I CAN HOMESCHOOL encouraging words from homeschooling parents & educators "When One teaches, two Learn!" – Robert Heinlein Welcome, friend! "When one teaches, two learn!" - Robert Heinlein Isn't that right? I often learn new things while teaching our children, or I brush up on the old forgotten dusty math skills I once used to have. Homeschooling can be wonderful but also challenging at times. For those of us that choose to homeschool our children, homeschooling is life; and in life, things happen. We all have good days and bad ones, and our children are certainly not shielded from when we fall short. But that is life and we need to prepare them for life's challenges, not just academic excellence. We have an excellent window of opportunity during which we can instill the values and habits we hold dear to our hearts so that one day, they can independently set sail to life's magnificent adventures! I hope this ebook will encourage and guide you on your journey and that the resources from the homeschooling mamas will be helpful all along! With love, Anita WWW.MYMEGABUNDLES.COM CONTENT HOW TO ENRICH YOUR CULTURE STUDIES WITHOUT GETTING 05 ON A PLANE PREHISTORIC PARENTS WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT 08 EDUCATION FROM OUR DISTANT ANCESTORS 11 WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN 11 YEARS OF HOMESCHOOLING 14 SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING 17 HOW LOOP SCHEDULING CAN IMPROVE YOUR HOMESCHOOL 20 I HAVE MY PRINTABLES, NOW WHAT? 22 HOW TO PREPARE MONTESSORI-STYLE ACTIVITY TRAYS, USING PRINTABLES 25 MONTESSORI LEARNING AT HOME 33 HOMESCHOOLING SIBLINGS 35 CREATING OUTDOOR SPACES THAT SUPPORT LEANING 39 SIMPLE WAYS TO INTEGRATE ART INTO YOUR HOMESCHOOL 41 CHOOSING, PRESENTING AND ENHANCING MATH PRINTABLES THE MONTESSORI WAY 43 SENSORY PLAY AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES 45 FINDING YOUR HOMESCHOOLING RHYTHM 47 THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX 49 PRACTICAL LIFE IN THE REAL WORLD 52 HOW TO HOMESCHOOL WITH LITTLE ONES IN TOW 54 THREE GO-TO REMINDERS FOR HOMESCHOOLING 56 HOMESCHOOL PORTFOLIOS How to Enrich Your Culture Studies Without Getting on a Plane Jo | 193 LITTLE ADVENTURES CLUB I'm Jo Ebisujima, a best selling Montessori author and multi- passionate entrepreneur. I run The Wonder Mom Success Club - a membership for entrepreneur moms to get support while building their business. And also 193 Little Adventures Club - where families can take a virtual adventure to a different country every month. I built my business around my family, living & homeschooling in Japan. I use “Follow The Child” in every aspect of my parenting journey. I created 193 Little Adventures because I truly believe that if children learn about different cultures and ways of being from an early age, there would be less hatred and more compassion and understanding in the world. ❤️ It would be wonderful to be able to jump on a plane to take our children to learn about all the different cultures, animals and historic places that we can experience around the world. Unfortunately this isn't possible for most of us. But that doesn't mean that we can't teach our kids about the world, and get them curious about different people and ways of living. Here are some easy ways that you can add culture studies to your week without breaking the bank or dealing with jetlag. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 5 FOOD Food is such an important part of our culture. Whether is be our staple meals or celebration foods. It is a great way to get talking about a different culture and what they eat. You could try a new dinner recipe or just a snack. Getting the kids in the kitchen means that you are working on their practical life skills at te same time. Questions to ask: Where in the world do they eat this? Is it similar to something we eat? What is the taste/texture like? Can you compare it to something we usually eat? How is it prepared/cooked? Do you like it? Why or why not? If it is related to a celebration you can talk about that too. MUSIC Thanks to services such as YouTube and Spotify we now have access to music from all for corners of the world. If you are a musical family you might want to learn about the different types of instruments and types of music. If you want to keep it low key, hop onto YouTube/Spotify and do a search with a country name + traditional music and see what pops up. YouTube has the advantage of often having a video too. You can build this into your daily routine, say at clean up time at the end of the day, take it in turns to pick a country. Find a track to listen to as you tidy up. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 6 FOOD Apart from the obvious encyclopedias and atlases there are lots of books that can help our kids learn about the world. Make sure when you go to the library to include one or two in your weekly selection. Even if the child doesn’t read it cover to cover, dipping in and out with build their curiosity. Recipes books Traditional stories from other cultures Focused on a celebration or festival such as Diwali, Tanabata or Day of the dead. Stories that are set in a specific country Specific historical landmarks or events Country-specific animals - kids love learning about animals, whether it’s an obsession with snakes or the love of elephants, there is an animal for everyone. +1 POSTCARD SWAP Yes, this one takes a bit more effort but it can be a lot of fun, especially if you don't receive much physical mail these days. Hit up your Facebook/Instagram friends and see who would be interested in doing a postcard swap. I have organised a few, including ones where we swapped easy recipes on the postcard. Also ask your swappers to use a pretty postage stamp rather than the generic ones. Helping kids to be more curious and accepting of other people, their religion, way of life, culture etc is a huge step towards a more loving and peaceful community so any time that a question comes up try and answer it. And if you don’t know the answer… there is always Jo Google! In the jojoebi Resource library you can get a 30 page pack of Animals Around The World 3 Part-cards plus continent cards plus many other printables to keep the kids busy and engaged. New items are added every month. Get your FREE access pass here I CAN HOMESCHOOL 7 Prehistoric Parents What we Can Learn about Education from our Distant Ancestors Carmen | DESIGN STUDIO TETI Montessori-loving mama of two tiny tots that I