At three years of age, Max epitomizes what Dr. Maria Montessori termed the absorbant mind.
Always a bright child, he is such a sponge right now. One of the most beautiful parts of motherhood is watching the wheels in his head turn as he makes connections. A brain scan would show new neurons forming and neuro-pathways strengthening as he matches his observations and experiments to information he already possesses. I don’t need a fancy brain scan to see this in action. I just look into his eyes. At his tender age he is completely self-forgetting when he learns. Confusion followed by delight are written all over his sweet school-boy face.
Love of Learning!
That is what I hope most to ignite within my boys. Ignite is the wrong word, though; children are born eager learners. My goal is to protect, preserve and grow their love of learning. That is why I have decided to set up a non-dogmatic Montessori classroom in our home. Dr. Montessori’s teachings resonate strongly within me. As the product of a Montessori education, I know first hand how transformative it can be for life. Although I do specify that this is a non-dogmatic approach, I will strive to create our environment and approach our learning according to her philosophy. I make that qualification, because I feel comfortable adjusting teaching to what works best for us and pulling from every wonderful resource I can. It’s an expansive, rather than rigid approach.
Right now we are just dipping our toes into our homeschool. After nap is our Activity Time. I present Max (and Jack, depending on how long he sleeps) with several choices of Montessori activities. He chooses and completes them at will. He frequently plays sous chef in the kitchen as I prep for dinner. Our mornings are usually spent on outings to places like the Children’s Museum, a petting zoo, a playground, Nature Tots or meeting with an active play group. Of course once a week we experience Practical Life as we grocery shop together. Everyday we make sure to spend lots of time outside. In the evenings my husband and I make and assemble Montessori materials.
This fall Jack will turn three and Max will be four. At those ages we will fall into a predictable school schedule. Tip-toeing rather than plunging into homeschool works well for us as I am still learning how to teach. Making Montessori materials is time-consuming and buying them is expensive, so it’s nice to start gradually. It’s also gives Max the opportunity to adjust to the process.
I’ve added a new subcategory to mamaguru.com’s Family Section called Home Sweet Preschool. I will share our activities there for other families interested in either homeschooling or supplementing their child’s preschool. Most of my ideas are garnered by other mamas or Montessori teachers and I’ll link to some wonderful sites that are helping me. If anyone has any questions, ideas or resources to share, please do so. This is the beginning, and so there are so many possibilities. I just can’t wait!
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