It is official... we are moving to California! My husband has accepted a job at Apple and we will be moving just after the start of the new year (2012). I knew this day was coming and I have been preparing for it but now that it's here, I realize that there is no "real" preparation for moving across country.
I am excited to move but this means all of my homeschooling planning/preparation/practice is going on hold for at least 2 months. But, it also gives me time to do more and more research. I find the most exciting part about moving is that I will get to set up our "learning area" before it can become over-run with toys or misc. junk.
I LOVE the Montessori Method of learning but after much research, I realize that I am going to be more of a 'Hybrid Montessori Mommy.' What I mean is that I am very much a helicopter parent. For those non-Love & Logic readers... it basically means that it is hard for me to just sit back and watch my kiddo; I want to jump in and teach. With this in mind, I have been doing a bit more blog-search. I found a number of mom's who successfully create a mixed (Montessori and traditional) learning environment and that's where I am headed at the moment.
Blogs that I have been devouring are 1+1+1=1 and Counting Coconuts. I love the Tot School that Carisa of 1+1+1=1 has developed along with the wonderful "star bins" for her older homeschooler. I would like to develop my own method of tot school by crossing her more traditional sit down learning methods with the child-led learning style of Mari-Ann at Counting Coconuts. I have time to stew on this as our entire life including all my resources (except my lovely laptop) will be boxed away and stored until we find a permanent living situation. I am sure my method(s) will evolve as I start planning, preparing and putting everything into practice but for now I am happy to have more time to do some constructive thinking and planning.
In conclusion, I look forward to seeing what 2012 holds for us in the "Ski" household.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Montessori Mobiles
Montessori mobiles are seen as a key element in the early Montessori environment. Each mobile is designed to follow the progression of the child's visual development. The progression outlined in Lillard's Montessori from the Start (2003) is as follows: 1) flat black and white geometric shapes and a glass sphere (aka The Munari Mobile), 2) three metallic paper octahedron in primary colors, 3) five Styrofoam balls covered with embroidery thread in gradations of the same color hung in ascending order from darkest to lightest (aka The Gobbi Mobile), 4) light metallic paper figures and 5) pastel wooden figures. It is suggested that the mobiles should be changed every two weeks and older mobiles should be revisited. Little Red Farm has a great blog post on Montessori Mobiles For Babies that further outlines other mobiles used to stimulate an infant's visual development.
I love the use of Montessori mobiles and intended on providing them for my Peanut, however, as seen on Little Red Farm's post, they can be quite expensive. I attempted to make the six listed below but let's face it, being a stay-at-home mom is time consuming (some are linked to a DIY tutorial I found during my research). With our upcoming move and temporary housing situation, it hasn't and probably won't happen. I hope to still make one or two mobiles for use in Peanut's "learning space" when we land in our next home. By the time this happens, Peanut may have already moved beyond this learning phase but it can't hurt to give her something to study/ discover. If I am able to complete a mobile, I will post a pictorial.
I love the use of Montessori mobiles and intended on providing them for my Peanut, however, as seen on Little Red Farm's post, they can be quite expensive. I attempted to make the six listed below but let's face it, being a stay-at-home mom is time consuming (some are linked to a DIY tutorial I found during my research). With our upcoming move and temporary housing situation, it hasn't and probably won't happen. I hope to still make one or two mobiles for use in Peanut's "learning space" when we land in our next home. By the time this happens, Peanut may have already moved beyond this learning phase but it can't hurt to give her something to study/ discover. If I am able to complete a mobile, I will post a pictorial.
Montessori Mobiles
1) The Munari Mobile
2) The Octahedron Mobile
3) The Gobbi Mobile
4) The Dancers Mobile
5) The Flowing Rhythm Mobile
6) The Whale Mobile
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Co-Sleeping and The Early Montessori Environment
We are a co-sleeping family. Bug co-slept with my husband or I (never together) in our Queen- sized bed until he was 8 months old. His transition to a separate sleeping space happened out of necessity (he started crawling) and was quiet easy. Both my husband and I were disappointed as we enjoyed sharing our space with the little guy. There was never a doubt in my mind that co-sleeping with Bug was the right thing to do. He always slept through the night, was easy to feed and accepted our household rhythm as he was always a part of it.