try to get outside in the Dutch sunshine as much as possible. Indoors, I love sitting down with a cup of coffee and designing printables that are inspired by them. My shop covers a broad range of items, ranging from teaching materials to resume templates to wedding planners. Education has come a long way since the days of rulers used for discipline and nearly windowless classrooms to promote focus. Nevertheless, more and more parents are looking at ways to get back to more simple times. What if we delve back in time even further? Turns out, prehistoric parents can teach us a bunch about education! Observe, imitate, do Prehistoric infants and toddlers got to observe almost everything there was to learn in their world. From the safety of an auntie’s arms or the back of their mother, they saw and absorbed everything the grown-ups were doing. After observing how to look for berries (and, more importantly, which ones to avoid), how to build shelter, and how to interact peacefully with your fellow humans, once they were physically ready, the little ones were capable to start imitating. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 8 And very quickly to start actually doing the tasks for themselves. Our modern-day takeaway: show your child everything you’re doing, even if they can’t participate yet. That could look like wearing your baby when doing laundry and inviting your toddler to sit next to you while answering emails for work. Storytime Sitting around a fire and listening to exciting stories is more than just a fun way to end a productive day. Hunter-gatherers might not have guessed it, but hearing stories about the history of their people does wonders for the mental health of children. Being in touch with their roots helps little ones make sense of their world and feel connected. Try telling your kids stories about what school looked like for their grandparents and about your favorite toys when you were their age. They’ll love it - and it’s great for them. Invisible safety net Toddlers and preschoolers are surprisingly capable. But clearly, anticipating dangerous situations isn’t yet their strong suit! To keep them safe and still provide lots of opportunities for practicing autonomy, prehistoric parents used an invisible safety net. For example, when a two-year-old decided to follow the men hunting on a treacherous trail, mom sent a nine-year-old along to look out for her, but without being seen. To help your own child develop autonomy, try to be as unobtrusive as possible when you need to keep her safe. Perhaps you can issue less warnings or simply talk less in certain situations. Or you can try looking casual beneath the monkey bars, while actually standing on high alert. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 9 Helping out fellow humans Prehistoric kids were very much involved in the care of little ones. Toddlers helped entertain babies. Five-year-olds taught toddlers how to fish. Nine-year-olds taught five-year-olds how to hunt. That’s prime education for not only the younger child but, the older child as well. So if you’ve got a couple of kids, never feel bad for asking them to help take care of a sibling. Speaking of help, little kids are highly motivated to learn, especially if it helps their fellow humans. The great thing about this is not just what they learn from the task or that they take stuff off your plate. Most importantly, it’s like magic for keeping their motivation going and building good character. Children are very sensitive to whether they are actually helping or not, and when they are, they feel like a valued member of the tribe. Letting children help is, of course, completely in line with the Montessori approach. One more hint straight from the Stone Age: Make sure to collaborate as much as possible since little kids love nothing more than doing things together with you. An extra benefit is that this provides a personalized lesson. n Carme I CAN HOMESCHOOL 10 What I've Learned in 11 Years of Homeschooling Samantha | FOR THE LOVE OF HOMESCHOOLING For the Love of Homeschooling was created from my desire to share the beauty that homeschooling can be and to encourage others along the way! Our family has been homeschooling for 11 years now! This year we had a 9th grader, 6th grader, 4th grader, 1st grader, and our rainbow baby who was born in May 2021. Over the years, as our family has grown and walked through different seasons of life our homeschool style has changed a ton. We've done the heavily structured homeschool schedules, completely unschooled & done a mix of the two. But no matter what our days look like I've found that a present and loving teacher or parent is truly all our children need to thrive! Aside from homeschooling and running For the Love of Homeschooling, we are homesteaders at heart who love to raise as much of our own food as possible and always have an array of baby animals to keep us busy and smiling. We are also very new tiny house dwellers (yes, a tiny house with 7 people) and are currently building our off-grid home in northern Canada! It's definitely been a learning curve and I've had to drastically downsize our homeschool supplies but we are loving the peace and restfulness that this simpler lifestyle has brought us. I share about all of those things and more on our family's personal Instagram account over on @thisgrowinglife After over a decade of homeschooling and years of sharing our family's homeschool journey on Instagram, I often get homeschool-related questions from moms and homeschool families from many different walks of life. From new homeschool moms who want to know where to start. From tired homeschool moms who want to know how to press through when things aren't going the way, they had planned. From lonely homeschool moms who don't have a support system in place and often feel completely alone. I hope that these 5 points will help each and every one of you, no matter what stage of this homeschool journey you are on. If you found these helpful, head to the link below to read 5 more tips! Click Here > 10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Homeschooling I CAN HOMESCHOOL 11 1 Let go of anything that is not bringing you AND your children joy. It may be a curriculum that you thought you would love. It may be a unit study that you planned for weeks. Whatever it is, if it's taking the joy out of learning set it aside. There have been so many times that I have had to do this very thing. And even though it's been hard at times, my children & I are so much happier when our lessons & days consist of the things that fill us with joy. 2 Know your why. We all have different reasons for homeschooling & I have found that it is so important to write down what those are. Your life's circumstances will change. Your children's needs will change. You as a mother will change. Your why may even change too! But on the hard days, when I have felt overwhelmed and been tempted to ship them off to the closest school (yes, we all feel that way at times) I have found that by going back to my whys I am able to re-center and to focus on the most important things which for me are spending my days learning alongside my children. 