Exploring

There has been a lull in the usually busy hum of work in the studio. Trips, food preservation and storage, preparations for school, and life in general have taken me out of that precious little space of mine for a bit. While creating with my own hands brings an indescribable peace and fulfillment I find equal joy basking in the creations and infinite works of another.

As we explore the woods that surround one of our most favorite places to visit (there’s a beloved aunt and uncle and a tractor there…!) I am struck by the immensity and wonder of the world around us. In many ways I do believe that the bits of wilderness on the earth were created with children in mind. What a perfect place for children. So much to see, ask about, explore, listen to, climb on, gather, and breathe in. We are never disappointed when we set out with no definite destination in mind. We always discover something beautiful and amazing to behold. Recently I set out with two out of sorts children, with myself quite out of sorts as well, and we came back three completely different beings. Out among the trees, water, rocks, and plants there is a goodness and wholeness that can ground the most listless and troubled of souls. With sticks in hand and a sense of adventure in little hearts we climbed and balanced and romped our way through the woods and back again…both literally and figuratively.

Here are some of our favorite things to do while exploring.

*Bring a snack and find a perfect place for a picnic.

*Find a comfortable place to sit and be completely silent for a few moments to simply listen. See how many things you can list.

*See how many different varieties of birds you can hear and see.

*Search for signs of animals….holes, nests, tracks, etc.

*Build a fairy house…or two!

*Bring a book and find the perfect place for a story.

*Lay on your back and watch the clouds move through the trees.

*Lay on your belly and see what is going on in the tiny world on the forest floor, or in the stream.

*Bring a sketchbook and sit down to capture a bit of the beauty that surrounds you.

*Collect a variety of leaves from the trees around you to create your own personal field guide to your forest.

*Capture plants or animals on camera to identify and add to your field guide.

*Have a leaf race in a stream.

*Move the rocks on the stream bed around to manipulate the flow of water.

*Sit within arms reach of several trees and plants and reach out around you with your eyes closed to feel all that is around you. Describe what you feel.

Go and explore! The magic that fills the outdoors on the cusp of the change of seasons is marvelous. Don’t miss out.

Montessori vs. Waldorf vs. IB

Recently I shared some of my thoughts and plans for our family’s homeschooling journey. I was very intrigued by how it would be received. I would like to answer one comment in a post as I imagine others may have wondered the same things. Before I begin I would like to interject here that I am not in any way an expert on the Waldorf, Montessori or IB philosophies. I am simply a mother, doing the best I can to learn with my children in the way most suited to them.

Lucy said:

“I'm interested in how you balance such different philosophies of education - for example, the montessori view that little ones should have factual books and not be "confused" with imaginative elements, with the waldorf emphasis on using imagination to share concepts rather than giving a child cold facts. Or the waldorf idea of not "awakening" a child before the age of 7, with the IB mode of lots of questions and enquiry. I always find it so hard to combine that way, because I think if I think this educational philosophy is right than it must mean that the others are wrong or less right, at least for us. Maybe I am just a very black and white thinker! It will be interesting to see how you juggle these different strands.”

I have thought and thought about this very issue so much. Each of these philosophies ring so true to me, and I find so much wisdom in each of their teachings. Yet they are all so very very different. So how to make them all work together? To start, I would have to say that above all else the learning that occurs in our home is guided by careful observation and attention to the interests, stages, developments, and needs of our children. Perhaps you have gotten a feel for the personality of my (almost 5 year old!) daughter through this blog. If not…she is a fantastically brilliant and vibrant girl, she is inquisitive and alive, curious and attentive, imaginative and creative, and love love loves to learn. As we learn together and follow her cues I find that it would truly be impossible to choose just one of these inspired educational philosophies that would suite her best. Likewise it is impossible for me to say which is truly “right”.

The fact is each child is markedly different. And even within each child there are a myriad of different moods, interests, “sides”, and phases that bring out the need for one philosophy over another at a certain time.

