Summer at Home: Part 4 - Another Perspective…
Bring Montessori home this summer without bringing home the school!
A series leading up to summer
I began this series in early May with some main principles of the Montessori philosophy and some simple steps that you can do to start your Montessori summer at home. If you missed that post go back and check it out now.
Life is in the Details…
Have you ever noticed how you are walking with your child - having an easy conversation with your child and all of a sudden they stop and point out the teeny-tiniest little ant in the crack of the sidewalk, or how they will notice a bug that isn’t even moving on the window in a room they just enter, or one tiny rock (a treasure rock) in a pile of sand on a huge playground.
Dr. Montessori observed this phenomenon in children over a hundred years ago and it is still a key piece of early childhood that amazes me. Maybe its because they are so close to the ground- they can see the ant in the crack, or maybe they are terrified of bugs and always notice to avoid being “jump” scared by one in a room or maybe they just spend so much time close to the ground with time to spend digging for “treasure”
A different perspective
Have you thought about the world through the eyes of your child??….Or have you ever sat down and studied the world from knee high?
As an adult in the world - nearly everything is our height… those we see everyday, the things we see, the things we touch, all placed just for us… Imagine the world were a giant lives- We are the giant. We are the ones in control and have the word at our ready.
How can we view the world differently? Try these scenarios:
Sit on the floor in the kitchen and observe.
Lay down alone in your child’s bed and observe.
Sit down and have your partner stand on a chair amd make a command or request to you.
Try to communicate with another adult using minimal words.
As you try each of these scenarios stop and pause. What were you thinking? What were you feeling? What were you decided?