3 Never allow someone else's light to dim your own by comparing your homeschool with theirs. Okay. Read that again. Friends, this one is so important. No one's homeschool is as pretty as it looks on social media. There is a lot of encouragement and wisdom online but as soon as you start to look at someone else's homeschool and feel inadequate, it's time to step back and remind yourself that all your child really needs is YOU. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 12 4 Don't panic if your child isn't where you think they're "supposed to be" in a subject. They each learn in their own way and at their own speed and our job is to cheer them on along the way. In our home we've had children start reading at 3 and at 10. I have children who excel at history, science and nature study but who may take longer to grasp a new math or phonics concept. No matter what their learning journey looks like all of them are extremely bright and well-rounded but even more importantly they are kind and compassionate human beings. And that, my friends, is my goal.🤗 5 Hard days and even hard seasons will come ... and that's okay. It's okay to not have it all together every day. It's okay to cancel school & have a movie day once in a while. And it's okay to admit that some days are hard. This does not mean you are failing. It doesn't mean that your children would be better off in a regular school. It means that you are human & since you are raising little humans it's probably okay for them to know that hard days happen to us all. And when they do happen they will see firsthand that it is okay to be gentle with yourself, it's okay to redirect & it's okay to take a break. I hope that these tips are helpful! If you would like to follow along with our family’s homeschool journey you can follow us on Instagram @thisgrowinglife or join our For the Love of Homeschooling @fortheloveofhomeschooling We also provide weekly freebies to the homeschool community that you can receive by signing up to our email list or visiting us at https://www.fortheloveofhomeschooling.com/featured-freebie amantha ❤️ S I CAN HOMESCHOOL 13 Self-directed Learning Does Not Have to be Unpredictable or Organised Gaby | GABITAT EMPORIUM Hi I’m Gaby from Gabitat Emporium. I am a home educator to my little boy who guided us to take this route with self led learning when he was a baby. I am a huge advocate of play and self led learning. I decided on intuitive parenting with my first child and ditched all the parenting books, how to train your child to pee, eat or sleep. Personally I found these books and milestones very stressful and was overwhelmed by it all and decided not to read anymore so I cuddled my child next to me to sleep and did what was right for us instead of trying to keep up with other people’s expectations of what my child should be doing and his milestones. I had no idea Home Education/Schooling existed and to my delight there was an intuitive way to educate my child too; it’s known as Self-directed learning. And that’s when it all came together for us and here we are still happily immersed into how the Earth began or his beautiful My favourite method is self directed fascination with STEM Sisters and learning and my child is a natural, self inspirational women of the past – he’s just starter so it was easier to go with the flow turned 6. from the start of our adventures together. He took the lead. And I’m grateful for the Though I tend to use different ways of day decided to ‘let go‘ of thinking what educating my child, a bit from every style everyone else was doing around us or depending on the activities. Structured, asking “how are you going to teach him if semi structured, self led, the list goes on. you’re not a teacher”. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 14 I drew a blank too and looked inward and brains with irrelevant facts but to let the found I already had the answers, I too had interests take us somewhere, to pursue our taught myself on many occasions and excitement and abilities to follow a path enjoyed it much more than being taught living life to the fullest and be happy. by someone with less passion for a subject Trusting my child that he will learn what he than myself, so why would a child not needs to, and enjoy learning without benefit from this self-directed learning limitations like a bell in the playground or style? How different would he be if he class to stop an activity just as he’s wasn’t spoon fed everything? immersed into something fully. He will learn to love learning and experience so much. If you’re new to this concept, it will be hard to let go of the feeling that you need an itinerary for every day. You may even fear it at first because you won’t have prepared anything and you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the feelings of trying to control or guide the child to something specific and that’s all OK, just acknowledge it, it’s part of the process of releasing how you’ve been programmed the way you were taught and how to think. Now it’s time to trust the process and First I took out the word ‘teach’ from our follow your child’s interests fully and be vocabulary and mind set and the word taken on an adventure, which in their ‘work’ or anything that created minds is what they wish to learn and I truly suggestions of school, milestones and believe you will enjoy it too. deadlines, I personally need some semi structure as I’m not just a parent and home educator, I also work part time and running a home, so it had to work without stress, so that I can switch into my work without working late in to the evening after cleaning up the house once he was asleep. Or I prioritise what is actually achievable without overwhelm, as life is not that simple. You become the facilitator, not