The Montessori Homeschool . . .

I think we have found our niche. Today was our first day to try Montessori Homeschooling.
What is Montessori, you ask?
I'm glad you asked!

The Montessori Method was created by Maria Montessori at the turn of the century. Her book The Montessori Method was published in 1912. The premise of the Montessori method of teaching is that children learn best when they have the freedom to chose what they wish to learn and when. That being said, there is still a METHOD of teaching and a sequence.

For example, in a Montessori school, the learning always begins with Practical Life and Sensorial works. Practical Life is exactly what it sounds like: learning how to LIVE. Things like dressing, hygiene, cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc. Sensorial works are based around the five senses - sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. Once children master these types of works, they are free, when they are ready, to move toward work dealing with language arts, math, and social sciences.

One of the greatest aspects of the Montessori method is that children teach each OTHER works they've mastered, and often older children will instruct the younger children. This is why the Montessori method lends itself well to homeschools with multiple aged children.

In a true Montessori school, you find classrooms separated by age groups that are larger than a traditional school might be. Rather than being broken up into Kindergarten, First, Second, etc. grades, the Montessori school is broken up into age ranges: 3-6; 6-9; 9-12; 12-15, etc. This so that older children have the opportunity to teach younger children. This is important from two perspectives: first, when a child is able to teach another child, it cements the lesson into their own mind, thus completing a "learning circle" (introduce, learn, practice, teach). For the younger child, they get to interact with an older mentor, so to speak.

Another benefit of the Montessori style of teaching is that every child goes at his or her own pace. This is important for so many reasons. So often we hinder a child's love of learning by trying to force them to learn something they might not be ready to learn. Potty training a child too early, for example, can lead to future issues with bowl with-holding or nighttime wetting. The same goes with subject-learning. A child that is not ready to read can become frustrated and belligerent when being forced into it. The opposite is true for children that are ready for something before the educational system says they are. Some children are ready to read and write by age four. Some are ready for algebra by age nine. Holding the children back in learning things when they're ready can cause behavior issues, boredom, and other problems.

While these are all great reasons to turn to the Montessori method of homeschooling, these are only a small reason as to why I have chosen this for our little school.

First off, Montessori was specifically designed for children with special needs. Because the system is designed for children to learn using all five senses, every learning ability and style benefits from it. Miss E benefits greatly from this because of her AD/HD and ODD. The Montessori Method keeps her interested and focused, and teaches her how to get along with others. Mr. J equally benefits from this method because of his early desire to read and do math.

Second, I spent several years prior to having children as an assistant in a Montessori classroom. For six year I learned the method and the works, and even considered going back to school to get my certification (online). If nothing more than to be a better educator for my children.

Finally, it's CHEAP, believe it or not. While there are several Montessori works that are difficult to replicate at home, most are made from items we have in our own cabinets and drawers.  Homemade Montessori works are wonderful. There are several websites out there that will help you make your own.

One more thing:
The Montessori method fosters a love of learning but also a love of discipline. Not the kind of discipline that included belittling or harming a child, but rather self-discipline and care for one's self. Not to mention how to take care of others and be of service to each other. I am excited to get our little school going once and for all.

Three Months In - How and What We're Doing

Wow, has it REALLY been three months? It seems now like we're old hats at this in some ways, and still struggling in others.

We've had a lot of inconsistencies in our days, so we're having a hard time getting into a routine. I'm trying to remedy that by letting everyone in my life - friends, family members, and doctors - know that until 2:00 in the afternoon, we are just not available. This has helped some, but we've also had a struggle with bedtime routines.

My DREAM routine (for the kids) goes like this:

7:30-8:30 Wake up, have breakfast, get ready for the day, morning chores, and bible time.
8:30-9:30 Free time
9:30-12:00 All screens (TV/Computer/Etc) OFF - school time
(school time consists of the kids choosing their activities off the school shelf to do - they can choose whatever activity they like and spend as long as they want doing it)
12:00-1:00 Lunch Time, After Lunch Pick Up
1:00-2:00 Quiet/Free Time (what Mr. J calls "recess")

BUT things haven't really gone that way. It's been more like THIS:

Kids wake up anywhere between 9-10
The get up, lounge around in their PJ's, eat breakfast, watch TV, play video games, etc.
By 12 I just realized what time it was and invite the kids to do some sort of activity with me, which usually gets shot down in favor of Minecraft or The Sims.
Either that or we get a phone call from someone offering to take us or asking us to take them someplace.
Not to mention the fact that the kids are getting out of a sleep routine.
Some days they're not getting to sleep until close to MIDNIGHT.

Yeah . . .

So our days have been mostly filled with unschooling! And believe it or not, it's working quite well for us. Mr. J plays a lot of Minecraft. I actually have no problem with this - playing Minecraft has helped him learn spacial concepts, geometry, reading, typing, computer skills, problem solving . . . The list could go on and on. So I am a HUGE advocate for Minecraft!

He is also really into weather and tornadoes right now. He watches a lot of videos on tornadoes online, and really enjoys watching videos on tornado mods for Minecraft. I just purchased a connector for us to make a tornado with soda bottles, a "pet tornado" and a book about tornadoes for us to read together. He is really excited about these additions to our school shelf!

Miss E is into art, The Sims, crochet, cooking, and the Winx Club (she likes other fairies, but Winx is her biggest love right now). She takes art lessons from my mom, and I've been getting her Winx graphic novels (really big comic books!) to read. She's also played a LOT of Sims - the great thing about Sims is that with it being a life-simulation, she has learned a lot about money and home management, and even about responsibility (if you don't go to work, you lose your job. If you don't take care of your children, CPS comes and gets them!). She is learning to crochet, and I've just taught her how to do a single crochet stitch. Next on the list is the half double crochet, then the double crochet. Her love of cooking is huge as well. She loves making scrambled eggs, and quiche. She's also working on writing her own recipes.

Recently our math curriculum - Math U See - came in. The kids absolutely love it so far. We've only had a couple of lessons, but they are excited about it. Miss E especially - she's wanting to learn Algebra, but knows that she needs to know other stuff before she can get there.

So is it everything that I dreamed? No. It's not, I have to admit that. But every single day I see something else that cements my decision to homeschool my children. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I made the right decision. And even out of routine and without a set curriculum, my kids are learning EVERY SINGLE DAY. They're reading, they're doing math, they're doing science, and a lot of times they don't even realize it. So no, it's not anywhere CLOSE to what I'd dreamed. But it's GOOD. And that's good enough for  me.