When we learned we were pregnant with Peanut, we were elated by the possibility of sharing our bed with her. We even upgraded to a King-sized bed so there would be enough room for all three of us. Sometime during my pregnancy I became a little obsessed with whether or not all three of us would be able to sleep together comfortably in our ginormous bed. I decided that we needed a co-sleeper like The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. Fortunately, it wasn't in our budget so I started researching other styles of co-sleepers. I discovered this amazing blog entry on "How to sidecar a crib." A few days later, I located a drop side crib for $30 through Craigslist and my side car crib was born. I am so happy with our side car crib that I tell everyone who is considering co-sleeping about it.
Sleeping or co-sleeping using any type of off the ground bed is not the ideal Montessori way but as I have said before, I do what best fits my family. In short, I am more dedicated to co-sleeping in my own bed with my husband than I am a Montessori lifestyle. It's what works for us. However, I whole-heartedly believe in providing a stimulating environment that includes a mirror, Montessori mobiles, and engaging prints. I didn't get around to researching infant's early environment until just recently as I have been so focused on creating a early preschool environment for Bug. Peanut is now 13 weeks old and I am finally getting around to it.
Pairing Peanut's side car bed with the early environment items has proven difficult. First, we are renters and I am more than hesitant to hang anything from a wall or ceiling. So, I will have to settle for a mobile that attaches to her side car crib. When researching Montessori mobiles, I discovered how amazingly expensive they are. So I have to get crafty and make my own. Thanks to a number of Montessori blogs and free resource sites, I believe I can make all the same mobiles sold on The Michael Olaf Montessori Company. Mine won't be as fancy but they will work for the limited amount of time that Peanut will need them. See Montessori Mobile for more information. Second, putting a mirror in a crib is pretty dangerous as it cannot be securely fastened the same as it would be next to a child's floor bed. My remedy to this problem is to purchase a mirror specifically designed for safe use in a crib. We plan to order a double sided Wimmer-Ferguson mirror from Genius Babies for Christmas. Lastly, the side car is not butted up to a wall or other flat surface where I can safely hang a print. However, I believe it is more than reasonable (and safe) to hang a small, soft visually stimulating book on the inside slats of the crib (also a planned Christmas gift).
When we learned we were pregnant with Peanut, we were elated by the possibility of sharing our bed with her. We even upgraded to a King-sized bed so there would be enough room for all three of us. Sometime during my pregnancy I became a little obsessed with whether or not all three of us would be able to sleep together comfortably in our ginormous bed. I decided that we needed a co-sleeper like The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. Fortunately, it wasn't in our budget so I started researching other styles of co-sleepers. I discovered this amazing blog entry on "How to sidecar a crib." A few days later, I located a drop side crib for $30 through Craigslist and my side car crib was born. I am so happy with our side car crib that I tell everyone who is considering co-sleeping about it.
Sleeping or co-sleeping using any type of off the ground bed is not the ideal Montessori way but as I have said before, I do what best fits my family. In short, I am more dedicated to co-sleeping in my own bed with my husband than I am a Montessori lifestyle. It's what works for us. However, I whole-heartedly believe in providing a stimulating environment that includes a mirror, Montessori mobiles, and engaging prints. I didn't get around to researching infant's early environment until just recently as I have been so focused on creating a early preschool environment for Bug. Peanut is now 13 weeks old and I am finally getting around to it.
Pairing Peanut's side car bed with the early environment items has proven difficult. First, we are renters and I am more than hesitant to hang anything from a wall or ceiling. So, I will have to settle for a mobile that attaches to her side car crib. When researching Montessori mobiles, I discovered how amazingly expensive they are. So I have to get crafty and make my own. Thanks to a number of Montessori blogs and free resource sites, I believe I can make all the same mobiles sold on The Michael Olaf Montessori Company. Mine won't be as fancy but they will work for the limited amount of time that Peanut will need them. See Montessori Mobile for more information. Second, putting a mirror in a crib is pretty dangerous as it cannot be securely fastened the same as it would be next to a child's floor bed. My remedy to this problem is to purchase a mirror specifically designed for safe use in a crib. We plan to order a double sided Wimmer-Ferguson mirror from Genius Babies for Christmas. Lastly, the side car is not butted up to a wall or other flat surface where I can safely hang a print. However, I believe it is more than reasonable (and safe) to hang a small, soft visually stimulating book on the inside slats of the crib (also a planned Christmas gift).
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Beginning
I became interested in the Montessori style of teaching/learning after reading about Maria Montessori in one of my graduate-level Anthropology classes. At that point in my life, I knew I wanted kids just didn't know where they would fit into my life plan. So at the time, I filed the information away for a rainy day.