the teacher. Though it's my whole responsibility as a parent to now educate my child, I figured that the whole reason we learn at school or anywhere else is to learn to enjoy learning, not just fill our I CAN HOMESCHOOL 15 I sometimes ask my Son “What do you want to know about?” The list is usually 3 things and they’re really good questions. Like “who controls the weather” or “why are there 26 letters in the alphabet?” I leave the list around so we can check in with where we are going with it and it’s totally OK not to get time to answer any of those questions too and be side tracked by new interests. I leave the questions written on a hand painted piece of upcycled card. Self directed learning is endless and constantly ebbs and flows. What do you want to - if they don’t, then show them know about? suggestions, and they soon follow this same method the next week and the week after as they learn to become the lead through the process. You’ll look back and sigh relief as they naturally find passion for learning and searching for resources, it will be initiated by them. TO HELP INITIATE THE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ADVENTURE PLEASE SIGN UP TO DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATES HERE www.gabitatemporium.com Enjoy, Try asking your child what they would like Gabi x to find out about each week. Add craft suggestions, and books, but always ask them the question first, like how do we find out about this? And let them show you I CAN HOMESCHOOL 16 How Loop Scheduling Can Improve your Homeschool Jessica | INSPIRE THE MOM Jessica is an author, educator, and homeschool mom. She lives in the the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids. With family and faith as her top priorities, Jessicas seeks to inspire moms and teachers with fun, creative, and useful ideas. How Loop Scheduling Can Improve your Homeschool Ever wish you had more time to cover more topics in your homeschool? Things like Spanish, watercoloring painting, creative writing, or one of those mini units you got in a mega bundle last year? Well, I’m here to tell you, you can! Have you heard of loop scheduling? Loop scheduling is one of my favorite homeschool time management hacks. Why? Because you can cover so much ground and not lose your sanity. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? I CAN HOMESCHOOL 17 What is Loop Scheduling? Simply put, loop scheduling is rotating through a list of subjects or topics that you want to cover in your homeschool. These subjects might include (but are not limited to) unit studies, mini units, history, science, art, handicraft, foreign language, or extra reading. (Typically, the core subjects like math and language arts are not included in this list.) Once you have your list, you set a schedule of rotation and work through your list, covering all the topics you want to with your kids. Pretty amazing right? What are the Benefits of Loop Scheduling? I love that loop scheduling allows you to cover so much ground with your kids, and that it breaks up the mundane time blocks. BUT the real magic in a loop schedule is the mental ease of not feeling behind. When you schedule subjects by blocks, you feel tied to that time. For example, if you are scheduled to do science everyday at 3pm you are going to feel the pressure of having to make up that time if something else comes up and you end up not getting it done. On the other hand, the loop schedule gives you grace. If your routine didn’t go as planned for the day, simply start back the next day on the loop-list wherever you left off. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 18 How to Create a Loop Schedule 1. Write down a list of the subjects you want to cover. These could include: science, history, poetry, music, art, foreign language, character training, unit study, copy work, crafts, or nature study. 2. Decide how many subjects on your loop schedule you would like to cover every day. To begin with, choose a reasonable number of subjects (1-3).(Don’t worry, you can adjust this number as you go.) 3. Set aside a time every day to accomplish your loop subject(s) for the day. For example, everyday after lunch, you plan to complete two subjects from your list. Then, the following day, you complete the next two subjects on your list, and so on…continually working through your list. The best part is, if you miss your loop subject for the day, you can just pick up where you left off the next day. More Resources for Homeschool Planning Books, Blogs, and Podcasts for the Homeschool Mom 200+ Homeschool Field Trip Ideas Best Homeschool Supplies Practical Homeschool Storage Ideas Free Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner Join the Inspire the Mom Community! I would love to invite you to visit inspirethemom.com and join our awesome community of moms and teachers. In addition to regular updates and freebies, you will get access to our ever-growing Inspire the Mom Free Resource Library. essica J I CAN HOMESCHOOL 19 I Have My Printables, Now What? How to sort and choose them according to my child's interests. Yelania | LEYENDO CON AZUL Biologist, high school science teacher for more than ten years. She has been reviewing children's and young adult books since 2010. She was editor of an educational magazine, has taught courses to teachers and advised educational evaluation processes. In her instagram account she shares the activities and science books she uses with her daughter and her students. Been there. You know, that moment when you are scheduling an activity and you find a printable that could have been useful for a previous activity but you didn't use it because you didn't remember having it. That's why the most important thing is to learn how to classify them and make a habit of it. You are probably thinking that it is easier said than done, but believe me, time and perseverance will make it easier to identify the type of printable and the folder where you should organize it, just by taking a little look at it. First, locate the category of each Printable and create a special folder: 1. Informational 2. Semi-informative 3. Activities only - Learning pack. