Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Hug's Fish Shop

After a lazy day where we sat on the pier at a local dock and ate chocolate covered frozen banana's in the sunshine (heaven!) we looked at the fishing boats & wandered into the fisherman's co-op.

Hug & I chose to buy some Tuna & Atlantic Salmon to cook for dinner that night & when we got home & during his rest time (we have a mandatory hour of "rest time" each day - Lovely still sleeps sometimes & looks through books when he doesn't & Hug can play quietly - & I get to regroup & save my sanity ;) he set up a fish shop.

I love that he must have been clocking everything when we were in the co-op; he had a selection of 'fish' on display & the wooden scales & an abacus for the register & white paper to wrap our orders in. The fish were made of different coloured papers (scrunched, I think, to give them 'form') which had an interesting variety of names which he'd invented.

This is an interesting converging of Montessori & Steiner theory me-thinks. Obviously, the experience of visiting the place was really stimulating to Hug on many levels (a very Montessori hands-on experience & stirring of curiosity) & then - seeing that we weren't able to head off on a trawler or start serving customers at the co-op - he came home & converted that information into a play situation where he could *experience* that role for himself.

I'd like to think about ways to "follow the child" & offer him extensions to this role-playing, be it in the form of learning some of the names of the different fish (we looked at a poster of the fish in the co-op) or taking him back to speak to some of the fishermen. What else might you suggest? {Edit: That's a rhetorical question really - just asking it made me realise how little he likes me to organise any activities around his learning. He likes to be in control! }

This is classic Hug. When his interest is grabbed he absorbs information on really interesting levels & spins off into Hug-tangents. Maybe that's all kids! but being my biggest it's fascinating to watch. I still haven't really worked out how to harvest this interest & work with him in a typical Montessori way with the ease that I find I can with Lovely & I think that's his age & the combination of our personalities...



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5 comments :

  1. This could go in many different ways! If it is the fish he is interested in then visiting the fishermen and learning about the fish would be good. Parts of a fish and lifecycle work would be good. Also some artwork - once you have looked at a fish and seen the scales - use a magnifying glass, they're fascinating.

    If it is the shop side he is interested in then making money or using money for his till so you can buy fish and get real change is fun.

    On the literacy side of things, making signs, reading books, going to a fish dock and reading all the signs around, making labels for his shop, labeling the parts of the fish - there is tons more!

    Hope this helps!

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  2. Sorry I can't help you on this..:) my little one is only 22 months old (and I do remind him always to take as long time as he needs to grow up - no hurry:).
    Instead, may I ask you something? My son is very much into role playing right now. Even without taking his play onto Montessori path, it is always reality based. Actually, this is my "problem". I am wondering where I should put the limits. He doesn't talk yet, so even though he knows what "pretend like" means, he still prefers to play with real things. For instance, if he is about drinking a tea, he want to fill the glass with the tea. My husband just made him a beautiful wooden play kitchen, but I am not sure if we should get it him. I am quite sure he will want to make there the real pasta, or make dishes with the real water.
    I will appreciate your thoughts on that...:) Thanks, Miri

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  3. Chocolate covered frozen banana's? Can you explain? Do you make them yourself or buy them? I would love to try them.

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  4. Hi again!
    I just posted a query on my blog (in English this time) about the imaginative play. It will be lovely if you drop by..:)
    http://mychilddiary.blogspot.com/2009/07/imaginative-play-how.html
    Thanks, Miri

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  5. Hi Annicles :) Thanks for all of the ideas!

    MCD - I'm going over to look at your blog now... I think it sounds like your munchkin is in fabulous Montessori mode! I'm sure that there are many things that you can allow him to do - Lovely likes to have a sip of tea so when I make a pot I'll let him know when it's really cooled down & he can pour some for himself. If you're doing lots of Practical Life activities with him them you will be feeding his hunger for the real & then if you do give him the play kitchen you will be able to observe how he might 'process' him PL knowledge when he is by himself. That's just my thoughts :)

    MM - Chocolate covered frozen bananas are soooo good! I did buy them - from a fruit shop - but they'd be easy to make. Peel some bananas & push an icecream stick into one end of each banana. Dip the bananas in melted chocolate & pop in the freezer on waxed paper. Yum! Let me know if you make some, I was thinking about making them for one of the boy's birthdays this year :)

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