Art at home

Art is powerful but above all it is personal. Whether it celebrates our cultural background, religious beliefs, or our own creative talents, the art we choose to decorate our homes should be accessible to our children. Art belongs to the whole family.

(This amazing picture was drawn/painted by my mom-in-law, Marilyn Dyer-Seidl.  It is her interpretation of a dream that my older son had when he was very young.)

     Dr. Montessori understood that beauty encourages a positive and spontaneous response to life. Since we hang pictures at eye level to beautify our homes, there should be some hung at the level of our children's eyes as well. Laminated art cards work very well for this.

     When my boys were younger, I would put several art cards of a particular artist on the kitchen wall right beside the telephone/computer desk. Other than change the cards every few months that's all I did – there was no lesson attached. Over time, the boys would ask me about a particular artist and I would answer their questions. Sometimes one of them would not like the display and would ask for it to be changed. Other times, I'd find one of their young friends looking at the wall in deep concentration.

(This is a mock-up.  The actual cards I used were much larger but I hope this illustrates what I'm trying to describe.)

     In addition, children should be able to touch and feel art. Teaching/modeling respectful examining of sculpture is no different than the respect we teach our children to show when handling musical instruments and books.

     Depending on the age of your child, books can be another wonderful introduction to art. Books left on the living room coffee table for casual browsing or books read at bedtime can include those having to do with great works of art. Some of my favourites are:

Children in Art by Janice Anderson

This book has lots of great big pictures of children throughout the ages. It has frequently found a place on our coffee table over the last 15 years or so.

Van Gogh's World of Colour concept by Julie Aigner-Clark

An excellent concept book for the youngest children.

Visiting The Art Museum by Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

A great book for the elementary children because of its comic book-like style.

     And last, one of my personal favourites because I spent many hours sitting with my children finding the fraudulent works of art –

Art Fraud Detective by Anna Nilsen.

 This book was given to my younger son in 2004 when he was 9. When I went to find it for this picture, I found it beside his reading chair. He still finds it interesting at age 16.

 

     Have you got a favourite art book you'd like to share or an activity you use to introduce great works of art to your children? Please leave a comment if you do.

Music at home.

     My father was a musician. Although he decided he couldn't make enough money as a professional trumpet player to raise a family, he never stopped playing and listening to music. Needless to say, our house was filled with music. 

 (That's Dad in the middle holding the trumpet.)

                   

    

Although Dad's primary instrument was a trumpet, he also arranged music for bands and orchestras.  That meant that we alway had a piano in the house.  We were allowed (actually, expected) to explore the instrument as long as we were respectful.  

  

(Yes, that's me at age 6 plunking around on our first piano.  I never took piano lessons because I chose violin but I still love picking out tunes if there is a keyboard around. Nice hat, eh?)

     Later, when I had my own children, we bought a second-hand, electric piano and my Dad built a stand for it at child height.  They both loved to explore and pick out tunes.  When we went over to "Grandma and Papa's" the boys were allowed the same musical privileges that I'd been given.

(My younger son, Lachlan,  - at age 4 - playing on Papa's piano.)

     The point I'm trying to make with this walk down memory lane is that music and rhythm are fundamentally important to the development of young children.  Children should have access to rhythm and musical instruments from the very beginning of their lives.

Here, S. bangs on a tambourine.  What a lovely sound!  Later, Mom can play music on the stereo, take up her own tambourine, and they can keep time to the music together.

Pianos are large and expensive so it isn't always feasible for a family to have one available to children.  As far as I'm concerned, any instrument will do as long as the child is taught how to handle it with respect.  Here is a picture of E. exploring a violin.

Experimenting with different kinds of instruments adds to a child's development and love of all things musical.  Scouring thrift stores or swapping/joining with another family are great ways to give your child different musical experiences.  In the next two pictures, C. is having a wonderful time playing a steel drum with some family friends.

When my boys were small and money was even more scarce than it is today, I would cover the coffee table with a blanket and put out all the lids from my pots and pans on top of the blanket.  Then, armed with wooden spoons, the boys and I would bash in time to whatever music they wanted to hear. At other times, we would make our own instruments.

(That is my older son, Calum - I think he is about 5 here -  with his own guitar.)

In the classroom, the bells are always available for those children who have been shown how to handle them.  Since I grew up hearing someone plunking around on the piano, I love the sound of the bells being played in the classroom.  Most of the time they are played according to how they were presented but every now and then a child will just explore. This is one of my favourite sounds in our classroom.

Music and rhythm are wonderful ways to bond with children.  Just look at this photo of M. and her Grandpa making beautiful music together!

If you play an instrument, let your children hear you play - often.  If you don't play an instrument, have one around to explore with.  Role modelling is just as important with music as it is in everything else. 

Please give your child real instruments.  Toys do not give a child the same experience that a real instrument will.  Toy instruments do not feel or sound the same as real ones nor do they get the same kind of respectful handling that real instruments are given.  (Think of tidying up.  Would a toy violin be returned to a stand in the music corner  or would it get put on a shelf with the other toys - toys give children different experiences and messages.)

Sing all the time.  Even if you don't think you have a good singing voice, sing anyway - your child will love it. 

Read lots of nursery rhymes to your children.  Let them hear the rhythm in the words.