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 20 For this, you should check how much section, but if they are an older child I can information it has and the type of look in the informative section because the activities included. extension and even the concepts handled could be more complex. In each folder, it is necessary to make a classification according to the main topic: And I am going to tell you what I use them mathematics, literature, history, biology, for besides learning from them, but first, seasons, etc. This will be based on the do you think your children/students no study interests you have according to the longer need the printables you bought level of your child and/or student. And when they were little? Don't know what to yes, in each of them you can make more do with them? You can always get rid of classifications, for example, Biology: them, of course but I find them great for plants, animals, fungi... making collages, bulletin board, trifolds, posters, birthday cards, postcards, It seems like a lot of work, and I know, it bookmarks, scrapbooking, etc. They are takes time, however, keeping order in your materials that can always be used for Printables will make your life easier and cutting out and decorating work no matter you will make better use of the Printables how old they are. you have already acquired. Choosing a printable to use can be very complex if we are not clear about the "The most important thing is objective of our lesson and above all be attentive to the interests, doubts, and to learn how to classify them learning desires of our little ones. and make a habit of it." Let's remember that before the activity, there is the quality time we spend with Now, when I have to select a topic to work them and if we learn to observe them, on I ask myself what I want to do. listen to them and understand what they ask us to learn, finding the right printable Do I want them to learn the subject? And will be a piece of cake. if so, to what depth? The latter depends on the age of my children and/or With love, Yel students. Or do I want to reinforce a skill? i.e. reading, fine-motor skills, math... That way I can choose the right printable Let's connect! and the activity or activities they will do to develop or reinforce a skill with a topic of their interest. IG: leyendoconazul FB: Book's Minion SITE: www.leyendoconazul.com For example, if they want to practice reading, for early readers I can take a FREEBIES printable from the semi-informative I CAN HOMESCHOOL 21 How to Prepare Montessori-style Activity Trays Using Printables Deb | LIVING MONTESSORI NOW Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies. She was a Montessori teacher and Montessori school owner before homeschooling her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori grandma and author who blogs at LivingMontessoriNow.com and BitsofPositivity.com. She designs printables with her daughter, Christina Chitwood- Parkin, and leads a Montessori Crash Course with Jo Ebisujima. Parents who are new to Montessori often worry that they’ll need new activities every day. That isn’t the case. Montessori education allows children to repeat activities and sees that as essential to help meet the needs of the child’s sensitive period (time when learning a specific skill is easiest). Preparing activity trays that the child can choose meets the child’s needs for independence. It also meets the child’s need to repeat an activity as many times as the child chooses. It allows the child to reach deeper levels of understanding when an activity is repeated. And it makes life easier for you! I CAN HOMESCHOOL 22 What You’ll Need for a Montessori-Style Activity Tray Using a Printable Printable (obviously!). Materials for printing and cutting (and laminating if desired). I most often use white cardstock for printing. To save time and money while helping protect the environment, I only laminate materials that we use with water, playdough, or another messy activity. For those printables, I cut them out first and then laminate them, leaving a laminate edge when I cut them out again to prevent water from reaching the printable. Activity tray. I most often use inexpensive wooden trays with handles. I especially like nesting ones that are easy to store. I use a variety of trays and baskets, but I look for ones that are attractive, durable, and stackable. In Montessori education, there’s only one of each activity, encouraging children to take turns or work together cooperatively. So you only need to prepare one tray of a specific activity for a homeschool co-op or other group. Small containers for an undivided tray. For most activity trays, I like to have containers for small labels and objects needed for the activity. I often use miniature easels for cards and booklets. An orderly environment helps children develop an inner order. In the same way, an organized tray helps children develop an inner order (along with making the tray more attractive in general). I tend to keep my eyes open for small, attractive containers that will work well with activity trays. 3-dimensional objects to go with the printable wherever possible. When I create activity trays using printables, I emphasize using 3-dimensional objects whenever I can find them to go with the activity. Materials such as tweezers or tongs if you want to add a fine-motor skill to your activity tray. A shelf or shelves for the activity trays where your children can easily reach them, allowing for freedom of choice and repetition in their activities. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 23 Tips for Preparing an Activity Tray: Decide if you need to laminate the activity and what type of laminating you’ll do. Think of how you can make the activity hands-on. As I said, I often add 3- dimensional objects, such as figures from Safari Ltd. TOOBS or other miniatures. Often, printables can be cut apart to make them into manipulatives. Rather than having a young child draw lines matching two objects on a worksheet, I might cut the pictures apart and let the child match the pictures, find matching pictures buried in a sensory tub, or play a concentration game with them. When preparing the activity tray, make it as attractive and orderly as possible. Typically, you’ll want to arrange your materials in left-to-right order on the tray as an indirect preparation for writing and reading. That’s it! After preparing a tray, find a place for it on your shelf. To show a young child how to use an activity, simply demonstrate it with slow motions and as few words as possible. Be sure to show your child how to clean up and put away the tray on the shelf. Then have fun observing your child! Deb Living Montessori Now Blog FB Page: Living Montessori Now Instagram: @LivingMontessoriNow YouTube: Living Montessori