Every school I know boasts a very filled and interesting daily schedule and although my "establishment" is attended by only two students (hey: excellent teacher-student ratio! :)), I felt compelled to create one as well. For the school year of 2013-2014, Sorting Sprinkles' focus will shift from "Preschooler Adrian" to "Toddler Zahavah" who will be 2.75 years old in September and the schedule will of course reflect that. Most of the schedule you will see below is mostly written for Zahavah as her big brother will only join us only in the late afternoons (we chose to enroll him into a full-time German Montessori-inspired Kindergarten next year but will "homeschool" him when he comes home if he has energy and interest)
 |
| Prague Astronomical Clock, Czech Rep. A beautiful timepiece I got to see in 2007 |
Montessori Daily Rhythm & Schedule 2013-2014
9:00 "Circle Time" : To include our "Good Morning" song, other songs related to our theme of the week, possible finger plays, stories linking to our thematic, a "weather report" done by Zahavah, an update on our classroom news and change of calendar as well as the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Demonstrations of new materials as needed shall also take place during this time. (Please see my note on circle time at the bottom)
9:15 Self-directed Montessori work : To include Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, Science, Arts & Culture. This year again, my "teachings" will be featuring one mini-unit per week. The themes have already been chosen and can be seen in an earlier post.
10:00 Refreshments & Snacks are available (Zahavah can choose to eat now or keep on working if she wishes; I would not for the world interrupt her work cycle.)
11:00 Outdoors Time : To include walks, playground visits, backyard games, tricycle riding, cooperative sports, etc.) In case of inclement weather, we'll rely on our improvised indoors gym (mini trampoline, tunnel, cones, balance strips, etc) as well as yoga and stretching to keep these young muscles healthy.
12:00 Lunch is Served: This period is also an excellent time for informal Grace & Courtesy practices with an emphasis on good manners and some everyday Practical Life applications (washing hands, setting the table, cleaning up after the meal is done, etc.)
13:00 : Quiet time and open-ended activities: Time for a rest if needed (as of today, it is still needed). When naps will not be needed anymore, tray-free activities will be available: Reading will be encouraged, along with arts (think drawing, modeling with dough, and such). This time will also be used for board game playing, small "field trips", outdoors time, and "cooking time" (helping mama in preparing part of the upcoming dinner). This period of the day will be theme-free, and "un-planned" (but still somewhat organized and thought of as few toys will be making an appearance) to foster some creativity and independence. It will also be exclusively done in French. I'm sure I'll enlighten you more on our delightful afternoons later! :)
14:30 Adrian is now ready to be picked up at the local German Montessori-Inspired Kindergarten. Upon his return, it's snack time for everyone.
15:00 Self-Directed Montessori work for Adrian. Zahavah being a "Toddler", I will not, this year, offer her another work period at this time. She would not, after all, be in a Primary House if she would attend a Montessori School but would rather be attending with the younger crowd. Instead, Zahavah will pursue Free Play in The Playroom. Depending on Adrian's degree of tiredness (he will be attending German Kindergartden full-time after all), he may opt to do only a bit of work, a full two hours or no work at all. Knowing him and his love of learning, he will want to do at least a little bit every day but I am really unsure whether he will use the entire time in a profitable manner. I'll see and adjust accordingly. Self-directed Montessori work for Adrian to include mostly Language, Math and Science this year as our time will be limited. On days when this two hour work period is not being used to its full extent, I shall suggest some outdoors time or free play for everyone if the weather is inclement. There's nothing like free play to build imagination and encourage cooperation. Every Friday, self-directed Montessori work will also be cancelled for Adrian and replaced for Art Appreciation or Music Appreciation with baby sister Zahavah. More on that in a future post...