In our home, with our children, we see the need for differing philosophies on a daily basis. There is a great deal of emphasis placed on imaginative play and the beautiful stories of our world. These facets of our days are relished and, quite frankly, pivotal. However, on the flip side of this world of the imagination there is a little mind that craves factual information about practically each and every object, person, creature, and plant that crosses her path. As such reference books fill an equal portion of our reading time and library bag. In my experience children love and need non-fiction literature as much as they need fiction. To say that one should be placed at a higher precedence than another would be to tragic. It would be saying to a little mind that is open, ready, and wanting to learn, “no…not now…wait a bit”…with which you run the serious risk of shutting more than one window of opportunity.

In terms of the IB philosophy of enquiry and the Waldorf philosophy of “awakening” a child at 7, I truly think the issue has already been taken out of my hands. This little girl of mine is awake. She’s been awake for years. Awake and asking questions, wanting to figure things out and learn all about the world around her. Waiting for an “awakening” at age seven would be to put her back to sleep, which would be fought, and something precious would be lost in the meantime. Her mind is ready and craving learning. She wants to read, she wants to work with numbers and “do math”. Her mind works a mile a minute processing, inquiring about, and figuring out all that surrounds her.

As we follow her cues we find that to deem one philosophy over another…at the sake of another…would be to squelch something within her, and deny her something that would infinitely aid her development and learning. So at this time…we balance it…following her lead and paying careful attention each day to the sometimes subtle, but ever present signals that direct our path. As alike as they are, I am certain that as more and more of my little man cubs personality comes out, the path that we take learning together will differ from the one taken by his sister. So I think what it all boils down to, is continually, and carefully observing your child to know just what they need, and which philosophy best suits at that moment…and not feeling the least bit sorry about pulling bits and pieces from several philosophies to create a unique learning environment based on your child’s needs.

Homeschool Organization Tools

The order and organization of the earth is nothing short of miraculous.  I strive for organization and order though find myself lacking on many many fronts.  I need a certain amount of planning, organization and order for this funny little brain of mine to function.  But within that framework of basic organization I like to live spontaneously and a bit on the disordered wild side.  You might think this is brought on by the nature of the delightful small children I spend my days with.  But in truth this has been my way for many years.  In college I would painstakingly plan out my semesters and then with the help of my advisor determine the perfect “path” and course load.  But then, oh dear…that fateful day when registration began, and I had successfully registered for each of those carefully chosen classes,  I would become completely swept away in the pure expanse of classes and options and incredible things that there was to learn about that I would pack my course load full to overflowing.  Within my carefully ordered brain there is chaos.  But it works for me.  I do strive to push the ratio more heavily on the order and organization side versus the chaos side…but it’s a moment to moment battle right now!! 

As I approached the beginning of this homeschool journey for our family I knew that our success, and my sanity, would weigh heavily on how well I could stay organized.  Our families homeschool philosophy is made up of bits and pieces of so many wonderful ideas and theories and practices of philosophers, educators, mothers, and so many so much wiser than I.  Today though I’m going to share the documents I created to keep me on track and in some sense of order. 

Because our homeschooling journey is beginning in NY state we won’t have to report on our “goings on” until next year.  It was important to me to establish a good routine right from the start so next year wouldn’t be traumatic in any way in terms of reporting.  I did a lot of research on different organizational methods and created what I think is going to work well for me.  My goal was to have a framework of what I wanted to cover over the year, broken down into months, and weeks.  This framework would exist as a basic organizational structure for the free reign of curiosity, exploration, and discovery.  Do you see it… the organization and chaos existing together.  Only this time I am sincerely hoping it is not chaotic…and rather pure spontaneous learning.  My organizational documents include three elements. 

1.  Monthly by subject. 

2.  Monthly by week. 

3.  Weekly. 

Each of these documents is available for free download.  The link (and a vital note!) is at the bottom of this post. 

Monthly by subject will allow me to plan what I would like to cover each month in each discipline that we will focus on. 

Several of the main facets of our homeschooling, including handwork, seasonal celebrations, and creative play are already such an integral part of the rhythm of our days that I did not feel the need to “plan” for them on the monthly by subject page.  They will however be documented and recorded on other sheets.  The monthly by subject sheet contains our goals for Math, Language Arts, Science/Social Studies, and Art.  Having goals written out for the year gets the plans and ideas out of the swirl in my head and onto paper so that I can be better attuned to the curiosity and self-direction of my darling little learner.  It is very likely that I will end up with several editions of these monthly pages as different subjects are spontaneously and naturally explored, at different times perhaps, than I had originally sketched out. 

