Montessori Education at Home?

Perhaps I'm crazy.  Perhaps.

I'm seriously considering doing a trial of homeschooling for Montessori preschool.  Do you think I'm crazy yet? I found what looks, reads and reviews to be a pretty perfect "Montessori in a box" curriculum and I'm seriously considering doing it.  I already have the play area set up like a Montessori classroom, I just need to add a reading corner, a calendar and probably another bookshelf for just Montessori teaching tools/activities.  I think it would be really fun, the girls would thrive and it would save us quite a bit of tuition money for our own pocket every month.

I think we do plenty of things outside the home with other children, we have playgroup, dance class, I have them registered for quite a few classes with the City, I would love to get them into gymnastics and perhaps do the Mom and Me classes at the local Waldorf school once a week. Plus we have nice things here at home, pool, garden, park, Woolly, toys, etc. 

With those positive things mentioned, I am concerned about a few others like teaching writing and reading.  I think I have the phonics part understood and can implement that, but taking those extra steps to do the earlier two concern me a bit.  However, as I was mowing the lawn today, it dawned on me that I have two sister in laws who are teachers and a mother in law who was not only a teacher, but a kindergarten teacher and a reading teacher.  So if I get really stumped I have them for resources.  Plus, if the reading thing gets even more difficult, we could camp out at Granny's house for a couple weeks to get extra help every day.  And my major bonus is Brian.  He seriously is a genius and thinks of things in ways that I don't.  So I know if I have trouble with the math sections or science stuff he will have great ideas and be able to interpret the curriculum. 

I think it would be fun and a challenge for me, which would be heaven right now.  Being a SAHM is great and tiring and wonderful and exhausting, but not very challenging, besides learning to maintain your patience.  This would definitely give me something to think about and plan daily. 

With all that, please give me your thoughts...am I crazy?  If you had the time, would you do it?  If you're a teacher, have you had kids in your class who went through Montessori?  If so, are they more accelerated than children who went to mainstream preschool?  How about home schooled children?  Do you notice any difference with them?  Thank you very much.  (It's OK to burst my bubble, I need opinions!) 

Pro & Con of Naps

Ahhh, yes.  Naps are a wonderful thing.  Hailey still naps everyday from about 11:30am-3 or 4pm.   She's a growing girl.  Paige on the other hand has given up naps for about 10 months now.  Much to my displeasure.  It's really hard for her to have them with her preschool schedule being on Tues and Thurs in the afternoon.  But there are a couple days in the week when I can get her to go down.  Today was one of them.  So this is a pro.  However, the con is that bedtime didn't start til 7:30pm tonight, which normally starts between 6:45 and 7pm, and lasted til 9pm.  Usually they are both asleep by 7:45 or 8pm.  But they were in such good moods tonight and playing so nicely together that I had to let them play.  But, I'm TIRED!  Here's a few pics of post bath and pre bed. 

Snuggles with Dada while watching Kipper.

Preparing for story time. Paige is feigning sleep. 

Then the giggles started.

Finally ready for story time.

Moved into Hailey's room for bed and they got out the
babies, ribbons and baby stroller shaped like a horse.

Recital pictures

Paige had her dance rectial pictures today at the dance studio.  She needed to be in full costume.  When we got there it was a studio full of moms and dancers.  Some moms a bit agitated becuase they were running behind and others not too excited about anything.  It was interesting to see the different personalities.  I think all the dancers were having fun and very excited for thier recital. 

Ringlettes in her hair

Not wanting to pose

Getting ready for pics

Ready to go in! 

Cinderella Ballet

We took the girls to the Cinderella Ballet put on by a local dance company and done at the Chandler Center for Performing Arts yesterday.  They were both excited to go and did really well sitting through the show.  At the last scene they both got a bit antsy and were sitting on the steps in the isle, but other than than that, they did great.  Paige said her favorite part was the red tutus at the ball.  It was mine too! 

Walking in with Dada

Giving tickets to enter

A REAL tutu!

Sitting in their seats so nicely. 

