Notes From a Small Town

what we've been learning :: montessori geography

It's kind of a silly title, really. All of us (especially those of us over 30) are always learning...the content sometimes differs according to age...sometimes not.

This summer marks our very first start to official homeschooling. Ronan is starting his kindergarten year. There's always learning going on here (as anyone with children knows...it doesn't stop when they get home from school). But, this is going to be my official way to capture some of what we've been learning. An easy way to do a portfolio, right?

Ronan is fascinated with space and the planets...and he's trying to understand the concept of geography. And maps. So, according to Montessori philosophy, we start with the concrete and move to the abstract. Which means, make a map "real" to the student. And what better way to go from 3-D to flat surface than a map of oneself?

I had previously made labels to go along with his map (once we got around to doing this lesson). The labels are great practice for reading. So much of our language doesn't follow a set type of rules and the words need to be memorized. We've been learning the common sight words (the, was, or, etc.) to help get through the first and second set of Bob Books. But, this map provides some additional practice - and it's something that we can do over the next few weeks. It's also helped me to realize that while my very smart five-year-old can put together any lego structure, read a book and draw a detailed picture, he doesn't necessarily know his ankle from his elbow. So, a few times a week, we get out his map and sit together as we label it.

Naturally, my child was not content to stop at a map of himself. Not when we had read Me on the Map (a great book for breaking down the concepts of maps in a simple way). He begged me to help him draw a map of his room, like the girl in the story had done. So, we carried the kids' table into his room and I told him to imagine as if he was looking down on his room from the ceiling. And, he made a map (with just a little bit of guidance from me).

I see a lot more handmade maps in our future.

 

a gift for his teacher

This year Ronan was enrolled in a local Montessori preschool. He went five mornings a week from 9-12, as part of Florida's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program. He had a great experience - he enjoyed being there and it jumpstarted him with regards to combining letters to form words (CVC, for those Montessorians). It also allowed me some alone time with just Calum. It was wonderful to be able to give this time to Calum like I had given it to Ronan at that age. While I think there are some things that could use improvement (stricter adherence to the "snack" protocol and more Montessori materials), one of the things that we felt made his year a success was his teacher. She is patient and kind, but firm. She's always available to talk about concerns and she's genuinely excited about learning and that translates to the children. In short, I think she was a major contributor to his success this year. So, of course, we wanted to find a proper way to thank her.

So, we made her a "thank you" book. While I would love to take credit for this lovely idea, I was merely the recipient of such a wonderfully crafted book when I was a Montessori teacher.  It made such a lasting impression on me, that three years later, I thought it would be the perfect gift to give to a wonderful teacher. A way to say thank you - in homemade fashion.

Ronan and I both contributed to this book. I wanted to make sure she understood how important we felt her role was in Ronan's past year. It could have been a bad experience, but he excelled and enjoyed himself. (Plus, we tucked in some gift cards for good measure)!

All of the artwork was done by Ronan (or me). We used sheets of cardboard (from the back of the construction paper collection) for the front and back pieces, which were then painted by Ronan. It was a quick project that we hope had a lasting impression.

 

the garden post

While I do not consider us prolific gardeners (yet), I would say that this year we have proven that we are getting a little bit better at growing our own food. It could be the change of climate. Since we are in north Florida now, we have a little bit more wiggle room with regards to plants. We are no longer limited to those plants that thrive in the tropics. Now, we have tomatoes and squash and cucumbers. Then, there's the beans and the okra and the calabaza pumpkins (a heat-loving variety that is ripening as we speak). We also bought most of our starter plants at the local farmer's market - a prefect place to know what is in season and what we should avoid in the Florida heat. Did I mention that we also have grown watermelons? Successfully? The kids couldn't have been more excited...and neither could we.

And, just for record keeping for next year -- the cherry tomatoes have done well, though they've stayed small. We've still harvested at least a pint between the two plants. The zuccinin did not like the 10 hours of direct sunlight in this Florida heat. They should be planted in partial shade. The yellow-orange lemon boys have produced at least 45 tomatoes, not to mention the six or seven that Calum has pulled off and were too little or green to ripen. And, there are still another 45 on the plants. (It's hard to squash that harvesting excitement, though, we are trying to redirect it just a bit).

Our two watermelon plants (one seedless, one seeded) have both actually grown to a the size of a small basketball. This is much more than we thought due to the fact that we had planted them in the space where we took down three of our trees (and we worried the soil was a bit lax, but a little fish emulsion seemed to help with that).

I realize that people have been growing their own food for thousands of years. I know this. But, man, it is really cool when we do it ourselves. We already have a plan to increase our food production space (thank you, Backyard Homestead). We will amend our soil with compost in the next few months and get ready to start again in October. We may even try our hand at growing some of our plants from seed. Who knows. Either way, we know we've been bitten by this bug. A self-sufficiency bug? A save-the-planet kind of bug? A clean-food bug? The nice thing is...we think our kids have been bitten too.