My favorite element of the monthly by subject pages are the resource and idea lists.  Here I record different activities, books, field trips, mentors, projects, etc., that will aid our natural exploration and perhaps the introduction of different subjects.  At times I have found that I want to introduce a subject that hasn’t arisen naturally yet, because of the season, time in our lives, etc., and expect that the same will be true going forward.  Choosing certain books, starting certain projects, going certain places undoubtedly sparks questions and wondering, which leads to exploration and discovery, which always results in the most delicious sort of learning imaginable.  This list of resources will be revised and added to throughout the year and will be ready for use whenever the subject arises. 

Monthly by week pages break down our monthly subjects into weekly goals. 

Again, this is a very rough outline but breaks down the ideas into more manageable chunks.  Field trips and projects are documented with greater detail on this page.  This page will also receive a great deal of editing as we progress through the year.  But again…it’s a starting point, and serves the beautiful and critical purpose of getting the information out of the swirl in my brain!!! 

These pages will be vital as we head into the week, to get a general feel for the overall rhythm we will experience.  It will serve as a starting point for our library trips, and a launching point for infinite moments of discovery and learning as we move through our days together.  For example as we explore math concepts together and are focusing on patterns I can turn my mind towards pattern concepts as we bake, clean, spend time outdoors, and play together.  This magnificent world that we live in is the perfect school for children…and above all else learning should occur naturally and seamlessly with the lives we live. 

And finally our weekly pages, covering each subject each day for the week. 

The sole purpose of this page is document what actually happens during the week.  This written document will accompany images and portfolio pieces to make up a wonderful record of our journey together.  I know that I must cater to a certain amount of state regulations (next year!!) in terms of documenting our schooling…but honestly my main goal in preserving a small token of our learning together in hard copy format is for her…and me!  What a precious treasure to look back through someday…and whenever little hearts are in need of “wow…I did that!” therapy. 

Like any organizational scheme revision and adjustments are inevitable.  In fact, a lack of revision would simply show a lack of awareness to the natural ebb and flow of a journey such as this, rather than the creation of a perfect document. 

However imperfect, they are working fantastically for us right now and I am happy to share them with you. 

Each of the documents are available for download (free!) here:

http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/31143628-matt-hannah-robinson

Just note…for some bizarre impossible (for me!) to solve reason the documents look a bit wackadoo when viewed directly on Scribd.  When downloaded they are all set and ready to go. 

 

Homeschooling Montage…Waldorf, Montessori, International Baccalaureate Program

Just as a forewarning…this is a super long post…so grab some ice cream and sit down for a nice long read!

My daughter is now old enough to “look” like she is old enough for school, and she most definitely communicates on a level that indicates she should be in school, so we often (read: nearly each time) meet with the question of where she will be going to school this fall as we are out and about. The responses I get to the same question again and again from the complete strangers that we meet fit neatly into three categories. The question is always the same. “Are you going to school this year?”. The answer from her (if she deems the stranger safe to talk to…she’s funny that way!) is always “Yes, I’m a homeschool girl”, and from me…”Yes, she’s homeschooled and will be starting kindergarten this year.”

The responses though…oh the responses!!! In the first category are the dear little scared souls who don’t know how to respond and utter a simple “Oh”, though their faces are communicating so much more confusion, judgment, and bewilderment than their verbal answer held. The second response is by far the easiest to hear…it’s the “Oh, my sister homeschools her children and they just love it”, or “Good for you, we homeschool as well”, or “Oh…my next door neighbors boss’s wife’s best friends homeschools…that’s great!”, or various other common-ground finding and reaffirming answers out there. The third is the trickiest. It is given by those who homeschool, those who might like to but haven’t taken the plunge, or those who simply like to learn about the many wonderful ways to live and learn. This third response is simply a string of questions…”how will you do it,” “what curriculum will you use”, “how will you socialize her?”, “so what will homeschooling look like for you?” …and so many many more questions.

