Cooking with the boys is such a joy and such an easy time to put Montessori theories into practice. It's usually something I do with one boy at a time so the boy gets my full attention. It gives me a chance to tune into my boy and help him develop his independence and confidence. For Wolf at 6 years old cooking is about quality time with me and practising new skills. We're making bacon and eggs for lunch... He gets out a big plate by himself and puts the jug on top. He can't reach the eggs in the fridge so I get them down for him. He counts the eggs and cracks them into the jug. He can't handle the 3 litre bottle of milk so I pour the milk for him. He mixes the eggs. I don't let Wolf work at the stove when it's on. He usually sits on the bench and watches while I do the most dangerous parts of the cooking. Once the stove is off Wolf stands on a stool so he's at a good working height. He uses a small pair of tongs to serve the hot bacon. He's good at remembering not to touch the hot pan and he's coordinated enough to do this safely. Yummo!! He scrapes his plate when he's finished... ... and packs it in the dishwasher. Fox is 8 years old and for him cooking is about creativity and freedom!! He loves to cook things he can make independently from start to finish and he loves to prepare food for other people. He is confident with knives, the microwave, milk frother, citrus juicer and blender and I know that he can use these safely. If he checks with me first he is allowed to get them out and use them independently. His favourite things to make at the moment are stewed apples, orange juice... ... and fancy hot chocolates. Fox always needs to be reminded to tidy up and complains loudly about having to do this. Bear is 10 years old, he is very serious when cooking and will only join me if I ask him to. He is learning some of the more complicated and dangerous skills with my supervision and help. He can ignite the burners on the stove. He still uses a stool to reach the stove safely. We use the back burners and make sure the handles are turned to the sides. I give him instructions and he follows them one step at a time. The things Bear loves about cooking is getting to taste all the ingredients, getting to learn the dangerous skills and getting to play his favourite music. "Montessori believed that children should be able to do everything they are capable of. She believed it is the teacher's responsibility to increase each child's competence whenever possible." Cooking opens up so many opportunities for fun and closeness and learning. I hope you're having some fun in the kitchen too!
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There is still not much Montessori in Dubbo. If you Google "Dubbo" and "Montessori" my blog still comes up first. Which is a bit sad because I'm really the blind leading the blind here. There must be other families who do Montessori at home but I haven't found them. If you're out there please send me an email or leave a comment - I'd love to meet you! We rely on the internet and books for information and inspiration. So we're off to the Macquarie Regional Library... There were a couple of Montessori books on the shelf. I've chosen "Montessori for Every Family" by Tim Seldin and Lorna McGrath and "Theories of Childhood" by Carol Gardhart Mooney. The boys all love to read about Minecraft at the moment. The Minecraft world is big and intricate and they love learning about it. They know where the library's Minecraft section is and there is a lot of choice for them. We don't go to the library very often. We're not very good at returning books on time and we're deterred by the fines! We usually prefer to find books at op shops or buy our own copy of the books we're really wanting to read. However we are good at not losing our library books. The boys keep their library books on their "homework" shelf when they're not reading them. Alright... time to learn something new! Have you read any helpful Montessori books for parenting 6-10 year old boys?
I started this blog 10 years ago with an introduction to my first born son - my little Bear - the one who inspired me to start a blog. Today I'd like to update that introduction for 2024. Now I have three big boys! I'd like to introduce you to Bear, Fox and Wolf - the inspiration for picking this blog back up. My oldest is Bear. He is 10 years old and he is steadfast, thoughtful and loyal. He was a very difficult baby and toddler and my struggle to understand him and meet his needs lead me to Montessori. . My middle child is Fox and he is 8 years old. He is adventurous, creative and vibrant. He has been both very sweet and very surprising since he was a little baby. He is very different to Bear and much more like his father. Finally Wolf is 6 years old. He is my sincere, funny and charming boy. A very social little boy who gets along with everyone and fits in everywhere.
It's been a pleasure lately to rediscover this blog. There are some special moments captured here that have been lovely to look back on and to share with the boys. There are a few things I didn't realise at the time when I was writing that I understand now. Blogging helped me understand and organise my thoughts about my parenting challenges. It helped me focus on growth and successes rather than frustrations and disappointments. And I didn't realise at the time how many other mums were quietly following along. I can't remember why I stopped blogging. Now that I look back at these memories I wish that there were more of them written down. I wish there wasn't such a long pause. So I'm going to start again. Welcome back! |
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My name is Vicky and I have 3 boys - Bear (10), Fox (8) and Wolf (6). Somehow I stumbled across Montessori and now my goal is to raise and educate my children with a Montessori approach in Dubbo. Archives
April 2024
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