Today was such a gorgeous day that we decided to take a break from moving and go outside for a couple of hours to begin work on our outdoor plans. Connor was really excited and decided to get himself dressed.
After convincing him to change his shoes, we got right down to work.
After a couple of hours of work, Connor decided to take a rest.
The morning was so enjoyable. It reminded me of what our days will be like when this move is over.
We have just under two weeks left to complete our move to our new home. I know that sounds like a lot of time but, as we are doing this with a newborn and Benn isn’t taking time of work, we need all the time we can get. I’m trying to pack during the day while looking after Sarah (Connor is with his grandparents), and Benn takes the packed boxes either to storage or our new home in the evenings.
I am really looking forward to being settled. At the moment there is little routine and I don’t function well without a routine. I miss doing activities with Connor (this is why there hasn’t been many posts recently), and I really want to start getting Sarah into a better routine. Although she is continuing to do well, there are days where it gets really difficult as Sarah is a bit colicky.
Nevertheless, I know we will get through this and things will be back to normal soon. In the meantime, below are some photos of Sarah. I cannot believe how quickly she is growing.
This is just a quick post to let you all know about the World eBook Fair. During the Fair you can download ebooks from a choice of over 2 million ebooks. Further details are provided below.
World eBook Fair Collection
Open Access to eBooks from 7/04/09 to 8/04/09.
Created by contributions from 100+ eLibraries from around the world, here are the largest collections.
Starting July 4th 2009 is the Fourth Annual World eBook Fair. Our goal is to provide Free access for a month to 2 Million eBooks.
| ..100,000+ ..500,000+ 1,385,000+ ..250,000+ ....17,000+ | from Project Gutenberg from The World Public Library from The Internet Archive from eBooks About Everything from IMSLP |
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| 2,252,000+ | Grand Total |
One of the things I am really looking forward to when living with my in-laws is having access to a backyard which I can use for various activities with Connor and Sarah. The backyard in our rental was huge, but I think it lacked that quality which made it interesting and attractive so children want to explore it. Luckily, my mother-in-law, who introduced me to Montessori, is a keen gardener, and has already started setting up the garden to make it child friendly for learning and exploration. We both agree that children need more than just outdoor time. They need wild places as so aptly described in the book The Geography of Childhood (The Concord Library) by Gary Nabham. This was also recognized by Rudolf Steiner, Maria Montessori, and Charlotte Mason.
Steiner encouraged children to be in the outdoor environment engaged in exploration and construction. He believed that great care must be taken to create an environment that is nourishing to the senses. Parents should therefore strive to create an outdoor area where order and beauty prevail. Play and learning should be based on nature and the natural rhythms and children should spend time outside daily except in the most inclement weather. A respect for the natural environment is taught through the children’s interactions with their environment.
Maria Montessori believed that children should be allowed to freely go in and out to a prepared environment. Also, the children should have the daily opportunity to experience the outdoors with structure and purpose. For example, the children might be engaged in landscaping and gardening activities, nature walks and nature observation, and environmental awareness and sensitivity education.
Like Steiner, Charlotte Mason advocated time spent outdoors daily, except in the most inclement weather. She also viewed nature study as essential as nature is a perfect learning environment. Learning occurs naturally out of the child’s innate sense of wonder of the world and their relationship to it.
Preparing an outdoor environment, with the above goals and principles in mind, requires the parent to be a facilitator, designer, and artist. The parent must set the stage where the children are inspired by the beauty surrounding them. This concept is very similar to the concept of strewing.
My mother-in-law and I have discussed and gathered several ideas for how we are going to prepare the backyard for Connor and Sarah. We came up with a list of elements which should be present in a natural outdoor environment for children. These include:
We are also going to provide natural objects such as shells and pinecones in buckets so that Connor and Sarah can integrate them into their play.
Specific areas which we are thinking of creating include:
Theme Gardens
Some of the theme gardens we have considered are the Fairy Garden, Butterfly Garden, Moonlight Garden, Edible Garden such as a Herb Garden, and a Storybook Garden.
The Fairy Garden, which is basically a miniature garden with added touches that give the appearance of fairies living in the garden, will be located at the foot of a tree with a door on the trunk of the tree. I adore the doors available from Hearthsong.
I also like the idea of Connor and Sarah building their own fairy houses. This idea, which I will be saving for the future for when Connor and Sarah are old enough, came from the website fairyhouses.com.
Another theme garden which we are considering is a Storybook Garden. There are examples of Storybook Gardens located at the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden website. I especially like the Peter Rabbit Garden located in the Treehouse Area. This theme garden can be combined with the Edible Garden Theme. Do this by growing plants which are mentioned in the Beatrix Potter books. There is a really good article on a Peter Rabbit Garden located at The Herb Companion. In this garden, herbs from Potter tales are arranged around statues of the animal characters.
Art Area
There is no reason why an art area cannot be located outside. Doing art outside means that we can do really messy art activities such as attaching butcher paper to a fence or wall and allowing the children to use spray bottles with diluted paint. We plan to install a chalkboard on to the side of the house, and provide a table and seats so that art activities can be done outside. I would also like to have a plexiglass easel such as the one shown in this post: Outdoor Painting on Plexiglass.
Animal Observation Stations
Children should be encouraged to watch, patiently and quietly, until they learn something of the habits and history of bee, ant, wasp, spider, hairy caterpillar, dragon-fly, and whatever of larger growth comes in their way.
(Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.57 )
To encourage Connor and Sarah in their observation of animal life, we are going to prepare several animal observation stations. The stations include a bird watching station, a frog observation station, and easily accessible materials such as a magnifying glass for observing random animals such as insects or lizards.
An Observant Child should be put in the way of Things worth Observing.
(Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.69)
Gardening is an activity that can be enjoyed at any age. For children, there are few things they enjoy more than digging in the soil and making mud pies. Young children can take part in gardening by preparing the soil. Just provide them with a child-sized spade and have them dig the spoil so it’s ready for seed sowing. Another good gardening activity for young children is watering the plants. Connor has enjoyed watering plants since around 18 months of age. So, another area which we will create for Connor and Sarah is a small plot (possibly in an appropriate container) where they can practice their gardening skills. By having their own area, they can take ownership of the garden.
For a really comprehensive resource on children and gardening, be sure to check out kidsgardening.com.
Online Resources
Montessori Matching Cards - Animal Patterns
Includes 10 animals for matching with 10 skin or fur patterns. Only $2.95
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