Independence at 3

I'd like to introduce you to E. She is one of our youngest and is in her first year of our Primary program.  Her parents are eager to help her become as independent as possible and have made many changes in their home to accommodate her burgeoning abilities.  They have kindly shared some pictures with us.
 

 "Here she is at 21 months, making banana bread. The bananas were soft enough for her to cut with her knife. She managed this task very well and now cuts up her own bananas for breakfast all the time."

 "At 24 months, E. loved to make Ginger Bread. We have since found child size tools for E to use in the kitchen which has made it easier for her."

 
                                                 

"Making her favourite, Chinese Dumplings. E focused so well to make sure the edges of the dough were wet enough to fold in half and stick them together so the filling does not come out when cooked.  She mastered this so well the first time she was shown that we make it a family tradition for Chinese festivals and celebrations. A great way to talk and teach her about some of her Chinese culture."

"E at 34 months, loves to Vacuum so we found a smaller attachment for the stairs that is just her size."

I love this picture of E.'s dress up clothes.  Her father cobbled it together from a store bought clothes rack meant for adults.  He simple left out the higher tier of vertical poles so that it was just E.'s height.  Now she can easily see the clothes without having to dig everything out and gets to practise using a hanger at the same time.  :)

E.'s mother is an early childhood educator and says "I am always ready to learn more about Early Childhood and to become a better parent and listen to Emily's needs."

Wise words.  Thanks, Julie.

A Space to work in the kitchen.

This year's parenting class has just finished and I've been sent a new batch of pictures to share on this page.

During parenting classes, we talk a lot about how to help our children become more independent at home.  This involves a lot of observation,  lots of discussion about natural and logical consequences (consequences as Adler and Dreikurs intended, NOT as punishment), and lots of  sharing of ideas.  One of the things I do for each class is put together a collection of slides showing what other parents have done in their homes to foster independence for their children.

The enthusiasm and creativity of parents intent on making their children more independent (and happier) never fails to amaze me.  I also love that these parents are so willing to share their ideas.

With that said as an introduction, here is a photo of a wonderful kitchen space that one father made for his three year old son and five year old daughter.  The father's words follow.

"As you well know, the kids love the autonomy they can find anywhere, especially the kitchen, and the pair of them are constantly desperate to get involved. Give them a loaf of bread, butter, jam and peanut butter and they'll happily make sandwiches till the cows come home. The real incentive for this cabinet was breakfast time, and affording them the ability to prepare their own, which they love to do.

I'm quite proud to announce that not only is this a good Montessori project but also a pretty good example of recycling. I bought nothing new to make this. In fact almost everything is bits and pieces salvaged from the junk piles of local house construction sites, which are often a wonderland of cast off building supplies."

"The counter top is 'real' and therefore totally washable and durable and was also a scrap piece found onsite, big enough to jigsaw into a main counter and the small shelf. It took 6 short scraps of 2x6 wood and a 4x4 to build the cabinet, plus one scrap piece of particle board for the lower shelf and two ends of the small shelf. The green hooks are actually old knobs salvaged from a trashed chest of drawers. Add 30 screws from the toolbox, 2 sheets of sandpaper and some wood glue and it was ready to paint with a nice complimentary brown salvaged for free from the local recycling depot."

What I particularly like about the design of this piece is that it can easily be re-purposed as the children gets bigger.   I should add that  the older sister has asked that it have doors on the front so that it looks more like the kitchen cabinets.  I'll be sure to post pictures of that when the doors are installed.  :)

When Practical Life is internalized it often comes home to roost.

When a child is allowed to spend as much time as needed in the Practical Life area of the classroom, over time the lessons learned are internalized.  Very often, those internalized skills show up at home.

This happened to G's mother the other day when he announced that he wanted to make dinner.  I will let her tell the rest of the story.


"G. made dinner for the family tonight - in 23 steps! So I took some pictures for you.

He decided to make Pan Fried Herring (local from Port Alberni), with broccoli and snap peas, with stuffing (yuck - stuffing!! whatever... it was his choice).  It was cool because it was a bit of a science lesson - looking at the fish eyes, the gills, chopping the head off and gutting it - are those eggs inside? Wow. Ewwww, the blood, bladder, and guts!

Cleaning the fish. 

All clean.

Chopping up the veg.

Preparing a dredge for the fish.

Cutting up and arranging lemon pieces on a plate.

Preparing the pan for frying the fish.

Frying the fish.

Preparing the stuffing.

 Setting the table......

...and Voila! dinner is served!

It was fun and he was so proud of himself. He even washed & dried some dishes. Our little chef! Practical Life seems to be approached differently now by G., not so much a learning of skills as a perfecting and contributing to the family that makes it so wonderful for him (and us!)."

By the way, G. is 5 and a half!

Wow!

Homemade popsicles...or anything else.

As adults, we all know the feeling of accomplishment that comes from seeing a task through from beginning to end.  The same is true for our children - especially when it comes to food.  How empowered a young child must feel when the home environment has been so carefully prepared that she can make something to eat all by herself.

K's Mom just sent these pictures of K. making popsicles.

K. is 4 but because her home environment has been set up to aid her independence, she can make these treats whenever she likes (as long as the ingredients are on hand).

K.'s Mom wrote "Simple recipe, just yogurt and fruit juice. Add the two, stir together, pour, freeze and enjoy. And I don't mind if they have three in a day."

Just like in the classroom, cleaning up is part of the work cycle and part of preparing the environment.  Classrooms usually have a supply shelf set up so that the children can easily find the tools they need to restock an activity or clean up when there is a spill.

