperger's I have heard) - so I'll go to the bathroom or change my clothes BEFORE putting groceries away. So I'll have a change of clothes ready and I won't place the grocery bags (or anything I am bringing in) in my path to that end of our home. But then I want everything put away, cleaned up, bags stored, and I want to SIT with a loved one and a treat - to reconnect with the relationship AND the home. This is the sanctuary part. 
• So I'll think through - I want the entry way clear when I get home, so I'm the one cleaning it up on my way out - to protect that sanctuary time later. This is SO much more easily done when there are simply fewer ITEMS to sort, store, clean. We have a closet for our coats, so our rack has one (maybe 2, depending on the season) jackets per person. Legoboy's tae-kwon-do bag is always on the hooks so we're not spending time looking for it (he changes his clothes when he gets home and returns the bag to the hooks - a process we thought through to bring us some peace and consistency). I also want our dining table clear enough to place a purse on when I get home; and so we can eat without cleaning it up while we're hungry. (the dining room table is also my "office" - it gets filled up fast). 
• These little things add up - in time, patience, in peace. 
• Bedtime routine: what do you want to do with this? Snuggle time with the children, then work time for you before sleep? All go to sleep at the same time? Think through how/what you want to do here and think ahead to the morning - while you are putting on jammies, you can be setting out clothes for the next day; while brushing teeth, wipe down the sink and counter. 
• Cleaning: If you'll be working full-time out-of-the-home - or even full-time in the home - you may not have blocks of cleaning time (or you'll have to pull time away from relationships). So don't think in blocks. Think in nibbles: as said above, brush teeth and wipe down the sink/counter; once a day or every other day (depending on the number/gender of local inhabitants), when you use the toilet, spray it down with white vinegar; take a shower, spray it down with vinegar on your way out; the time you're not spraying down the toilet, wipe up spots on the bathroom floor; washing dishes - wipe down all counters, surfaces, handles, light switches with the same water (before it gets dirty); have two or more levels to your house - take stuff with you when you go up/down; MAIN THING: JUST PUT IT AWAY - don't say "I'll set this here and put it away where it belongs not 10 inches from where I placed it" - and then never do it - JUST DO IT. TRUST ME. 
• Mail In/Mail Out: Deal with it as it comes; OR have one time a week that you take care of it. Whatever your routine, have one - and stick with it. Don't let it pile up. Most of it can go to recycling anyway (more and more areas have a place where you can drop off your paper recycling and they earn money for it - if you're willing to make that trip vs going to the recycling center for everything or if you can put office paper in your curbside recycling). File what is needed. Whatever it is - when you do sit down to go through the mail, finish out the process for every item. Don't set it aside for later. NOT worth it! 
• What else do you do in your day? What routine will make it go more smoothly? What physical objects are in the way? or could be in a more accessible location? Adjust whatever is needed to make it go more smoothly. 
• Want a weekly movie night with the family? Have the movies in one place; have the items for popcorn making in one place in the kitchen. 

And if it doesn't fit with your life? Go back to the first category above ;) 

Humble pie - this is the master bedroom.
The result of starting with chaos years back
S-l-o-w-l-y getting through it.
In my additional defense:
we don't heat this room in the winter;
and I really have no defense.
There is stuff here I just don't have TIME to put to proper use.
Son's portfolio and scrapbook; stuffed animal repair;
sewing projects to finish and post on Etsy;
my own "scrapbook" type stuff;
routine materials used for Garden of Francis.
Not that many categories, but it sure adds up.
The children who visit, use the books - a LOT.
Everything else just needs to be DONE.
At least my whole home doesn't look like this ;)
because I already applied the above principles to the rest of our home. 

However, I did wake up to this sight in my living room this morning.
Apparently I did some re-arranging in the middle of the night,
cleaned out the file cabinet drawers,
and left these out to freshen up their organization.
Ok. Off to it! 

UPDATE: After writing this post, I did get through the files above. I was able to recycle two plastic grocery bags full of paper; sell a set of continent folder files; add to my plastic baggies collection; and ultimately consolidate all those folders (two drawers' worth) into ONE. I then sat down and did my taxes. Before the government even had their paperwork fully ready.

Of course, we're snowed/iced/windchilled in, so that helps ;)