The very scary thing is that I don’t know all the answers to all these questions that I find myself presented with on a very regular basis. For a long time this “scary thing” was a slightly paralyzing fear. The planning portion of my brain was struggling with the thought of proceeding down a path that I hadn’t completely figured out yet. It took several intense conversation with my (wonderfully handsome) sensible husband to come to the terms with the (wildly obvious to most…) fact that the journey of homeschooling is just that…a journey. That the beauty, wonder, and magic of this journey will be discovered and unveiled as we go. That the organization and logistics and (slightly boring) record keeping aspects can also be developed, refined, and perfected along the way. That a journey means breathing. Odd that we need to be reminded to do something as inherent as breathing.

For us, at this moment, homeschooling will look like many things. Our methods are not for purists. In fact a purist may balk at the framework I have established for our journey. Our homeschooling will look like Waldorf, it will look like Montessori, it will look like the International Baccalaureate Program, it will look like Classic Homeschooling, it will look like Christian Homeschooling…but most importantly, and most of all it will look like us. A combination of many many wonderful and inspired ideas and philosophies. If there was a phrase that defined my approach to homeschooling methods it would be “…if there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” In this way we work to incorporate every good thing regardless of the origin.

Many of you are so far beyond me in comprehension and implementation of these wonderful educational philosophies. Perhaps some of you haven’t heard much of them. For those of the latter group, of which I was a part just two minutes ago (or so it seems!!!), here is a brief explanation of three of the main philosophies that make up our very own personalized Little Robinsons Homeschooling Method.

Waldorf

Most of our day is immersed in the Waldorf philosophies and they will of course play an enormous role in our homeschooling.

Waldorf education is based on the research and works of philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf ideals for education emphasize an awakened disciplined, creativity, wonder, reverence, and respect for nature and human existence. Waldorf methods have proven to offer a holistic educational model designed to provide the right stimulus at the right time and allow each child’s abilities to fully unfold. The aim of Waldorf schooling is to educate the whole child, head, heart, and hands, to produce individuals who are able, in and of themselves, to impart meaning to their lives.

The curriculum of a Waldorf school, and likewise our own homeschooling will be as broad as time will allow and balances academic subjects with artistic and practical activities. Rich with tied to the earth goodness and the rhythmic seasons and celebrations the magic and wonder that the Waldorf philosophy captures will fill our days and imaginations.

Some Waldorf sites I resource:

Live Education

Waldorf Homeschooling

Christopherus

Earth Schooling

Montessori

Maria Montessori’s inspired works were my first introduction to education beyond public or private religious schooling. Though I am not a Montessori purist, I find great value in her teachings and apply so many of her principles to my parenting and likewise the teaching of my children.

Dr. Maria Montessori’s methods center around her experimental observations of young children given freedom in an environment prepared with materials designed for their self-directed learning activity. It’s aim is to bring about, sustain, and support a child’s natural way of being, having an inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development. The role of teacher (sometimes called director, directress, or guide) is to therefore watch over the environment to remove any obstacles that would interfere with this natural development, and to show how to use the various self-teaching materials that are provided in the environment for the children’s free use.

One of the points of Montessori’s teaching that I most align myself with is the concept of independence and self-directed learning facilitated by a prepared environment and subtle guidance rather than “teacher”-directed instruction and presentations.

A few Montessori sites to resource:

Montessori Foundation

Living Montessori Now

Montessori Mom

Beautiful Sun Montessori

International Baccalaureate Program

I stumbled across this program one day and was immediately impressed by the rigor and breadth of the academics. While the freedom, creativity, imagination, and self-discovery of the Waldorf and Montessori methods largely drive my personal educational philosophies I also desire my children to to acquire an extensive and “top of the line” academic education.

The International Baccalaureate Program mission statement:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

The IB program includes a special program for children in the kindergarten to fifth grade years. This Primary Years Program is the framework for the IB curriculum and is driven by concept acquisition and is inquiry based. As most of the air space in our home is filled with “why?” questions all day everyday an inquiry based curriculum seems a perfect pitch. In the traditional PYP students explore mathematics, science and technology, languages, social studies, arts, and personal, social, and physical education. In working out the answers in these areas children build skills such as reading, reasoning, researching, and communicating. The program also promotes positive attitudes and good character emphasizing respect, tolerance, integrity, and confidence, encouraging children to reflect, choose wisely, and act responsibly in the home and community.