Here are some links to articles about children and music if anyone is interested in reading more about it. 

http://www.musictogether.com/ImportanceOfMusic

http://aplaceofourown.org/question_detail.php?id=219

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.

Sharing a small space

This week's post comes from E. & K.'s mother.  Both girls attend our school - E. is in Level 1 and K. is in my Primary classroom.  Their mother teaches in the other Primary classroom and their father (a carpenter) spends many hours building things for the school.  I think you'll agree that these parents have found some very innovative ways to help their children with more independence at home.

"E. cleaning with her own spray bottle. What a proud day that was, when they got their own spray bottles (filled with vinegar water). When the feeling strikes, like tonight, she'll ask to clean the bathroom, and especially loves to scrub the toilet! Go figure! "

 

"The next picture is E's books, light and cd player (Peace and Quiet, Mr. Bach comes to visit, Peter and the Wolf, Dance on a Moonbeam are some favorites) to help facilitate bedtime independence. She will often read for an hour, then turn off the light when she's ready. K. has a similar set up - she chooses her music, and can look at books in bed if she wants."

"The vanity in their part of the bathroom was installed lower, so K. (4 1/2) can reach the tap without a stepstool."
 

"The final pictures shows how a small space can be divided to provide privacy for two children who share one room. We have a curtain set up so that during the day it is open while at night it is closed to provide a sense of separateness."

Thanks, girls!

A Montessori baby gets a little older.........

We've been sent some new pictures from S.'s Mom. 

This first picture is something that many of us have been discussing.  Once the child is able to move by himself that is exactly what he will do.....especially at nap time!  I'm not sure what the solution is but I'll do some more reading and ask a few questions and discuss what I find in a future post.

This next photo is of S. in his high chair.  The initial cost of these chairs is quite high but the investment is worth it because the chair grows with the child.  The beauty of this type of high chair is that it allows the child to be pulled right up to the table facilitating more participation in family life.

Here's a link to more info. about this type of chair.

Lastly, here is a picture of M. banging on a tambourine.  This sort of activity is essential to the development of a young child.  Not only is he refining his fine and gross motor skills while making that lovely sound, he is also developing his sense of rhythm and, if Mom and Dad join in, is discovering how much fun music can be. 

Note the cushions behind him. If he falls over, he won't hurt himself but, more importantly, they don't hem him in. Watching a child learning how to move (and they do this from birth) and then bunging him into a playpen the minute he can get himself from room to room throws up huge obstacles in his developmental path and can be immensely frustrating to that young child.  Now before I sound too holier-than-thou,  I tried a play pen with my oldest thinking it would help me in some of the household chores.  Wrong!  He was so upset that I soon abandoned the thing and did any chores with him in a sling or backpack. When he was older, he was usually right beside me helping.

Rock on, S.!

G.'s special day

     G. celebrated his birthday a little while ago and his mother sent us some of the pictures.  If I have the story correctly (and I hope K. will correct me if I get it wrong), G.'s birthday was kept low key.  His Mom did an at-home version of the "ceremony" we use in the classroom. 

Holding the globe, G. & Mom  discussed where he was born.

Then G. and Dad looked at pictures arranged in chronological order from the day he was born until now.

G. lit a candle to represent the sun.  Then, carrying the globe, he walked around the "sun" - one orbit for each year he was born.

His Oma sent him some money in Swiss Francs and, after some discussion about what to buy, and a trip to the bank to have the money changed, his parents took him shopping.  This is what he chose.

Digging for crystals.

An eyeball kit for making and discovering all sorts of things about eyeballs.

The finished creation.

 And (drum roll, please)  the sick stomach!  Yuuuuuuuuck!

     The activities that G. chose reflect the kinds of things he is interested in right now.  The discussion beforehand prepared him for having to make choices in a small store. I know from experience that any preparatory discussion with a child will go right out the window if that child is taken into a big box toy store.  Expecting a child to stick to his decision with thousands of choices in front of him is just not fair.  Big box toy stores are waaaaay too stimulating and, in my humble opinion, are no place to take children.  

     G.'s parents took him to a smaller local toy store where he found it much easier to make his decision.  Having been in the store on other occasions, he already knew what to expect and had seen the science boxes before.  Choosing which kits to buy gave him valuable lessons in using money and critical thinking.

Happy belated birthday, G.

Gardening with Ml.

Ml. and her family are avid gardeners.  They have a large vegetable patch that Ml.  has been a part of since she was very small.  Her favourite job, other than eating the produce, is watering.

Ml. was almost 4 when these pictures were taken so a garden hose does not pose a problem for her.  As we saw in this post younger children find it easier to fill a small watering can from a larger container. (Safety note:  young children must always be supervised when watering.  Even an inch of water in a large container can pose a drowning threat.)  I wonder what Ml. found in that enormous cabbage?

There are many wonderful things to be found in a garden and exploration is part of the fun.  It is important to let a child fully explore.  Plants might get trampled or uprooted and these are great 'teachable moments'.  By comparing the trampled plant to the untrampled ones  or by explaining what roots are and how they help the plant grow are excellent ways to draw a child's attention to plant care. 

 How satisfying it is for a young child to help gather the fruit and vegetables at the end of the season. 

Finally, Ml. makes a salad with vegetables she has picked from the garden.  Practical life, sensorial, botany, zoology - all lessons learned in the classroom and practiced while gardening at home.