Now Free Summer Playdough Math Pack (with links to free playdough math packs for each season) Free Seashell Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (and a gallery of free do-a-dot printables – at least one for each letter of the alphabet) Tactile Nature Letters with Free Letter Templates Free Geography Album, Resource Library with Many Themed Printable Packs, and a New Themed Pack Each Month for Subscribers to the Free Living Montessori Now Newsletter I CAN HOMESCHOOL 24 Montessori Learning at Home Supporting your child's natural enthusiasm of learning Kristy | LOVE SCHOOL AT HOME Kristy is a trilingual mother from Hong Kong, teaching her children Chinese and English at home. She has two daughters, now living in the US. Previously in the hotel sales and marketing business with a background of International Cultural Studies and Anthropology, she is a full time stay- at-home homeschooling mother. Kristy enjoys nature, arts, holistic lifestyle and creating learning resources inspired by the interests of her children. She implements inspirations from Montessori school of thoughts with her daughters. "The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim, therefore, is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." - To Educate the Human Potential, Dr. Maria Montessori We can create a Montessori, child-centered, home environment to support the child's natural enthusiasm of learning. The environment motivates the child's interest to act and conduct his own learning experiences. Through observations of a child's daily routine, we can curate a thoughtful and enjoyable experience for the child. It is not about replicating the Montessori classroom setting in the home environment. It is a home environment that is unique and supports the developmental needs of the child. Each child shines in his own special way. He has unique learning style and characteristics. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 25 L The "L.O.V.E" Elements in a Prepared Environment The prepared environment is the home and all surroundings that come in contact with the child. L: A Learned Environment It is acquired by experiences, inspired by observing the child's developmental needs and interests. Put the focus on the level of concentration and movement of the child, instead of the materials on the shelves. Understand the approach before investing in materials. Parents can easily find the benefits of child-sized furniture and tools as they observe the how child moves and works within the environment. O O: An Orderly Environment Remove clutter and obstacles, create a home with structure and order that benefits both the child and the parents. Display what sparks joy with less distractions and visual noises. It is easier for the child to form a habit to clean up, develop a sense of accountability, and understand the order in the universe as he grows in an organized environment. With the marketing campaigns and influences of social media, it is easy for us to want more and make purchases based of wants or the fear of missing out (FOMO). A prepared environment should not mimic what we see on social media. Think of nature and how refreshing we feel being outdoor. It only displays vegetations based on each season. More does NOT mean better! Nature only displays seasonal fruits and plants for a particular reason. Each season has its own beauty and uniqueness. We can do so by curating a home environment based on developmental needs, interests, and characteristics of the child. Can we imagine having all the plants and flowers from all seasons blooming all at once in the garden? V V: A Valuable Environment Things we display in the home environment tell the child what we focus on. The environment tells stories. It represents our cultures and communicates values. We can model how to minimize and maintain an environment that reflects cultures and beliefs. A well prepared environment needs to work for the developmental needs of the child. The child can find values and enjoyment through exploring at home. The value is not from the price tags of the furniture or the materials on the shelves. The prepared environment encourages every child to move freely within his needs. There is freedom of movement, choice, learning pace, and time. The child has the autonomy to choose for himself as the parents set healthy boundaries and limits at home. The parents cannot act or choose for the child. When the child finds value in his working space, he E can comfortably develop the fundamental skills of independence, concentration, and intellectual and emotional quality within the environment. E: An Enchanting Environment It is a stereotypical myth that Montessori education is only for the rich and well-educated families. It is not. We do NOT need an exquisite home to create an enjoyable learning environment. Observe the child, display only what the child needs, and create an orderly environment that benefit both the child and the family. We can maximize our learning space regardless of the size of the home and budget. A well prepared environment can be a fun and amusing place for both the child and us. It is a place of beauty and order, a learning environment that prioritizes freedom and social interactions. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 26 "The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult." The idea supports Dr. Maria Montessori's vision that everything the child comes into contact with would facilitate and maximize independent learning and exploration. Finding ways to support independence and developmental needs are the goals for Montessori learning in the home environment. The prepared environment is an essential part to implement Montessori education at home. It facilitates the natural tendency of a child's curiosity to explore and discover. Our ultimate goals are helping the child to find meaning in his work and daily routines, motivate the child to have a greater sense of ownership and satisfaction. Kristy Let's connect! Find me on Instagram @Loveschoolathome Email via loveschoolathomekristy@gmail.com I CAN HOMESCHOOL 27 8 Simple Steps to Start Montessori at Home Vanessa | MAMA'S HAPPY HIVE Vanessa writes at Mama’s Happy Hive and started her blog as a way to express her creative side with others. She homeschools her two children with a Christian hands- on learning style and an emphasis on Montessori inspired education. Vanessa has a Bachelor's degree in nursing , however, she considers her