Montessori Homeschool Week - February - Work Plan

Just for kicks, I am hoping to blog this whole week about Legoboy's homeschooling experiences - all Montessori (though if I didn't mention that, many people would think we were either unschooling or doing some other "curriculum". Why? Because Montessori is not about the materials in and of themselves, but about the child's needs and interests, both expressed and unexpressed - needs met through key presentations given by the adult and further research and exploration on the part of the child.)


Work plan for the week: 

• Study something from his "herbal jumpdrive" (we have finished up some projects/studies and he has a few resources he still wants to explore - this one is left open-ended)
• Continue editing images from Wall of Fame (Mystery of History - he is creating digital designs for each story that he wants to have printed into a book)
• Watch 2 Apologetics course sessions (he is continuing with a middle school apologetics course he started this past December --- currently doing the Recorded Classes with all assignments with Homeschool Connections)
• Daily work on his Confirmation notebook - meeting with his sponsor on Thursday to go over what is done up to that point. 
• Review decimal fractions multiplication on the checkerboard. He had fun last week helping me create freshened images for this work, that he wants to "play with it" a bit this week. 
• Three chapters in Primary Grade Challenge Math (he has been putzing slowly with this book - he prefers to have me listen to him doing all the math orally while he writes some of it down. He needs that communal aspect, but I am not always available; so he adjust his plans accordingly). 
• Finish Consecration in Truth review: levels 2 and 3. He started this way back when, now he wants to keep going with it because "Lent is coming" and he wants to freshen up on things. 
• EEME Project 3 should be arriving this week. Our review post on EEME
• Practice piano daily
• Select other work as appropriate and interested. 
• On the schedule - some he planned, some we planned together: 
• Homeschool Monday class at the local museum: Seismology
• Mummies of the World exhibition
• Jerusalem OmniMax film before it ends on the 12th
• Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs OmniMax film
• Tae-kwon-do Monday and Wednesday evenings; Saturday morning
• Swim lesson Tuesday evening
• Additional swim practice when possible
• Atrium Thursday afternoon
• Mass: Tuesday morning, Thursday morning (had to choose between tae-kwon-do and Mass Wednesday evening - various reasons, he chose tae-kwon-do this time)
• Speech Wednesday morning
• Dentist appointment Wednesday afternoon
• Meet with Confirmation sponsor after atrium Thursday
• Celebrate Mama's birthday on Wednesday - and another day when we have actual "time"

Now THERE is a SMILE!

Montessori: Small Objects

There are a few Montessori presentations for which random small objects are great for. Typically, these are in the language area --- and depending on the "style" you follow, you may need more or you may need less. The Keys of the World (AMI-style) require fewer.

In our home we didn't buy any - except one batch of tiny flower pots with flowers, on Ebay. Why? I don't know, but they sure are cute!

We could have totally done without them.

The thing is - each object has far more than just one name. And you can describe it.
So a "pig", depending on the details shown you could use: pig, sow, boar, swine, pink, large (other sizes), piglet, animal, mammal --- and even look at their parts that can be seen: snout, eyes, hooves. etc. Or what they provide: pork, bacon, ribs.

Cows are also bovine.
Horses are equine.


If you want to buy some objects - go for it! Just don't dismiss the idea that you have 100% of what you need in your home already. What you don't have in small objects doesn't have to done with small objects - "I hear the sound in "mmmm" in something in this room - who could it be? OH! It is Emma!!!"



Posted this on Facebook:

Some assurance that you don't "need" to buy small objects (if you "want" to - have fun! but those feeling the pinch? ***Look around your house***)

This stuff was gathered one day, several years ago. We sometimes pull additional things (like jumpdrive, necklace, lego pieces (Legos are great for miniatures!), other toy pieces, etc. It is AMAZING what we have in our homes, when we actually look. Got a junk drawer? A random art pieces junk drawer? Sewing? Hardware? Legos or other play sets? Oh! We did a tealight candle in this set for a while - then we decided to use it wink emoticon

Another Story: 

I met a homeschool mom about 2 years ago, who insisted up and down "we just don't have small objects - which ones should I buy? and we are on a TIGHT budget."
I told her

1. You have more than you think you do. 
2. You don't NEED all those cutesy objects other people have. Use the large objects around you if needed; use words in the child's mind. Use the kitchen cupboard contents, or the trees/objects in the backyard. Sounds are all around you. 
3. She was still in a quandary (amazing how we moms like to work ourselves up into these). I was coming to visit anyway and I asked for permission to find small objects all over her house, requesting permission (or boundaries) of where I could look. 

