School, school, school!

Now that school is starting tomorrow I've got a wave of emotions running through my body. It's a bittersweet feeling to see your baby growing up and heading to kindergarten! While I'm excited for her to start kindergarten and make new friends, as the hours draw closer for her to go a huge part of me is disappointed that it's not me that is going to be her kindergarten teacher. There are so many things that I want to share with her, but am only going to have a few precious hours out of the day for them. And while I think they're important, I mostly think it's important for her to be a kid and play in the few hours left after school. Why the heck again do five-year-olds need to spend 8 stinkin' hours at school? I will never understand that logic...EVER. But that's another tangent for another day. Anyway, most of my homeschooling endeavors are just going to have to stay on the back burner until the time is right.

A few people have asked me how I will be supplementing my kids' educations. Before I get into the details, just let me preface them by saying that each child is unique. Children grow, learn, and develop at their own paces and I think it is the parents' responsibility to respect that. Just because one thing works for one child definitely does not mean that it is going to work for their sibling.

That being said, I completely agree with the Montessori method that describes the parent/teacher roles as being "directors." Parents and teachers should observe children, determine what their educational needs are and then direct them in the ways that they can be the most successful.

If you're not familiar with Montessori, basically the belief is that children should be raised to be independent, responsible citizens. The best quote I've found that sums this teaching method up is, "Help me do it by myself." For a more detailed description you can go to wikipedia's definition of the Montessori Method.

I really like the real-life lessons that Montessori teaches that usually aren't taught anywhere but in the home. For example, lessons in courtesy and household responsibilities.

Oh yeah, and all these things I'm mentioning are mostly age appropriate for a five-year-old, so depending on how old your kids are you can adjust accordingly.

There are a million ideas I've found that I could post, but that would take forever, so here are a few of my favorites.

Lessons in Courtesy
1. Saying please and thank you
2. Kind tones when speaking - no whining or yelling
3. How to ask for a turn
4. How to introduce yourself
5. How to open/close doors
6. What to do if you cough of sneeze
7. Giving people compliments and encouragement
8. Allowing others to go first
9. Saying "excuse me"
10. Responding politely when someone calls your name
11. Walking around other's work/play areas
12. Learning how to wait
13. Not interrupting
14. Answering the phone politely

Household Responsibilities
I also think it's really important for children to contribute to household responsibilities. Children (as do we all) feel more comfortable in an organized environment, so they should share in the responsibility of keeping it that way. Here are a few ideas I found that I like:

1. Setting the table - if children don't already know how to do this, draw a place setting on a large piece of construction paper (that will serve as a place mat). Trace a plate, a cup, a fork, a knife, a spoon, and a napkin in the appropriate locations and then have your child practice setting the dishes on it.
2. Matching and folding socks - this is a really easy way for children to contribute to keeping laundry clean. You can easily make it into a game by allowing them to toss the socks into a basket once they are folded!
3. Dusting - give your child a duster and let them go at it, you'll be surprised at how much fun they will have doing this job!
4. Hand washing dishes - kids love to play in bubbly water, so why not put them to work in it? Montessori says to let kids wash regular dishes even if they're glass and then if they break they learn the consequence of it, but personally, I'm not about to have all my glass stuff break. So be sure to use parental supervision. :)
5. Vacuuming - yes, it's going to take twice as long, but it's definitely important to let them try!
6. Cooking - kids LOVE to cook, so let them help out every now and then!
7. Putting things back in their correct places when it's clean up time.

Life Skills
1. Pouring water
2. Tying shoes
3. How to sew a button
4. Measuring
5. Being responsible for a plant

Music and the Arts
Montessori really emphasizes the importance of music and the arts in a child's development and how a child should have the opportunity to explore them. Children should be encouraged to sing and learn how to imitate a beat. Montessori believed that any child could sing, the only reason that some don't is because they are discouraged from it. I totally agree with that. Music when used correctly can be a powerful teaching tool. Teaching through music, is not only fun but effective. Dancing and art are also a great way for a child to express themselves. Having music playing in the background and art supplies always on hand are highly recommended.

Work/Play Space
One more idea I really like from Montessori is the idea of a work/play space. Each kid has their own little space where they are free to work and play without the interruption of another child. I bought two little rugs, one for Janelle and one for Spencer, and in theory they are their own spaces. Janelle loves the idea. I'm still working on the idea with Spencer. He doesn't quite understand he needs to leave Janelle alone when she's on her rug, but he'll understand one day.

Sensory Stimulation
Have you ever noticed that you can buy your kids a million toys, yet they always just want to get into your stuff? Montessori believed kids should be allowed to explore nice things in the world around them. I love the idea of the "basket of treasures."
Basket of treasures - fill a basket with some of the following items and allow children to play with them.

• metal: bell, measuring spoon, small whisk
• natural: pinecone, sponge, large pebble, feather, shell
• wooden: spoon, wooden egg, pastry brush, block, shoe brush
• glass: egg cup, spice jar, salt shaker, sting of beads, small paper weight
• fabric and leather: satin and velvet ribbons, ball of knitting wool, small purse, silk scarf, pom pom, key-holder

You can also make a themed basket of treasures, like making a Christmas or Halloween basket, or a summertime or birthday basket.

Extra Info:
If your interested in more Montessori info you can go to the following sites:
http://www.michaelolaf.net/
http://www.montessori.edu/AtoI.html


On a more academic level, I've found a bunch of fun helpful hints that keep kids learning.

Math Bingo - I found a math bingo game in the dollar section of Target. I'm sure any teacher supply store has it, but you could easily make your own. Each bingo card has the answer to a math problem on it. You draw math problems, then the kids have to figure out the problem before they place a marker on their card. You could easily make this game easier (like matching shapes) for younger kids or harder (with fractions, multiplication, or division) for older kids. I like to award little prizes for the winner like stickers or a new pencil or candy.

Word Bingo - For beginner readers each bingo card has a simple word on it like cat, dog, cake, etc. The same words are drawn out of a bowl, but only revealed verbally so the kids have to read the words on their cards in order to put a marker on it.

Multiplication Tables - Not that Janelle is into multiplication yet, but she learned about nickels and dimes awhile ago, so I taught her her 5's and 10's. It was super easy because I bought the "Skip Count Kid" multiplication songs on iTunes. The songs are silly and really easy to learn and engrain those tables into their heads for life!

Scrabble

Technology these days is out the door. How in the world are our kids supposed to keep up when they have to use those crappy computers at school that look the same as the ones I used in elementary school? I think it's important for kids to know how to use a computer and safely navigate around the Internet. Janelle loves to play games on the computer, and the great thing is that there are some great educational sites out there. A couple are:

http://www.primarygames.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/

Even http://playhousedisney.com and http://nickjr.com have some fun stuff for little kids.

Those are all the ideas that I have for now. When I come across more, I'll be sure to share. Enjoy!