Practising Simplicity: montessori

Saturday, January 21, 2012

I wasn't nearly as emotional as last year, but as I drove him to Montessori I did start thinking about next year. Next year he'll wear a uniform, meet new friends, have a new teacher, spend more days at school than at home. I may have cried (just a bit).

14 COMMENTS

Labels: che , montessori

Monday, December 05, 2011

blue, white, red (stripes)

Che celebrated his school's annual Cultural Day on Saturday. Paying homage to Europe and all its rich offerings we had to dress as natives of our favourite European country. Considering the plethora of stripes in our wardrobes (washing basket) and my penchant for brie and baguettes, we opted for France, naturally. Bonjour!

I found the carpet in Che's room today and Poet looked on as I fumbled my way through paper/sticky tape creations, books and toys. I stopped for a few moments here and there to watch her discover her feet and realised that pom poms on booties make the best kind of toy (for a four-month-old). Regardless of her current sniffly nose she's still guzzling down the milk - and it's going straight to her cheeks. Seriously, those cheeks - you actually sink into them when you kiss them. I don't kiss, I smooch.

I love the rights that come with being the Muma. Smooches and eyeliner moustaches.

21 COMMENTS

Labels: che , corners of my home , montessori , poet

Monday, October 10, 2011

only now...

have I realised that our leap of faith has led to dreams realised.

Because today Daniel worked on a film set, I wrote stories from home while Poet slept beside me and Che played and learned at Montessori.

Tonight I sip tea with gratitude.

Tim is in the camera

31 COMMENTS

Labels: danielgrey.com , i thread words together , montessori

Sunday, September 18, 2011

corners of our home

We are self-confessed homebodies. We love being at home, pottering about, moseying from one thing to the next. Daniel and I both work from home too and we count ourselves incredibly lucky that we can earn money and spend our days with our children. While our house is not nearly as design savvy as some, we love it for it's comfort, practicality and quaint-appeal. Our style is stamped on every wall.

Over time, with Che growing up and Poet arriving, we've had to change a few things. I've been really inspired by the Montessori philosophy that a child's independence should be encouraged and nurtured. You'll see in that first photo up there that Che's raincoat, hat, beanie, bag and umbrella are hanging on little timber hooks at his height. A simple addition to his room but absolute genius! Why? Because when we're about to leave the house (always a rather time-consuming procedure with a little one in tow) I ask him to go get his hat etc. and he knows exactly where it is and can reach it on his own. There's a vintage bookshelf near our front door and the bottom shelf is his designated "shoe shelf" - when we arrive home from an outing the first thing he does is take his shoes off and put them on the shelf, followed closely by the hat/bag/umbrella going back on the hooks.

The Montessori classroom has everything at a child's height and since being introduced to this idea I've made sure that all of the things that Che needs in his day are easily accessible to him. The bottom row of our expedit bookshelf features four baskets with luggage tags on each: "cars and trucks," "puzzles," "blocks" and "music and puppets." He just helps himself throughout the day. His lego is stored in clear containers behind the couch along with a basket of toys and his teepee. His art and craft supplies are on his vintage desk and his play oven is close to the kitchen. Our house is child-friendly, decorated with family photos (more to come), Che's artwork and quirky prints.

When Daniel and I first moved out together (four months after meeting each other) we didn't even own a toaster. Since then we have collected bits and pieces that we love. We haven't spent much money and we've kept it all quite simple. Delightfully so.

Everything has been chosen for its wonderful blend of practicality and aesthetic appeal, remebering always that beauty is found in simplicity - a collection of shells on a windowsill, a single flower in a glass bottle, a child's colourful painting.

Photos by you know who

29 COMMENTS

Labels: corners of my home , family , montessori , simplicity , tim coulson

Monday, February 28, 2011

home made

Berry buttermilk muffins that are oh so good. Mini muffins for Montessori and bigger ones to share at home. Recipe found here. I got up early Sunday morning to bake while the rest of the house remained in quiet slumber. I do like that early time of day, the quiet, the stillness. And then the little voice calling out for Muma and the subsequent excitement when he realises that sweet treats are baking in the oven. So much goodness in our life right now.

8 COMMENTS

Labels: baking , montessori

Monday, January 17, 2011

first day

I cried when I was packing his morning tea and marking his name on his lunch box and hat but I managed to smile when he kissed Daniel and I good bye. He tried to give us a hug at the same time but his arms didn't reach. He told us he loved us and then he ran off into the room that is made for his size. His world.

Daniel and I drove away feeling so content that Che will be spending time at Montessori each week. It feels like an extension of our home. The way the teachers respect the children is inspiring - they are treated like capable, intelligent human beings and nurtured with the love and care that an elder should always express to a child.

When we walked passed the vegie gardens and scarecrows and through the gate to collect him he came running out with his first painting. He was happy. And that means everything to us.

18 COMMENTS

Labels: change , ché , montessori

Sunday, July 06, 2008

nature baby

The story that I have just finished researching and writing is about alternative education. It seems that more parents are being inspired by the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf) and Montessori and are deciding to educate their children in these schools. They believe that pertinent learning through discussion and interaction with the environment is more beneficial than following a text book. I spoke with a mother-of-five who home schools and she really made me think about the role of the parent in education - we teach our children from birth...we teach them to eat, to talk, to brush their teeth, to go to the toilet...and when they turn five we "contract them out" to a school. It could be said that we teach our children from conception. I am always reminding my pre-natal yoga students that with each breath they take, they are communicating to their unborn baby - "a long, slow, calm breath is sending loving and welcoming messages to your baby".

I read a post from this mum the other day and I whole-heartedly agree with her wishes for her children. She discussed a disorder known as "nature deficit disorder" - yes, that's right...children who never get to wander among the trees or splash on the foreshore. And it affects their behaviour. And it is believed that one in four 8-to-10-year-olds have never played outside with an adult. I was devastated to read such a statistic. Do we live in a society where parents are too fearful of the outdoors or are parents too fearful of the unknown? Or has the fear of 'strangers' laid to rest the opportunity for children to run free and (a little) wild?

I know Che will get to wear wellies and splash in puddles, build cubby houses in the bush, eat carrots straight from Grandad's garden. I want to foster a love, knowledge and connection to the world around him. I hope that his imagination grows and grows so that he can think vividly. Daniel and I will teach him in an organic manner where he learns through experience. We will encourage him to dive into the ocean and leap to the sky.

We have made a conscious decision to buy him toys that will encourage imaginative thinking and play. Yes there are some plastic, colourful, singing, twirling, light flashing toys that have made their way into our home but they will (hopefully) be the last ones. I only have to watch Che to know that he is more interested in a cardboard box than a plastic (made in China, toxins included) toy. I know that there will come a day when he just doesn't understand the decision we've made (which may result in tears) and I'm sure that we'll give-in occasionally. For now though, the only toys that will be accompanying him as he grows up are the wooden, organic or book variety. And I hope that they will be passed on to his siblings and, one day, his own children.

After nine months of growing my baby and nine months of loving and nurturing I have realised that this parenting job is a big one. I know that our decisions will be respected by some and criticised by others. Daniel and I know that we will always be Che's first teachers...the responsibility is ours. We will hopefully teach him well.

3 COMMENTS

Labels: education , montessori , nature , steiner , yoga