 

Spring!

It's a bit late for a post about Spring, but because "Spring" is such a beautiful time in Florida, we usually spend all of our time outside. Thus, very little computer or TV time. We have to soak up all of the nice weather before it gets too hot. (Like the last couple of days...in the 90s!)

Painting. A very nice activity that was recently introduced to Calum. Outside. And, smoothie pops. Also, an outside activity. I do have a few cleanliness rules.

Ronan was very excited to be able to paint since he usually only has a chance to do so while Calum is taking a nap. But, this time, they both shared the watercolor set and Calum "helped" Ronan with his picture. They both really enjoyed it and I enjoyed the time spent sitting in the chair nearby. This will definitely be a repeat activity - assuming Calum has sinced learned that we do not drink the cup of water near the paints.

We've also been spending a lot of time watching our garden grow. In February, our plants bloomed and we have been eating salads daily.

(late February)

(early April)

The gorgeous bluish-purple bushes are red cabbage.(In the top of the above picture). They needed more light than they were getting with a winter sun, but they are really taking off now. But, our lettuce is bolting. However, we have just planted a few other "plots" with summer veggies. Bring on the tomatoes, okra and eggplant. (Hopefully).

WIth the nicer weather, the kids are on the back porch much more often. One afternoon while Calum was napping and I was hanging out on the porch with Ronan, he drew this picture. He started with the ant hill and the ants going below. Then, he decided he needed to draw the ground (so we would know the ants were below the ground) and he added the grass for effect. Finally, there needed to be more ants (I think to symbolize the large amounts in our backyard) and those are the dots everywhere. I was thoroughly impressed.

 

Outdoor Transformations

 

 

 

 

There's something about trying to be "green" that makes me cringe when I make this confession : we just had a large number of very, very tall trees cut down in our yard. In my defesnse, our yard is full of cherry laurels and water oaks, many of which are over 80 feet tall...and close to the house. These aren't the kind of trees to you want lingering in your yard. Perhaps, a live oak or two...

And, so we have begun the long process of eventually removing many of these trees (because we still have plenty left). But, we learned a lot about our space and we got some "free" mulch out of it, which has already been put to good use, of course. Plus, the boys had a blast and now, instead of a farmer or an astronaut, Ronan would like to be the owner of the tree cutting service. (Yes, he specified that he would like to be the guy who sometimes gets to be in the bucket truck, but not always...rather the guy who gets to give the orders). Observation is a powerful tool.

Birthdays, Skirts and New Babies

February is a month of birthdays. Past presidents, to be sure, but ours as well. We also know a special little girl who shares our birthday month. Her first month on this earth (three years ago) was welcomed with this gift:

I think it was only the second quilt I had made (not counting that first one I made in quilt class). It was a pattern from this book. I varied the pattern a bit and had some leftover fabric which I stashed away for another project.

And, so while I was brainstorming a gift for her and her newborn sister, I spied that old fabric in my stash. And, I found this tutorial on toddler skirts.

A little green flower sewn on the top and voila : instant outfit. I find it adorable...hopefully, she will too. Her little sister got one too, but with a paired down skirt (in which I just winged the measurements and I hope they fit in a few months when it gets warmer).

I added some leftover fabric between the ruffles - not too much and I didn't want to add anything stiff or scratchy on the inside for such delicate skin. Just a little Stitch Witchery and it was done in a flash. (Helped to keep down those ruffles too).

And, what did I make for Joey?

A chocolate mousse pie with homemade graham cracker crust. A simple list of ingredients and easy to make. Here's the recipe. Sort of like a chocolate cheesecake. Very, very good.

A Walk in the Woods

...according to Ronan.

On Sunday we were able to get out to a local park and do a little "hiking." (In Florida, it's mostly walking with a wee bit of an incline, but lovely, nonetheless). Our adventure started a bit like this:

Me: "All right, Ronan can you go to the bathroom? Joey, can you change Calum's diaper (hee hee)? I'm going to finish getting the water bottles together."

Ronan: (in a whiny kid voice) "I don't want to go to the park. I want to watch..."

Me: "Argghhh!"

At which point, I may have lectured a bit about the perils of TV addiction and the outcome of said "discussion" was me mentioning something about when he is an adult and no longer living at home he can watch all the TV he wants. Ugh. It sounded vaguely like something my parents would say. So, I promptly realized that the TV at Calum's nap time has gotten out of control. I filed it away and planned my strategy with regards to hiking. Meanwhile, he planned on going to the park and staying in the car with me while Daddy and Calum went hiking. I was a bit agitated. And, so I put on my "parent" hat. (You know, that hat you keep in the bathroom so you can lock yourself inside and think about the situation without yelling?)

And, that's when I remembered about the scavenger hunts. I suggested we make one up and he looked interested, but he wasn't completely in my camp, until I said that he could take pictures of everything we found. BINGO!

