Montessori Elementary Homeschool Blog - with documentation of our infant Montessori, toddler Montessori, and primary Montessori experiences; as well as preparation for the upcoming adolescent Montessori homeschool years.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Family Gardening in Our Home

Time to move these plants outside! 
My children and I need to get cracking on planning our gardens. It is March already and we should have seedlings going already! OOPS! Flu and public school issues will do that to a family, I suppose.


This year, with 5 children instead of 1, we are going for a modification of square foot gardening. Each child will have their own space to plan within.
(Technically we had 5 children last summer too - but we started the growing season with 1 child and 1 adult and added from there - and our garden FAILED last year. Utter Failure.)


Mama:
  • Pumpkins
  • Tomatoes
  • Rhubarb
  • In the yard: add more lilac bushes, landscaping refreshed, plant some berry bushes for the future

Miss 14:
  • Watermelons
  • Strawberries
  • Purple Trailing Petunias

Mister 13:
  • Pumpkins (more)
  • Cucumbers
  • Watermelon
  • Cantalope

Miss 12:
  • Corn
  • Strawberries
  • Coleus

Miss 4:
  • Carrots
  • Sunflowers

Mister 3:
  • Flower mix
  • Sunflowers

Not as much variety as I would like to see, but we've had a late start in planning. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks!

The children will be responsible for their own area. With the particular needs we have in our mix of children, it is best for them not to share duties with the others, although Legoboy (Mr 13) and I will provide reminders and guidance for the others when needed. Miss 14 has never grown anything, ever. 12, 4 and 3 had a garden in their previous home but didn't get to see everything grow - they were provided some of their vegetable produced as it was harvested, but didn't get to pick it themselves.

This should be an interesting year to say the least ;)



Previous gardening related posts:
Lazy Gardening
Pollinator Week - Planning for our new home and garden
Nature in Montessori Education
Almost on the Farm
Vermi-Composting: WORMS! 
Gardening in an Apartment
KidzHerbs Garden Kit: Review Post
Musings on the Elementary Scientific Classification Material
Herb Love - Review Post of Herb Fairies




Other Posts in the Series: 








Sunday, October 30, 2016

Friday, September 9, 2016

Fractions Videos !!!

The fractions videos are finally being uploaded - I truly thought they were already up!

Here is a teaser!

This is from the fractions chapter in the elementary Montessori mathematics album - for Keys of the Universe that is "chapter 5".

All the others are available at Keys of the Universe!





And hopefully I will get caught up posting all my draft posts from... APRIL !? Ouch. We have had 2 boys come and go (to their permanent home), 2 older girls move in, then 2 little siblings move in. Addressing the needs of traumatized kids in the public school system. Family vacations.

And all the reality of how the Montessori approach is SO suited to the meet the needs of children with special needs and coming from traumatic situations.

I am in love with the Montessori approach more and more every single day. Even more so the days I don't approach things in this respectful, needs-based way - and go the way of the world - and everything literally falls apart.

More to come!



BLOOPERS! 






How many times was that!? 





I'm hungry! 


Cuz we can't be serious ;)

Monday, March 28, 2016

Snake Game Videos!!!

Montessori Snake Game videos are now posted at Keys of the Universe. 

For the elementary negative snake game, see the usual place for videos - on the course site (keysoftheuniverse.com/elementary) in Mathematics. For right now, the snake game is the only video in chapter 9 (the others will follow!).

For the addition snake game and the subtraction snake game, please see the discussion community itself - I have posted both videos in both the primary level section (where all the primary videos will be) and in the elementary section in a pinned post under mathematics. While this work is primarily for 5-6 year olds in the primary environment, some lower elementary children can still benefit from it, especially as a build-up to the elementary negative snake game.

There are no videos for the following snake games, because they are redundant - already included in the other snake games!!!


  • Negative Snake Game (that has 5 boxes)
  • Multiplication Snake Game (already included as a verification stage within the Addition Snake Game)

Some of our cutest snake game bloopers: 

Other videos and samples are being added at our family business's Vimeo page


Screen-name: 



5-year-old: 



Rolling the mat: 



Leaving Runescape: 



Awkward Box Lids: 




Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Montessori Essentials Course


Montessori Essentials Course for all Montessori adults! 
       Montessori Homeschoolers
       Montessori Classroom Assistants
       Catechesis of the Good Shepherd *assistants*
     
June 6 8a-5p
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
Lafayette, Indiana

Learn the basics of Montessori that apply to all environments, along with the following:
  • History of Montessori
  • Exercises of Practical Life - preliminary skills, care of the environment, care of self and more
  • Grace and Courtesy lessons
  • Walking on the Line
  • Silence Game/Activity
  • Basic art lessons

$50 for the day (evening-before lodging available only as space permits)

NB: This Montessori Essentials course is one-day of a full 10-day course on the religious potential of children aged 2.5 through their 6th year. While the focus of the whole course is on the religious potential of the child as seen through a Montessori whole-child perspective, this first day will primarily focus on the universal aspects of the Montessori approach to life; thus anyone of any faith background who wants to utilize or learn more about the Montessori approach will benefit.

If you are interested in the full Catechesis of the Good Shepherd course, please see the post 3, 2, 1, Atrium at Seeking the Plan of God.