   

The girl in the next picture had just finished rinsing out her pants (paint spill)  and put them on the drying rack.  She then noticed that water had dripped on the floor so she went and got the bucket used to clean up spills.  The bucket is equipped with a sponge and a dry cloth.  She got up most of the water with the sponge and then used the cloth to dry the rest.  After that, she put the cloth on the drying rack and got another dry one for the bucket from the supply shelf.

Many homes don't have the space to accomodate a shelf and a drying rack and wouldn't need nearly as many cloths.  A low drawer or cupboard can be used to house the cloths and the small bucket.  The clean up tools should be child-sized and easily accessible so that clean-up does not become a major chore or battle of wills.  Cleaning up should flow easily with maybe just a comment from a parent like "Let's clean up.  I'll help."

I hope K. saved one of those popsicles for me.  : )

M. helps prepare dinner

M.'s mother just sent us a video of M. helping to prepare dinner by washing the salad greens.  Take a look here .

Merci, V.

Another visit to C. & M.'s house

C.'s mother sent us some more pictures. 

Here is a picture of the low cupboard which has been organized to allow C. to help in preparing a meal or setting the table before dinner.  Like all shelves in a child's environment, these are neat and not overcrowded.  She can easily access everything she needs.  Just like a Montessori teacher, C.'s mother constantly observes her children's environment making changes or replacing broken pieces.

This basket holds everything C. needs when she helps her parents prepare a meal. Again, there is only one of each thing and they are all child size.

      

A little jug that C.'s mother found

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                    She also found this great little peeler that fits perfectly in C.'s hand when peeling carrots. C.'s mother has learned to view the world from her child's skill level and is always on the lookout for child size items that will allow C. to do things for herself.

In the bathroom, C.' has a small basket for her dirty clothes. I love that this basket is small enough that she can carry it to the washing machine all by herself.

And because most houses don't have bathrooms built for children, C.'s parents have put a sturdy stool in front of the mirror and sink. The little potty is for M. and was placed there before she showed real signs of wanting to get out of diapers. Her mother told me that after it had been there a few days, she found M. sitting on it - without a suggestion or reward being offered.

Video of L. feeding the dog

L.'s grandmother just sent this Youtube video to me.  It shows L. feeding the family pet.  Here is a link if you'd like to see it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZyjKfejLKg

Enjoy!

At G.'s house

G. is just about to finish his second year in a Montessori classroom.  He has recently turned 5 and his mother is astonished at the changes she sees in him.  G. makes his own lunches and often helps make dinner. 

Since G. is older, his bed is higher.  Notice the bedding.  It is all child-friendly.  Instead of blankets that need to be tucked in (and are challenging even to me, let alone a 5 year old) his parents have given him a small duvet.  This enables him to make his bed with ease, every morning .

Now that his body is bigger, so is his furniture.  Toys and activities are still kept to a minimun and are still on shelves to facilitate his putting things away after use. 

The window sill has been used as an impromptu nature table.  Here's a better look:

     His clothes are still kept where he can access them easily and a few choices have been laid out for him.  Two or three choices give him the independence he yearns for and allows him to get ready in the morning with no interference from an adult.  Also, he has been given a laundry hamper of his own so there is a place for dirty clothes (other than the floor ).

     Now that he is older, he will happily work at his own desk in his bedroom.  When he was younger, he prefered to be closer to his parents.  This happens with many children.  Some parents have compensated for this by having a child's table or desk in the kitchen or living room.

Even on the desktop clutter is kept to a minumum.  G.'s mother has embraced the Montessori tendency to use natural materials as much as possible (wouldn't it be cool if Lego was made out of wood?). 

     Just like in the classroom, G.'s shelves are not cluttered so he can see everything and choose what he wants.  Many parents rotate children's toys rather than give them too many.  When a child seems to be getting bored with something, the child and parent can decide if it is time to change the things on the shelf.

In the family room, there are two G. sized chairs - one for him and one for a friend.  I also appreciate that the windows are all quite low. 

G. can see outside without having to stand on a stool.

At the door, a small shelf with hooks has been placed at G.'s height so that he can take care of his outer wear without help.  The basket on top is for his mits and hats - again, just a few choices.

Since he was very small, G. has been included in every aspect of family life.

And he still is.......

At home with M.

     M. is the first son of one of our teachers.  Under the supervision of his mother, he is taking the seeds out of a squash.  He is also working on his pincer grip, getting a botany lesson and helping prepare the dinner.

     A low shelf has been provided for his activities in the family livingroom.  This give him the independence to choose what he'd like to work with and the ability to put it back.  At this age, however, a child may have a different sense of order than his parents. 

When putting his activities away, M. prefers to put them behind the shelf and couch.

With his mother's guidance, everything is (eventually) returned to the shelves.

     Some of M.'s activities have been purchased from a Montessori outlet while others have been chosen by his parents after carefully observing what skills he is trying to perfect or master.  Observing our children will give us the best insight as to what activites will aid them at every stage of their development.

In another part of the house, the parents have made use of what already exists.  In this case, they have used the top of a wooden chest as a shelf for more of M.'s activities. 

     In the kitchen, this small shelf has been used to hold more of M.'s things.  The cans are used for stacking, the pots and pans for practising taking off and on a lid (and to discover the lovely sounds it makes), there are matching cards in a small holder, cups and bowls to explore with, and a child-sized pushbroom and a small dustpan.

     A child sized chair sits beside his books.  Again, his parents have made use of what they had instead of going out and buying something new.  Montessori at home does not need to be expensive.  It just takes some thought and creativity.

Some of the activities that M. uses every day.  Notice how the animal figures are as accurate as possible - there are no blue horses here.  I wonder what music they are listening to?