And, that's how he ended up with my camera and some completely awesome pictures. I definitely think this boy is ready for his own camera.

And, if you'll notice my new "banner," we seem to be doing a lot of hiking these days. A big thanks to Jen for the completely awesome design (it's a bit easy to tell that you do this for a living, Jen)! It looks great and I LOVE the camping Zebra.

The LEGO Chronicles

Ronan is my builder. He prefers to work out his ideas with sculptures, cut-up paper pieces, wood blocks, and LEGOs. He is learning the process and realizing how to connect a set of pieces to make a particular object. (And, he is reading the instructions completely on his own...)

The helicopter below is a treasured gift from Aunt Randi. And, this one also came with instructions and a lot of tiny LEGOs. It required a bit of help from Joey. Also, it lives on top of the stereo so that baby brother doesn't smash it to pieces in his playing.

I didn't realize that this little helicopter was in the general LEGO instruction booklet because he just showed it to me one day. I was still duly impressed with his ability to look at the instructions and make it. I think it helped that we started him with these blocks. (In Montessori, you work from large and concrete to small and abstract).

And, of course, his own creations - complete with a covered truck bed to house all of the impossibly small tools his tiny LEGO man might need.

And, finally, the Duplos are still finding a lot of love here. We have gotten more each year since Calum's birth and it is the perfect "toy" for all of us to work together. Calum enjoys building very high towers while the rest of us work on some specific structure or object. This time, Ronan and Daddy created a zoo. Ronan's idea.

To your left is the largest snake in the world...blue and yellow stripes. No, it's not an anaconda (I asked), but there are two babies next to it. One has already gotten a blue stripe, the other is still awaiting his (or hers). Joey made those.

But, Ronan made these two animals. And, no zoo is complete without a zebra and a camel. Um, at least in the zoos we've been to...

SNOW!

As a native Floridian, I have never really felt like I was missing anything during the winter months. There was the ocassional ping of desire for a "white Christmas," but it was usually a passing feeling. I never missed the sledding or skiing or fort-building that a lot of kids had growing up. Nor, did I miss all the driving on icy roads and shoveling driveways. (Or, perhaps, that would be my Northern-transplant parents talking).

I think that I never realized exactly what I was missing. After this past weekend, I know what a cool thing snow can be. And, thankfully, so do my kids.

We are so lucky to have lots of family just north of Atlanta. They got lots of snow and we had a chance to partake in all of the fun. (It doesn't hurt that they back up to a golf course...perfect sledding hills for the kids and I). Not so sure I would want to shovel the driveway, but everything else was a blast.

 

Christmas creating

It is the season for crafting. Even now, with the Christmas season drawing to a close, I feel the anticipation of working with my hands and some fabric to create something new. There is something about Christmas that gives me permission to spend every waking moment crafting, creating or dreaming. It is all right to be busy with these types of pursuits. The house will be messy for days on end and the bathrooms will only get cleaned on December 24th when relatives will soon be coming for a visit. I made a few things for the boys (a later post, I promise). But, my absolutely-have-to-get it done item? Handmade stockings.

When our family number grew to four, I knew the old set of stockings would never do. It was not possible to add just one more and have it be cohesive. So, I set aside this thrifted flannel sheet (last year's Christmas Eve pants) in the hopes of making a set of stockings. Which, I did. It took me more than a year to do it, but this Christmas they were hung and waiting to be filled for Christmas morning. Plus, I have enough leftover to make myself some pajama pants.

I was not the only one "crafting" during these holidays. Ronan and Calum are blessed to have two wonderful sets of grandparents (and two aunties, as well), who shower them with love...and great gifts. They will be playing outside a lot more with their new tower. "Play town" has its official first inhabitant.

BEFORE

Ronan and Calum's Groppy (my dad) and Joey worked together to assemble their tower a few days after Christmas. (Of course, those happened to be the two coldest days in Florida - the highs were in the low 40s. Brrr...). And, Ronan helped too.

 

AFTER

It's a start. It's a place to drive to pretend fires and race down your firefighter ladder. It's a place to practice your climbing skills (Calum). And, it's a place to cozy up with a good book during those lovely Spring months.

But, that's not the only thing we have been crafting. My eldest child has come into his own with those tiny plastic bricks. LEGOS. Plastic? Yes. Completely amazing and brain-buidling? Yes. An exception to the no-new plastic rule? Definitely. With most purchases, I have been trying to think of the long-term consequences of our products. Where will this end up when we are finished playing with it? Will it hold up to the rough and tumble nature of my two boys? Can I re-sell it or give it away after they are finished with it? Yes. I must admit that I am in love with the tiny LEGOS. We all still play with the Duplos, but five-year-olds can really handle the tiny ones. The skills he learns and then uses with these tiny toys just amaze me. His spatial awareness is awesome and I enjoy watching him create. For now, he follows the directions, but he is gaining confidence and soon will begin creating his own masterpieces. I can't wait.