I filled a 3-gallon bucket. All sounds were represented. 

She had insisted she had NOTHING! 

Here is a basic run-down of our "tiny objects" in our Montessori homeschool and co-op:

Un-pictured:
Toob animals (I don't even know what all we have here!)
Lego pieces (amazing what can be pulled from Lego sets)
Tealight candle
More hardware pieces
#6 from our fridge magnets (to have an "x" when animals are not present)


Pictured: 
Barbie hairbrush
flower from my bouquet from my mom/stepdad's wedding
housekey
set of three tinier keys - on a key ring
plastic keys from a Wendy's kids meal game (like pick up sticks)
plastic rosary
plastic ball
big green button from an old coat
plastic pacifiers from a baby shower
tiny flower pots with flowers - different colors
white gift bow
red gift bow/rose
hexagonal box with two lids
wood cross
bunny in egg
paint board
rubber band
tongue depressor (popsicle stick, craft stick)
sharpener
green paint
empty jar of paint (clear, jar, cap, lid, glass, metal, white, empty)
various rocks/stones
rug from a doll-house
washboard
moccassins
tacklebox divider
wood star
feather
egg-shaped stone - looks like the universe
tissue
pen cap
shell
glass stone/marker
brown jars with white lids
small cloths
wood ring
red die
funnel
cottonball
bunch of flowers
chopstick rest
sticky notes
brass bell
red netting
tiny wood cube
Christmas wreath pin
thread spool
gold dish
white cup hook
two sizes of paperclips
extr caps/lids/covers
4-leaf clover
hat
suction cup hanger
mug
silver bell
lock
cup
gold ribbon bow
plastic ring
gold cap for lightbulb
milk cap
red paint
silver ring
table-leg foot prop (we used these for polishing dishes years ago)
carrot
funnel

NOW **THINK** - for each of those objects are words for all of the following:
colors, sizes, textures, composition, style, other appearance, weight, multiple names....

Tell me you can't do all the sound games and the Mystery Bag with this set?

;)

Work Plans - CONFUSION

Primary children should NOT use a written work plan.
But they can have the conversation!
And they can ask for a particular presentation
(as this boy is doing - because he has plans!)

There is a plethora of confusion about work plans.

I recently posted this in the comments of an online friend's blog and decided to make it its own post. I try so hard to "agree to disagree" on many interpretations of Montessori, while presenting information from a new viewpoint --- so each individual can make an individual choice for their own situation. This is one area where I am TIRED of being attacked, name-called, my intelligence and adherence to Montessori called into question because I don't "let" the elementary children "have complete freedom." Montessori never said "complete freedom". She said "freedom with responsibility" for the elementary age. And the misinterpretation of work plans and what they are SUPPOSED to be, I am drained of maintaining the quiet stance of "well, consider this aspect....".

Time for the truth to be told. Boldly.

Work plans are the child's segue into responsibility. 

They are the child's written down thoughts/plans for the day or the week or the month, following a conversation with the adult who does not dictate but listens, offers suggestions, answers questions, poses some questions and sometimes reminds a child of an area of exploration that the child doesn't know about (or remember) that would actually HELP the child's current explorations, interests, projects. 

Work plans are not checklists or pre-assigned/designed by the adult. 

Here is what I recently posted in the comments on another blog:

I think a good deal of the confusion comes from inaccurate information given to us first; it saturates us so that we come to the accurate information if it is not MORE forceful and MORE clear and MORE everything than the inaccurate information (and sometimes even then!) it gets pushed aside, not read/understood as intensely because an opinion has already been formed.

I REALLY wish certain other places would stop with the checklists - "download, print and use this as work plan". Those are not work plans, they are checklists. And they are adult led.

We ALL have work plans - whether written down or in a planner or in our heads - we all have a plan for the day, the week, the month, the year, life-plans - and we are all working towards those. To help the children we discuss, we check-in, we guide them, we make sure they are aware of scheduled activities that are upcoming so THEY can plan to get into deep or not so deep work depending on how much time they have, we let them make some mistakes but we also offer words of wisdom at the right moments --- and the children can write that down.

I don't see "checklist" in there anywhere. I am SO happy that the truth is finally being understood and being spread (I have felt like a lone voice for FAR too long) - but I am so sad at the depth of the misunderstanding.... 

