Concentrated, Content and Capable Practical Life Work |
Sometimes, I chide
myself for not being “more Montessori”.
Other times, I reflect and realize that it is not the materials or even
the exact work presented that make a home Montessori-inspired, but rather the
philosophy. Then, I stop lambasting
myself.
Even if our home
is not as prepared an environment as it could be, it is one that fosters key elements of character that
more traditional Montessori environments aid children in developing:
- freedom
- independence
- industry
- a sense of reality
- an atmosphere of cooperation
- and, to a growing degree, concentration and self-discipline in our children.
For all its faults, our
home is a place of opportunity where our children can be (and often are) joyful.
We model learning for
our children and guide them as needed on an individual basis, allowing them to
work at their own paces and encouraging them to fulfill their own potential. We try to instill habits and skills in them
that will remain for a lifetime, and, although we value academic prowess, we value self-discipline, self-mastery and
love of learning even more. That,
and love of God and others!
As I look back at the past few weeks, I recall many moments that may not have looked traditionally
Montessori, but were routed in our experience with incorporating Montessori
principles into our home and home education. The one pictured at the beginning of this
post was one of those.
Daddy went to work feeling cruddy and congested. I told the children he could use some soup to
make him feel better when he got home.
Before I knew it, three skilled
helpers were chopping mushrooms, broccoli, celery and more to make a
produce-packed get well soup for Daddy.
And, since Daddy likes his meat, we even added some previously cooked
and frozen chicken breast on top of the crock pot to defrost and then chop and
mix in.
Yum! |
It was practical life at its
best... And, the soup worked! Not only Daddy felt better the next day after having healthy servings of the soup, but even our pickiest eater willingly swallowed some of his handiwork.
How do Practical Life and Real
Life come together in your home?
Want to be inspired with others' Montessori ideas an work? Click on over to Montessori Monday and enjoy.
4 comments:
Your kids are really growing up! I love that your blog is set up to easily navigate to compare photos to past ones. This is the best work! I don't think you can find this soup on anyones' shelves. Great job Mom! Keep up with the practical life activities, I can clearly see your kids really enjoy meaningful work. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the encouragement. I often think my blog needs a total makeover, so I appreciate the comment about it being easy to navigate. I also needed a "great job" today. So double thanks. And, nope, that soup could not even be made again here, b/c it was all about what we had in the house on a morning when we knew Daddy needed soup that night.
I love this, Martianne! It's so true that following Montessori philosophy is the most important. What a great example of Montessori in action ... both the work and the attitudes are wonderful!
Thanks so much for linking up with Montessori Monday. I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow. (I think your blog is easy to navigate, too!)
Thank you, Deb. We try to live by the philosophy, even as we struggle with truly making our home Montessori in look as well as feel
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