full-time job to be a stay-at- home-mom to her children. She takes great joy in watching her children discover the beauty of the natural world and sharing inspiration with others. Montessori at home can be a beautiful experience for the entire family. The Montessori way of thinking adds depth, love, respect, and joy to the home. How can the Montessori method do this, you may ask? Well... it's important to remember that the Montessori method is a way of thinking... of educating, disciplining, parenting, guiding, and understanding a child. Dr. Maria Montessori advocated respect for the child and laid out a blueprint for how to guide our children along this beautiful path. "I have studied the child, I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method." Many families have come to me and asked how can they start Montessori in their homes. I am going to share eight simple steps to starting Montessori in your home. Here we go... I CAN HOMESCHOOL 28 Start with Knowledge The best place to start any journey is to start with knowledge and understanding. I recommend that you start reading several of Dr. Maria Montessori's written work to begin to understand her beautiful way of thinking about the child's mind and developmental needs. My favorite book of Maria Montessori is the "Absorbent Mind." There are also other authors who write lovely books on the Montessori method. Two of my favorites are, "Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three" by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen and "How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way" by Tim Seldin. Develop a Plan Many families decide to make Montessori a part of their daily life. They incorporate it into everything they do at home because they see it as a way of life. This means that children apply Montessori principles from the moment they open their eyes in the morning to the moment they go to bed at night. Other families incorporate it into their homeschooling portion of the day. This means that even though they have Montessori materials, they only use those Montessori materials and the method for learning academic subjects. Either approach is perfectly fine. Some start with one approach and ease into the second one and that is ok as well. So decide how you want to incorporate Montessori in your home? There is no correct way to do Montessori at home. It can be a little or a lot, and that is ok, because each family is unique in their needs and how they apply the Montessori method. The most important thing is that you are striving for what works best for your family. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 29 Prepare the Space "The objects surrounding the child should look solid and attractive to him, and the house of the child should be lovely and pleasant in its particulars; for beauty in the school invites activity and work." - Maria Montessori, The Child in the Family, p. 43 It's important to prepare the space for a Montessori home. Again, this is a way of thinking, and when we prepare a space, it simply means we are clearing the clutter and minimizing the distractions. Children, especially young children, learn best in a simple, clean, and beautiful space. An organized and decluttered space invites a child into that calm atmosphere. It is best to have only a few toys out in a space and rotate the toys/materials. For example, Children 1-12 months: Have the number of toys per age in months on the shelf. This reduces the noise and the distraction level for the child so that they have an opportunity to develop the art of concentrating on only one thing at a time. Storage Plan a space in your home where you can store the "out of rotation" toys and materials. You can have a bookshelf or a closet to organize your items. I recommend getting plastic containers with lids so they can get stacked up and save space. You can store materials by subject and/or by age by labeling your bins for easy access. Begin in One Room If you have younger kids that aren’t doing as much academic work yet, then opt for setting up "Practical Life" stations in or near your kitchen. Here are some suggestions for the kitchen: step stool to reach the countertops, a "yes" cupboard on the child's level, child-sized kitchen tools, a way for the child to make their own snack and pour their own cup of water. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 30 Complete All the Rooms in the Home Eventually, you will want to implement Montessori-style setups in your child’s bathroom and bedroom, as well as the dining room, main living room, play space and outside. Don’t get overwhelmed! Do one room at a time or, if it’s easier for you, just one station per room at a time. Examples for the bathroom: step stool to reach the counter top, low hook for the child to reach a hand- towel, set-up for the child to brush their teeth and wash their hands on their own. Examples for the bedroom: baskets with labels to put their clothes in and a low hanging pole so the child can reach to hang up their clothes. Choose a Curriculum to Follow If you decide to homeschool the Montessori way, it will benefit you to choose a planner or curriculum to follow. You may want to do a mix of curriculum too. However, having a road map to follow will help you be successful. To help families get started with Montessori, I created a beautiful Montessori-inspired plan called, "Little Hands Learn" and you can read more about it at www.mylittlehandslearn.com ⭐ LHL follows unit study themes each month with detailed Montessori-inspired lessons, DIY projects, science experiments, weekly planner, and MORE to help you get started on the right path. LHL plans are for ages 2-7 years. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 31 Set up a Learning Space If you have a room where most of your learning takes place, then set up your Montessori learning materials there. Some prefer to have a shelf for each subject, instead of having a mix. It gives a nice visual of what works the children are currently working on. It also helps the child begin to make connections between like-minded works (like all numbers works on shelf one and all letters works on shelf two, etc). Some families do not have the room for a shelf for each subject and will instead mix language arts, math, science, sensorial, geography, etc. all together on one or two shelves in a main living space. This way the children can work on their school work while you are nearby doing your own daily living work and can jump in to guide them as needed. What do you think? Has this list of tips and advice inspired you? Did it get your wheels turning? I hope it has given you a doable guide to get started! I’m so excited that you are starting Montessori at home! It is such a wonderful decision for you and your child! a Vaness I CAN HOMESCHOOL 32 Homeschooling Siblings Bridgette | MODERN IMAGINATION A teacher turned homeschooler, Brigitte has always been passionate about nature and learning. Each of her units are researched and fact-checked by leading research biologists so that the information is as current and accurate as possible. If she isn’t elbows deep in mud with her kids, or raising snails and ladybugs, she’s outside planning her next climbing route. Planning, sourcing materials, and juggling schedules. These are some of the greatest challenges – and joys – of homeschooling your one child, but can feel overwhelming if you have more than one child. While home learning with more than one child can seem daunting, it truly doesn’t have to be. Instead of focussing on individual subjects for each kid – which can make anyone’s head spin – consider focussing on broad themes with threads that you can pull on for Let’s imagine the next child is around four many moments of discovery for your kids. or five years old and knows the sound the For example, if you and your children enjoy letter “f” makes. This child could even use flowers, you could easily pull three literacy the same sensory bin, and find “f” letters, experiences on flowers for three children. along with vowels. They could begin to connect “fa”, “fo”, or “fe”. Or they could Let’s imagine the youngest child is even make CVC words, like “far”. Another somewhere between two and three years alternative for CVC words is to bury letters old. Flower-themed literacy options for this that form flower-themed CVC words, like child could be burying several of the letters “bud”, or “sun”. “f” (either wooden or paper) in a flower- themed sensory tray. And now for the oldest child, who may be six, seven, or even eight, and may have Depending on the child’s level, they could more literacy experience. The child could, look for the “f” and say it upon each again, in the same sensory bin, look for discovery, then try their hand at producing letters to form more complicated flower- an “f” – either with loose parts by tracing themed words, like “leaf”, “water”, the letter with their finger. “sunlight”. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 33 Or all three children could work on creating an anatomy representation of a flower (either in felt, dry beans, paint) and then work on reading and matching labels for the different parts. Math can be done the same way. The youngest can be given three flowers, and practice using fingers and counting 1, 2, 3. Or they can have counting cards with flowers on them and place little wooden bees on each flower as they practice one- to-one correspondence. The second child can do the same activity and count to ten, fifteen, or twenty, or even shuffle and practice ordering the counting cards from one to ten. Or they can group the flowers and work on number bonds, e.g. a group of 5 and a group of 5 make 10 altogether. Whatever theme you and your children The older child can do sums with flowers, decide to do will be the right fit for you or count petals of flowers with set and them, and will not only make your numbers (e.g. wild rose or trillium) and do resource-collecting easier, but will also multiplication. foster many hours of engaging conversations, role modeling, and Even if your children don’t like the same cooperative learning between them – theme (for example, one loves dinosaurs which is at the heart of home learning. and the other two love unicorns) it’s still possible to theme it all. If we go back to dgette the flowers, the dinosaur-loving kid can have a dinosaur eating all the flowers (and thereby work on subtraction) whereas the Bri unicorn-lovers can imagine all the ways the flowers can decorate their unicorns. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 34 Creating Outdoor Spaces that Support Learning Ideas from a Montessori-inspired Farm School Teacher Nicole | MONTESSORI FOR MOMS I'm Nicole, the creator behind Montessori for Moms. As a Montessori Farm School teacher, I get to enjoy teaching an in-depth and hands on nature curriculum while also following the Montessori method. I create printables to support our studies in the classroom, and also enjoy sharing them with people like YOU! Have you ever thought of what you could do to make your backyard a more inviting space for play and learning for your child? Many people have ample learning experiences just waiting to be unlocked for their child, but just don’t know what kind of spaces to provide. These are some of my favorite outdoor learning spaces, which I’ve used both at home and at my Montessori-inspired Farm School for ages 3-9. All of these learning spaces work well, even if you have just a small area to work with. Never underestimate the potential of even the smallest of outdoor spaces! I CAN HOMESCHOOL 35 Ramps Fencing boards make great lightweight ramps for children to move around and adjust with their play. We’ve used plain scrap wood and also painted some to look like streets since this is an activity often paired with cars. Let children experiment with different heights and angles and how this affects the speed of the item going downward. A verbal explanation from an adult isn’t typically needed. Kids learn all they need to know simply from the sensorial experience of testing it out themselves! You can prop ramps against stumps, fences, hills, swing sets, or trees. Dirt Pit For safety reasons, I don’t allow my students to dig holes just anywhere. Farm animals or running children could easily trip and fall due to unexpected holes, so we focus the digging in specific areas. This is simply an enclosed wooden area (like a short raised garden bed) filled with soil. We keep this area stocked with a few different sized shovels, pots, and buckets for dumping, digging, dirt castle building and all! Rock Pit This space is enclosed with wooden timbers and filled with small pebbles and smooth pond rocks. Rocks give a different sensory input than dirt, and some children prefer this to any other space! We keep shovels, dump trucks, and large buckets nearby for filling and dumping. I CAN HOMESCHOOL 36
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