A work plan is simply a written form of the plans in your child's mind. 

A homeschooler's version might look different from a classroom version - why? Because in the classroom, you have 35-60 children working in various areas to inspire the other children, reminding them of other areas of study.

Children in classrooms can observe others' work as a review and reminder of their own past work, inspiring them to further work or a way to apply that knowledge in their current work. Homeschool children don't have this inspiration, so it is OK to have a list of all the areas that could be studied in - as that way of reminding the children. They also won't be visually reviewing (observing) as much so it is ok to remind them to review areas they have not touched on in a while.

There are many other differences between classroom and homeschool, found in other posts - and some are still in-development.


Ultimately, we the adults have the map, yes the child still has his own personal journey - but how does the child know his options if we, the adult, don't present them.

Thus we continue to give new presentations (the children have a right to know when these presentations will happen, so they can learn to plan their own day); the children have a right to know there ARE more presentations and to request them. The children have a right to know how to plan their time wisely and receive GUIDANCE in their project and study planning.

If we do not have a conversation with the children and provide this opportunity for them to talk out their previous work (work journals) and their upcoming plans, then we are doing a SERIOUS dis-service to the children.

A GREAT article and video on the "Three Essential Tools of the Elementary Environment".
Montessori Guide: The Three Essential Tools

Montessori FAIL

So many times in Montessori - or ANY homeschool program or experience - we feel like failures.

As intentionally homeschooling parents we tend to doubt ourselves even more than other parents - are we making the right decisions? Am I doing this right? Is this really what is right for my child?

What is very true about Montessori is that it is intended for ALL children - the universal child. The key principles of observation and key-based response leads to a personalized experience for each child - that recognizes both the universal forces within the child as well as their individual uniqueness.

But when Montessori doesn't work for OUR child, we doubt. Either it is ourselves or it is the method. Or maybe Montessori doesn't actually work for every child.

Well.... What Montessori means to some people might not work for every child, but the CORE of what Montessori actually IS does indeed work for all children.


Some keys to keep in mind with authentic Montessori:

• Montessori works on a 3-fold foundation: prepared adult, prepared child, prepared environment. Of the three, the prepared adult is the most difficult. 
• While it is not "about" the materials, the authentic Montessori materials are the response to the observation that children need particular keys to help them organize their world and master concepts. These keys have been thoughtfully developed and prepared to meet particular needs - and each material has a DEPTH that not all albums, trainers, or bloggers provide.
  
• What Montessori really about is living real life - and providing the keys when needed. Living life with respect for one another, honoring the presence of each person in one's life as well as those who came before us and those who will come after us.
  

It is when we worry that our child is not working with the materials, we doubt. So let's consider why the child isn't connecting with the materials?

• it may be in our personal approach
  
• it may be in the reality that our children need something else in that particular moment
  
• It may be the fact that our children learn through observation (we can learn through observation too!)
• It may also be a lack of understanding the school versus the home setting. Montessori is not about the materials but about living life. We use the materials to provide keys-based experiences, but the children in a school do NOT spend their entire 3-hour work cycle touching the materials. They have bathroom breaks, stories, conversations, watering plants, caring for animals, perhaps some gardening, snack time, walking on the line.
  

Questions to ask ourselves:

• Do you have a continuous non-circular line for walking?
  
• Are you doing the activities that don't utilize materials (silence game, in primary (ages 3-6) the entire first chapter of the language album (Spoken Language activities are actually QUITE extensive))
• Are we presenting the keys, then letting the child have time to explore and discover extensions and games and the like before we introduce them ourselves - in other words, are we pacing enough to keep presenting new things (daily in the beginning - but again, not everything with materials) while allowing personal discovery?
  
• How much time have we spent JUST observing?
  
• Do we have a good guide for WHAT to be observing?
  

Practical things to DO in Montessori:

• Observe your child. Note interests, attention span, actual needs (some of which are unexpressed).
  
• Have real conversations and experiences that bring the child into life in the real world. Social situations, gardening, caring for animals, practical life of cooking and cleaning.
  
• Hold your child responsible for cleaning up after himself - yes this can be with your help; the focus here is on setting that good habit of "the work is not done until is put away and/or ready for the next person."
  

Given Time and Space to be Creative

Children WANT to be creative. 

Let's LET them!

Just a very few samples as I sort through photos from the last few months.


They need instruction on how materials are to be used - then invited to explore with the boundaries of respect and care.