So how did we put this all together? Using the PYP program curriculum found here I chose the areas that I wanted to explore over the year. I chose not to use the language program they use at all but will instead use the Montessori reading methods. I sketched out what this curriculum will look like for the year creating a calendar and rough schedule on personalized documents. (I’ll share these tomorrow!) These documents will act as a framework for what I would like to cover for the year. Ah…but within that framework exists the true beauty and magic of self-directed learning, imagination, curiosity, exploration, and discovery. A framework for our months…and freedom within our days.

IB and PYP information for your reading pleasure!:

NYC’s Dwight School

PYP Curriculum Example

It will be a journey. An eclectic mix of the genius of many different philosophers which does not necessarily create a new genius…but rather something unique and just right for us. Which is the just the way homeschooling should be….just right for each little soul in the home.

A New Phase

In one short week these little toes are about to start a brand new adventure…and this mama is beginning a new phase of mama-hood. It’s funny how phases and new adventures sort of sneak up on you undetected, until somehow, sometime, at some moment it hits you smack in the face and the mind-boggling reality of “wow…this is where we are right now” finally hits.

Aside from starting a new homeschool adventure we are starting dance class for the first time. We’ve done a lot of dancing at home together, doing what we can to practice techniques, adjectives (dancing fast, slow, sad, happy, excited, scared, etc.) and steps but mostly freestyling it with lots of Brahms Lullaby and Abba on Pandora. Not at the same time though…(yikes!)…and definitely with lots of costume changes!

With dance lessons comes the new phase of waiting in my life. I have waited for infants to be born (boy did I wait!), I have waited for infants to fall asleep, for toddlers to become toilet trained, waited for self-chopped 3 year old hair to grow back(!), waited for tooth after tooth after tooth to finally break through, waited for those first words to be slowly sounded out and read! … oh do mothers wait!!! This new “waiting” will be waiting for a child while she learns and adventures and experiences … and I sit in the waiting room … or on a chair in the corner! Our lives have been so connected, this first little one of mine. This separation, as slight as it is, is both a strange and exciting phase for us. When I first came head to head with it I was a bit taken back. For a split second that is. Then I began to think of all that could be done with those beautiful moments when I would be confined to a chair while my little beloved dances and grows in the studio. Though my mind danced around between writing, drawing, reading, and stitching, I think I have settled on knitting. Oh the joy of assigning myself a set time to sit and knit on a regular basis. I have big plans for the perfect hoodie for the mancub, and a delightful poncho for the little dancer. Oh boy! I can’t wait!

It is going to be a wonderful new phase. I am filled with butterflies of anticipation and excitement for all that she will learn and do in her classes. And my fingers are itching for a bit of solstice knitting.

this moment

{this moment} A pause.  A moment to remember.  A moment to savor.  A moment to capture and hold close.   Okay, okay….more like moments.  It is just too hard to choose one image from the many that have represented our days recently.  It is these beautiful moments all strung together that make up our days.  They are beautiful moments.   And it is a beautiful life, this life I live with the love of my life and two of the most magnificent souls on earth.        

Heat

It’s HOT here.  Just the kind of hot hazy weather the end of summer brings.  Brain melting heat.  In fact it feels just like this image…

Over exposed, hazy, and oh so bright.  It is a wonderful last (perhaps!) hurrah to summer and has been met with much pool playing enthusiasm by little toes (and often big toes as well!) 

Although we have been maximizing our end of summer adventures these days I have to admit that the heat lowers my brain function just a tad.  I’m an uber multi-tasker most days.  But this heat…yikes.  With last minute homeschool plans to iron out and wrap my head around I find I have little usable brain power left to put together coherent posts for this space I love so much.  So my friends…it will be quiet here for a bit while I take a deep breath in before starting a new adventure.  I can’t wait to share this journey with you and will be back with tales of our days so very soon!