Saturday March 29, 2008

Earth Hour is tonight!

We woke up to a chilly morning so we all sat up in the big bed to read books under the covers. I read "The Pokey Little Puppy' to them.

Dinosaurs! We started a "Little City Kids" program (week 1: Dinosaurs) and sat at the table after breakfast to do some Dinosaur work.

Hug: Colouring / cutting dinosaurs / looking at how the word is spelt. Sounding out the letters & tracing the word.

After his rest, I started reading him the Dalai Lama's book: " The transformed mind: Reflections on truth, love and hapiness" A bit heavy i know, but I feel like our lives are missing the essence of spirituality that religion offers and I think that I will endeavor to bring that element into all of our lives. He squirmed and wriggled and wanted to get up, but we did read a few pages & I might choose to read some to him at night when he is falling asleep. I think that the words will create a familiarity in his mind & plant the seeds of some powerful concepts.

In the afternoon Hug spontaneously set up a museum and gallery of things (birthday cards & artwork from his special box) & the boys spent hours playing with that idea.

Lovely: Free-colouring in of dinosaurs, and then we looked at 2 green dinosaur figures and found the matching colour pencil & talked about GREEN.

Then, the boys went outside to search for Dino fossils in the sandpit. Later we plan to go to Crystal Castle where they have a fossil to look at. Before that, however, we walked together to the local garage sales & bought a small fossilised squid from Morocco (I think) from our neighbours - what a timely find.

Mama A: Reading articles I printed out from the web last night... speaking about the preschool years being for character development, not intellectual refinement. Play. Experience. Shower them with love and affection and model respect and compassion and tolerance.

And while reading I had an interesting insight... I want to learn the Montessori teachings. I want to use the Pink Tower and discover words with the Moveable Alphabet and learn to play the Bells. Hmmmm, interesting... that is a truth. If my beautiful Hug isn't as inclined as I am (& I don't actually know that this is the case) then that is his path and should be his choice. I can supply my guidance (by providing him with the opportunity of a Montessori 3-6 education, for example) but then allow him to respond authentically - not because he feels pressured or wants to please me.

That feels big.

I am kind of realising that, eventually, I can try and provide my beautiful boys with the best quality education that is available to us... but that my role is in modelling grace and compassion and al the other virtues that I want them to be able to hold close to their hearts. To do this I need to strengthen my own spirituality and keep my mind clear so that my best intentions can be realised, instead of being clouded by impatience and irritation and chaos.

I also read something about parents who read enthusiastically about homeschooling and can't wait to start - so they do! They start before their child might be ready. They start because of their own needs and interests. But actually, the best idea is to slow down... You want to learn. You, the parent, want to gather knowledge - well, do! Read the classic novels. Learn about history and the world. Our own learning will filter like osmosis down to our children and enrich their lies too.

Enrich... I feel like that is the magic word. I don't want to be their teacher in a authoritarian way. I will always be their teacher (primarily in terms of how I model myself - something I want to become more conscious about) and, paradoxically, I will always be their student. So, I want to drop that aspect of "teacher" that I may have been selling & look at how I can ENRICH their lives.

Montessori: Today's thoughts about the BB Montessori school (a.k.a an everchanging rainbow of ideas!) - well, today. Today, I'm thinking that I'm not willing to expend the energy needed to start a school from scratch. Not willing because I want to save that energy for myself and my family. I want to save that energy for enriching my boys lives. But... I do want to learn more about Montessori & I do believe that there should & can be a Montessori school in our area. I think that the weekly meetings should maybe take a step back & start with philosophy. Learning & reading together. And then, over time, the energy might grow for the school. It means letting go of my hopes that there would a school for Hug (bet believe that he may not do as well as always being one of the biggest kids. He needs to have bigger kids to look up to) but maybe it will happen for Lovely-one or maybe it will even be later... Who knows?


Changing my responses: Since the night of Easter Saturday I have been actively trying to respond to the boys when they're fussing in a calm manner. Usually, easier said than done! LOL. But, actually, it feels good. Sometimes this is as dramatic as going still and closing my eyes and holding my hands together in a prayer! I am bringing a moment of calm to myself when I need it most. Taking a deep breath or 2 or 3 and then I can actually grasp some clarity - bring myself back into balance and respond with firm loving kindness.