Diapers

This is an indication of how long we've been buying diapers....almost 4 years.  I had some size 4 left over from Paige that I've been putting Hailey in, which have Zebras on them.  I bought a new box (Hoping it's one of the last that I purchase!) of size 4 and they now have cats on them.  The copyright for the zebra says 2007 and the cats says 2011.  Hailey has started potty training and is doing really well.  We just need a week stint of stay at home days and I know she'll get it.  She already asks for panties instead of diapers and actually wore a pair to the yogurt shop the other day despite my protests to put on a diaper.  She did great.  No accidents.  I just thought it was funny that they had changed the animal in the few years of us buying diapers. 

Peacocks

Last Saturday, Brian had the Baby TV station on for the girls while they ate lunch.  They had a really good segment about peacocks on at the time.  Paige was really taken with them and their feathers.  She was pretending to be a peacock all afternoon.  We were pleasantly surprised (or more like shocked at the coincidence) when we saw a coop of them at Schnepf Farms when we were riding the train.  Of course, when we got off the train we "wagoned" them over to the coop for a look.  Paige loved them.  They had 4 males and 1 female.  They really are pretty birds and these appeared very healthy.  They even had an egg in their nest.  Very cool thing for Paige to be able to correlate.  She and Hailey played Mama and Baby Peacock today with Paige being the mama and Hailey being the baby.  Super cute. 

The egg

Mother's Day 2012

For Mother's Day I got to do my favorite thing...go to a farm to pick some sort of food.  This time it was peaches!  We went to Schnepf Farms again this year, and what a stark difference from last year.  I think thy finally figured out that moms like to do this sort of thing so they had a huge festival with vendors, breakfast, rides, etc.  It was really nice, but really HOT.  Despite getting there by 10am, it was still in the upper 90's.  I had a ton of fun and I know the girls did too.  Hope to make it a yearly tradition forever. 

Dada pulling his girls through the parking lot

Gotta pose in front of the farm sign



Entering the orchard



Waiting for the train

Opening my present...a Magic Bullet!

Care for a peach?

 



This one is Brian's favorite



This one is my favorite



Running around like crazy girls

 

Driving the Car

Brian washed his car tonight and as every little girl knows, when that happens, you get to go for a ride.  It's probably even more fun for this generation because they got to go sans car seat. 



Here they are both driving


This is Hailey the Safety Girl, sitting nicely in the seat.




















Here's Paige, the Dare Queen hanging out the side of the car.

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week marks Teacher Appreciation Week.  I have several teacher friends who insist that silly handmade gifts are really NOT wanted.  Instead, they want gift cards.  Yes, I agree.  But this single income family gave homemade strawberry jam to Mrs. Hamilton and her aide, Miss Jessica.  Hope they like it!  We really do appreciate them.  :) 

Wagon

The girls received this wagon from Santa at Christmas 2010.  This is them in it about January 2011. 

Here they are today.  My, they grow so fast. 

(They dressed themselves this afternoon.  Can you tell?!)

Painting Toes

The girls love to have thier toe nails painted.  I needed to do mine the other morning and they promptly followed me into the bathroom and sat down, pointed thier toes towards me and were ready to have them painted.  Brian snuck this pic in. I LOVE HAVING GIRLS!

Duck Dress

Wearing the duck dress at age almost 4 years!

Yesterday, Paige, who was supposed to be napping, came downstairs wearing this dress that Nanny made for her 1st Birthday Party.  She walks up to me, smiles and says, "I'm cute."  How can I be upset with her for not napping when she really does look cute and says something like that?! 

Paige and her 1st Birthday Party wearing the duck dress

"The Three Bean Opera"

Paige made her stage debut today!  She was a Village Girl in her school's play, "The Three Bean Opera."  It's basically the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. It was really well organized, all the teachers and staff handled the children perfectly on stage and each child performed wonderfully!  It was amazing to watch about 75 kiddos under the age of 5 behave so well and perform on a stage.  It was at a local high school so the stage was quite big and the auditorium huge!  They did great.  My mom, Brian, Hailey and I all went.  My mom made Paige's costume which was a dress she already had covered by a white pinafore my mom made with a cute T-scarf for her head.  She even made Hailey a scarf so they could play later.  It was a great morning and Paige revealed she really liked being on stage singing and performing.  Hmmm.... :)

Paige dressed in her costume

The Stage before performance

Paige entering the stage (Mrs Hamilton, her teacher is wearing black)

All the students on stage

The beanstalk growing

The main characters being applauded



The 4 teachers of the school standing on the right

My mom took this pic of us leaving the auditorium.