tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890159205524669861.post5685648600961654559..comments2024-03-15T07:37:37.649-04:00Comments on Grace and Green Pastures: Montessori Our Way Part 1: Our School RoutineBess Wuertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15857762989347193766noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890159205524669861.post-56701588959963004902015-05-17T14:20:56.384-04:002015-05-17T14:20:56.384-04:00First, I'll point out that this was our plan 3...First, I'll point out that this was our plan 3+ years ago. My oldest was 4 and my littlest was along for the ride. :-) I would say that back then, 4-5 per day was probably close most days. But keep in mind that I was using a different program at the time and only focusing on one child. Most of the early primary presentations are very short - especially in the program we were using. Many of the science works in particular were stacked so 2 presentations would simply be a main presentation with an extension - meaning I could cover 2 presentation in 10 minutes or less. So 4-5 lessons could easily take well under an hour - or even 30 minutes. And given how new everything was, my daughter would easily ask for that many. I also think this partly depends on how normalized the child is as well. In the beginning, everything is new so there are few choices. Presentation may need to be repeated as well. A child who has been in the environment longer will need less.<br />With that said, I have seen how it shifts and changes over the years. Simply having two children in primary has changed things drastically. And now that I have two in primary and one in elementary, all bets are off! And of course, things change and shift as primary progresses. The works that once required short introductions have been exchanged for long and drawn out math exercises and the like. <br />We have also drastically changed our core. Initially, we used a program that focused on a great number of presentations. It certainly has its advantages but I felt I had to move quickly if we were going to cover it all. And for my type A personality, it added stress that caused me to compromise my ideals. I now use something that is very simple, which has been a great fit for me. It requires far less planning and has allowed me to relax and let things happen more organically. And wow, I've grown a lot from it. Granted, there are still days where I may give 5+ presentations to one child. Sometimes they just can't enough of something. But there are also days where I may only give one or even none at all. It really is a balance and unfortunately, so much of it is learning to feel the rhythm of the room. It's truly a journey.<br />I hope something in that answer is helpful. Essentially this is what I did many years ago. This is not what I am doing today.Bess Wuertzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15857762989347193766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890159205524669861.post-78025414799162544042015-04-27T13:51:09.934-04:002015-04-27T13:51:09.934-04:00I added up all the lessons you're preparing fo...I added up all the lessons you're preparing for each week. Do you really present 4-5 brand new activities every single day? And if so, how do you manage to fit all of this into a 3 hour work cycle, not including circle time and still allow time for the children for self-chosen activity? I find the more I plan to present, the less time my child has to do their own discovery. I'm just tying to wrap my brain around all of this :) teapothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12800888898771741380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890159205524669861.post-50333200902840952642013-09-21T18:50:23.639-04:002013-09-21T18:50:23.639-04:00I'm re-reading this and want to thank you for ...I'm re-reading this and want to thank you for laying it out!Extraordinary Ordinary Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01232777722945061624noreply@blogger.com