Fast forward five years and I am looking down at a precious baby boy while dreaming of the magical life of a stay-at-home mom. Fast forward another two and a half years and you find me as I am today. A SAHM to a very busy toddler and a newborn. I find myself still desperately grasping at this stay-at-home mom concept despite the fact that I have been one since my son was born. I have learned some very important lessons in the last two and a half years; the most important one is that I don't know what I am doing?!
Seriously, this stay-at-home mom thing is hard. Not only are you responsible for keeping the house running, you are expected to educate this little being on everything from words to manners and potty practices. It's exhausting. I am not a child educator and honestly have no idea how to teach my child 90% of what he needs to know. So what did I do? I joined a mom's group.
Through my mom's group I once again discovered Montessori learning. If I want to continue to be a SAHM, I can't afford to send my child to a Montessori school as I have always envisioned. After endless hours of Internet research and book combing, I have decided to do the next best thing... create a Montessori homeschool-like environment to enrich my son's learning.
It is this desire to create a Montessori homeschooling area in my home that inspires this blog. I have been beating my head against the wall (actually my keyboard) trying to synthesize all the information I am discovering. It's got me thinking, surely there is someplace where someone has shared the birth of their Montessori environment. Well, if it's there I haven't found it yet so that's what I plan to do. It is my hope that this blog will help others by showing 1) how I create my space (step-by-step), and 2) what we (the kiddos and I) do in our space.
**A word of caution here... I am not a dedicated Montessorian and take each idea/ concept knowing that I don't have to do EVERYTHING the perfect Montessori way. I pick and chose what I feel works best for my family so not everything on my blog will be the ideal Montessori method.
Some of the books I have been exploring include:
Gettman, David. Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under Five. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1987.
Levoic, Jill M. Diaper-Free Before 3: The Healthier Way To Toilet Train and Help Your Child Out of Diapers Sooner. Three Rivers Press: New York, 2006.
Lillard, Paula, and Lynn Jessen. Montessori From the Start: The Child at Home, From Birth to Age Three. Schocken: New York, 2003.
Pitamic, Maja. Teach Me To Do It Myself: Montessori Activities For You and Your Child. Barron's Educational Series: New York, 2004.
Fast forward five years and I am looking down at a precious baby boy while dreaming of the magical life of a stay-at-home mom. Fast forward another two and a half years and you find me as I am today. A SAHM to a very busy toddler and a newborn. I find myself still desperately grasping at this stay-at-home mom concept despite the fact that I have been one since my son was born. I have learned some very important lessons in the last two and a half years; the most important one is that I don't know what I am doing?!
Seriously, this stay-at-home mom thing is hard. Not only are you responsible for keeping the house running, you are expected to educate this little being on everything from words to manners and potty practices. It's exhausting. I am not a child educator and honestly have no idea how to teach my child 90% of what he needs to know. So what did I do? I joined a mom's group.
Through my mom's group I once again discovered Montessori learning. If I want to continue to be a SAHM, I can't afford to send my child to a Montessori school as I have always envisioned. After endless hours of Internet research and book combing, I have decided to do the next best thing... create a Montessori homeschool-like environment to enrich my son's learning.
It is this desire to create a Montessori homeschooling area in my home that inspires this blog. I have been beating my head against the wall (actually my keyboard) trying to synthesize all the information I am discovering. It's got me thinking, surely there is someplace where someone has shared the birth of their Montessori environment. Well, if it's there I haven't found it yet so that's what I plan to do. It is my hope that this blog will help others by showing 1) how I create my space (step-by-step), and 2) what we (the kiddos and I) do in our space.
**A word of caution here... I am not a dedicated Montessorian and take each idea/ concept knowing that I don't have to do EVERYTHING the perfect Montessori way. I pick and chose what I feel works best for my family so not everything on my blog will be the ideal Montessori method.
Some of the books I have been exploring include:
Gettman, David. Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under Five. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1987.
Levoic, Jill M. Diaper-Free Before 3: The Healthier Way To Toilet Train and Help Your Child Out of Diapers Sooner. Three Rivers Press: New York, 2006.
Lillard, Paula, and Lynn Jessen. Montessori From the Start: The Child at Home, From Birth to Age Three. Schocken: New York, 2003.
Pitamic, Maja. Teach Me To Do It Myself: Montessori Activities For You and Your Child. Barron's Educational Series: New York, 2004.
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