Christmas Tree/Pink Tower

The Christmas Season

The Christmas season in the secular world seems to begin earlier every year.  

We first start hearing about how many shopping days are left until Christmas before children have come to our doors, dressed up for Trick-or-Treat.  The carols start playing on the radio well before we buy a turkey to roast for Thanksgiving.  

Commercial Christmas starts early and we may be ready to take down the tree and 'be done' with Christmas by January 2nd.  In fact, today, I took down the two trees I carefully erected for the season. Even as I was doing so, I was regretting the decision.  

The trees and stockings were all I 'undecorated' today.  I did not take down the garland in our doorway, outdoor lights, the reindeer center piece in our dining-room, and most importantly, I did not take down the Manger that stands on a small table in our entry way.  

You see, in my church, Advent is celebrated for the four weeks leading up to Christmas  The Christmas Season began on Christmas eve and is celebrated until after we have Epiphany Sunday, a full week after New Years.  

So, I left enough decorations up in and around my home to remind me that the Christmas Season is still with us.  We can tire of the season if all we are thinking about is the tree and what is underneath.  But when we take the time to consider the 'reason for the season' it is hard to see it come to an end.

Christmas is about hope, forgiveness, new life and the birth of Christianity.  I will not be done celebrating the season for a while.  I am glad to keep up the lights and crib so that I can enjoy the season of hope and light a little longer.

MONTESSORI

We need to give ourselves time to 'complete' the Christmas season just as we need to give the children in our classrooms the time to 'complete' their work.  Sometimes it is tempting to rush them through on activity so that we can clear the shelf and move on to another unit of study.

The Christmas season can not be rushed; children should not be rushed either.  If we interrupt the Christmas season we may miss some of the hope and forgiveness the season has to offer us.  Likewise, if we interrupt a child's exploration of the Pink Tower or Brown Stair, to move on to other materials, me may cause the child to 'miss' something that material has to offer.

Let us make sure we give children time to fully benefit from all the Montessori materials have to offer.  

BEAUTY

BEAUTY

Natural Beauty can be found in so many places.  Some are expected and others are very unexpected.

I enjoy discovering BEAUTY in unexpected places.  The picture  above is an example of beauty found in an unexpected place.  A few weeks ago weather conditions were 'just right' to create this beautiful frost accumulation all nearly every outdoor surface.  

I took this picture of a weed with feathery frost clinging to every little detail of the dry plant.  The sun shine that morning made the frost shine for all to see.

I feel so blessed to get to capture this beauty in a photo.  I share this beauty with you this morning.  I hope it brings you a little joy at the end of 2011.

I look forward to discovering more beauty in 2012!

MONTESSORI

The Montessori classroom is a great place to find BEAUTY.  We see it each day in the form of a smile, kind gesture, or their voices raised in song.

Children appreciate beauty with a pure, honest eye.  They see beauty in their own art project.  They get excited about learning a new song.  Children see beauty when they complete a difficult work.  They appreciate the beauty of simple things. 

I feel privileged to be able to witness the excitement on the faces of young children all year long.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Let It Snow

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow....

We have a "snow event" forecasted here today.  Three to five inches of snow could fall with rain coming first.  That is a recipe for dangerous roads.  I plan to stay close to home today.  Since it is Saturday, I have the choice to NOT go anywhere.


It is fortunate when we get this kind of weather on the weekend.  There are less people on the road, therefore less accidents.  


What do you do when you need to stay home because of bad weather?  Do you waste time being resentful, or do you 'make the best of it'?


I plan to spend the time at home to get a few things done that are easy to "put off".  I may organize a closet or two.  I will work of the quilt I started a month ago. I will try to enjoy my time at home and be glad I do not have to be out navigating the slippery streets.


MONTESSORI
How can we help children 'make the best' of  any situation?  We get lots of opportunities to help children learn to do this in many situations.  To really help children, we need to NOT rush in and solve problems.  We serve our students more when we help the children 'help themselves'.  


We daily find opportunities to do just this in the classroom:

• A pencil sharpener on the writing shelf is much better than sharpening a child's pencil each time it breaks or gets dull 
• children cleans up spills with a mop or sponge
• students in the Montessori classroom learn to problem solve from a very young age--we empower them as opposed to make them teacher dependent
• it is not unusual to hear this in our classrooms, "This is my work, please go choose your own work", from one child to another.  This is far superior to, "TEACHER, he's touching my puzzle!"  

Remember to watch for opportunities to empower children.  Look beyond the immediate issue to how  we want children to learn to live peacefully together. 

Holiday Season Begins

As this Holiday Season begins let us remember that often, less is more.


Think about this list:


Less stress        =    more fun
Less expensive  =    more people with gifts
Less shopping   =    more time with loved ones
Less eating        =    more healthy living


This is the time of year we look forward to and dread at the same time.  It takes extra thought and will power to partake in all the holidays have to offer and not "over indulge".


I think my family and I will have a "simple" Holiday Season this year.  We can still have fun, give gifts, go to parties, and welcome visitors.  With a little planning and thought we can make this time of year enjoyable without getting stressed out.


MONTESSORI


The children in our classrooms love the Holidays.  They look forward to presents, special foods, and singing songs of the season.  


We can make this time of year fun for them without being "over the top".  We can take the opportunity to give our children lessons on generosity, charity, and gratefulness in stead of greed and selfishness.


Incorporating lessons of generosity and charity is a good way to approach the Holidays.  Collecting canned foods to take to a food bank, making simple hand-made gifts for family members, and learning how other cultures celebrate are all good ways to put the right emphasis on very special time of year.

