Taigh Beag Sgoil ~ Home Education

I’m learning a bit more about the Montessori Method and I like it.  I’ve also been introduced to Waldorf, Classical, and soon will be borrowing Charlotte Mason.  They’re all intriguing and a mother could go nuts wondering which one is best for her child.  I’m not worried about that.  I take what I like and can apply with my littles and off I go. 

I’m finding home education for my children extremely rewarding for myself.  I’m more relaxed.  I enjoy seeing my children explore and discover.  I also love the creativity it affords me!  I love coming up with lesson ideas.  Last night I decided that next week I’ll let my son cut and paste a collage (he’ll be learning the letter C).  I’m eager to see what he comes up with.  Will he cut and paste at random?  Or will he select pictures?  Will he butcher with his scissors?  Or will he carefully cut out what he wants?  Will he be bored quickly?  Or will he fill up the paper?

My 16 month old daughter is picking up on things, too.  She’s more interested in scribbling and less interested in eating the crayons.  When son and I are at the table, she wants to join in.  Today, she carefully concentrated on the sewing card I let her try.  I showed her how it works and she absorbed herself in figuring out the fine motor skill of poking the thread into the premade holes.  I wanted to keep butting in, but I held  back and was amazed at how she tried different methods of holding the thread to find  the best way to put it through the hole.

I’m fairly bursting with ideas!

Books. Comfortable Books.

I’ve been organizing and cleaning the little area in the basement that’ll be used as the main school room for homeschooling.  As part of my organization, I had to go through the piles of books I had on these shelves and get the arranged.  Many of them are very old from the early 20th century to the 1950′s with at least one from the 1870′s.  I have even more books in the living room and dining room that’ll be used for homeschooling.  Many of them are antiques. 

I love that in decades past there were so many readers.  In today’s schools everything is so visual.  Back in one room schoolhouses, they used readers.  I have readers that just cover reading.  I have readers that cover science, history, creative thought, art, health, gardening and even math (which is charmingly called arithmatic in these books).  I have readers that are gender specific.

Personally, I’m thankful for a couple of books that address grammar.  My grammar isn’t what it could be for it was briefly covered by a lovely older teacher who fought against a system that dismissed the basics.

The classical education system encourages reading as much as possible.  I plan on doing just that along with plenty of hands-on fun.