TO ONE AND ALL--HAPPY HOLIDAYS

THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL

These are the cranberries that became part of our families holiday feast.

    Cranberries are bright, tangy, and beautiful.  They add flavor and color to the meal.  It just would not be a proper Thanksgiving feast without this special condiment on the table.  


    I was blessed with a full house this Thanksgiving weekend.  We had time to cook together, eat special and delicious foods, visit with each other, watch small cousins play together, be with friends we see too infrequently, and bake the first cookies of the upcoming Christmas season.


    This is the time of year to think about what we are thankful for and contemplate what we have accomplished in 2011 as well as look to the future and think about what opportunities we will have in the coming year.  The weather often keeps us indoors more.  With less sunlight in each day we have more quite moments to think and hopefully be appreciative of our blessings.  


    I am truly blessed.  I am very thankful.  I look forward to what life has for me around the next corner.  


MONTESSORI


How are children like cranberries?


They are both small, full of flavor, and make life more interesting.


   I am thankful to work with young children.  They are not jaded yet.  They love to learn and are so eager to take part in my lessons.  Young children embrace life with enthusiasm that is contagious.  


   We need to plan our lessons.  We need prepare an inviting environment.  We need to care enough to do our job well.  But the audience we present our lessons too is ready and waiting to learn.  That is why I love what I do.


   Remember to be grateful, and appreciate the way children embrace life.

Head-Long into Life

This shows how I feel about my latest venture.

The girl in this Norman Rockwell painting has determination written all over her face. She is running 'head-long' to her art class, I assume, and she may be a little late.

This is how I describe how I feel about finishing something I started in 2003--my Master's Degree.

• I am determined to get it done--soon, I hope
• I am in a hurry to get started--Jan. if all goes well
• delayed BUT never too late

We all need determination when we face a challenge.  It helps us through the tough times and gives us what we need to rise to the difficult task in front of us.  Without determination we would wither and fade when facing the first bump in the road.

Sometimes a sense of urgency can get us off the 'slow track' and help us simply "get-er-done".  As long as we go 'head-long' into something that we have thoughtfully and carefully discerned to be what we are meant to be--or do--or become. 

• It is never to late to learn.  
• It is never to late to make a difference.  
• It is never to late to make positive changes to ones self or ones community.

  

• It is a waste of time to regret what we have not learned.
•  It is a waste of time and energy to complain about  our lives--whatever the complaint is
• It is a waste of time to worry about things we do not like about our life and community.

We must be willing to be part of the process of change, to reap the reward of that change.

MONTESSORI

• Determination
• Diving head-long into a project
• Sense of urgency

I often see 'determination' on the face of the children I am privileged to work with.  Whether it be to in learning a new song about Venezuela or to place the smallest cube on top of the Pink Tower, just so.  This is a beautiful thing to watch.  We give the children a safe, rich environment to bring that determination and accomplish amazing things.

Children frequently dive 'head-long' into a project and get consumed with finishing that task and accomplish so much more in the process.  Think about a child that finishes all of the Cube Chains.  He/she has counted, organized, laid out and put away, so much work, rugs, counters, number arrows, over several months time.  The child can be truly proud of work well done.

The sense of 'urgency' can be good and not so good.  If it come from the child and he/she is following that voice inside that tells us all when we need to "get-er-done, then that is the voice to listen to.  If the sense of urgency is an impatient parent or teacher, that can be a negative influence on the child's natural development and growth.  This is the delicate balance we contently have to maintain. 

But it is so rewarding and FUN to be a part of the kind of educational system that cares about the child at this basic and unchanging level.  

I am proud to be a Montessorian!

Quilted Hearts

Quilted Hearts

Quilted hearts. I made these Christmas ornaments to use in a charity event.  They will be mine to use after the event. Quilted hearts--it just made me think:

quilted hearts::what we all need

layers of fabric::layers of love

hand crafted::loving effort

secure stitches::security found in loved ones

creative designs::creativity feeds my soul

each one is unique::we are all unique

pretty::beauty is need in life

loop as a hanger::the circle of life

heart shape::two halves that fit perfectly together

The "::" symbol is used in word analogies. My children, who are adults not, are very good at these. One even won an award in elementary school for their analogy prowess. I will not clam to have gotten this exactly right, but I hope all my readers 'get' what I am trying to say.

"quilting is to our needs as our need are to quilting"

Something like that anyway

MONTESSORI

How do I relate this to the classroom.  Quite easily, if fact:r

We need to layer our lessons so to each each child's  learning style.

A gental hand is always better than heavy handed control.

children need and want a secure environment to grow and learn

We need to be creative to make our classroom fresh and inviting.

Each child, each teacher, each family, each school, is unique.  We need to concentrate on appreciating those differences--not trying to standardize the system.  Lots of different learning environments will work. Like parenting--there is only one wrong way to educate--that is--without care and love.

Beauty is a necessity--not an option.  We need the "arts" in our lives and in our classroom.  Lessons about famous artists, appreciation of music, artfully arranged work, and a pristinely clean classroom is beautiful and respectful to the children in our care.

We sit in a circle to share our stories and lessons. We teach the life cycle of animals and plants. We walk "around" each others work. Circles are definitely important in the classroom.

Heart shapes are se-metrical--the same on both sides [not the ones I made--or the organ-but the valentine kind].  Fairness is like that.  We need to have a classroom that is fair. We must create a culture of fairness.