17:00 End of the School Day for Everyone
You might have noted that a total of two hours is devoted to Montessori work in the morning. I consciously chose to set aside two uninterrupted work hours for Zahavah instead of wedging in between them some outdoors time. The reason for that is simple: I found that Z will choose very different activities depending on the time she has. If she knows we will be leaving "after her nap" and it's morning time, she knows she has plenty of time to complete something much more complex and usually chooses a big puzzle or builds "a castle" with wooden blocks and enjoys it for a long time after and feels accomplished and proud. If I tell her we'll be leaving after snack time and we've just brushed our teeth (it gives her about 45 minutes) she usually wanders around, picks up a book, puts it down, picks up a marker, colors a bit, claims to be done, etc. She just tries to keep busy...Overall, school time is "work time", not "busy time". :)
A note on "circle time": Obviously, in the mornings, only Zahavah will be in attendance, therefore, a "circle" it will not be. I also wanted to indicate that I debated for a while whether to include a circle time or not as I do not really like the concept. I do not believe Montessori herself would have either honestly. It is indeed quite unnatural to pull children away from potential discoveries per her ideology. I can only imagine what Z will think of me asking her to sit down while she eyes the trays full of "goodies". I still decided to include it on our daily schedule because of the structure it provides (routine) but also because time is needed to demonstrate how to use certain materials without constantly interrupting the work of my girl. To make it as Montessori-friendly as possible, I will try to have circle time as child-led as possible. I also made a conscious decision to have this time at the beginning of our day so it would not interrupt a work cycle later like I've seen in some Montessori schools.
That's it. Any thoughts? Does your homeschool have a schedule or do you just go with the flow? Send me your input; I'd love to hear from you!
12:00 Lunch is Served: This period is also an excellent time for informal Grace & Courtesy practices with an emphasis on good manners and some everyday Practical Life applications (washing hands, setting the table, cleaning up after the meal is done, etc.)
13:00 : Quiet time and open-ended activities: Time for a rest if needed (as of today, it is still needed). When naps will not be needed anymore, tray-free activities will be available: Reading will be encouraged, along with arts (think drawing, modeling with dough, and such). This time will also be used for board game playing, small "field trips", outdoors time, and "cooking time" (helping mama in preparing part of the upcoming dinner). This period of the day will be theme-free, and "un-planned" (but still somewhat organized and thought of as few toys will be making an appearance) to foster some creativity and independence. It will also be exclusively done in French. I'm sure I'll enlighten you more on our delightful afternoons later! :)
14:30 Adrian is now ready to be picked up at the local German Montessori-Inspired Kindergarten. Upon his return, it's snack time for everyone.
15:00 Self-Directed Montessori work for Adrian. Zahavah being a "Toddler", I will not, this year, offer her another work period at this time. She would not, after all, be in a Primary House if she would attend a Montessori School but would rather be attending with the younger crowd. Instead, Zahavah will pursue Free Play in The Playroom. Depending on Adrian's degree of tiredness (he will be attending German Kindergartden full-time after all), he may opt to do only a bit of work, a full two hours or no work at all. Knowing him and his love of learning, he will want to do at least a little bit every day but I am really unsure whether he will use the entire time in a profitable manner. I'll see and adjust accordingly. Self-directed Montessori work for Adrian to include mostly Language, Math and Science this year as our time will be limited. On days when this two hour work period is not being used to its full extent, I shall suggest some outdoors time or free play for everyone if the weather is inclement. There's nothing like free play to build imagination and encourage cooperation. Every Friday, self-directed Montessori work will also be cancelled for Adrian and replaced for Art Appreciation or Music Appreciation with baby sister Zahavah. More on that in a future post...
17:00 End of the School Day for Everyone
* * *
* * *
A note on "circle time": Obviously, in the mornings, only Zahavah will be in attendance, therefore, a "circle" it will not be. I also wanted to indicate that I debated for a while whether to include a circle time or not as I do not really like the concept. I do not believe Montessori herself would have either honestly. It is indeed quite unnatural to pull children away from potential discoveries per her ideology. I can only imagine what Z will think of me asking her to sit down while she eyes the trays full of "goodies". I still decided to include it on our daily schedule because of the structure it provides (routine) but also because time is needed to demonstrate how to use certain materials without constantly interrupting the work of my girl. To make it as Montessori-friendly as possible, I will try to have circle time as child-led as possible. I also made a conscious decision to have this time at the beginning of our day so it would not interrupt a work cycle later like I've seen in some Montessori schools.
That's it. Any thoughts? Does your homeschool have a schedule or do you just go with the flow? Send me your input; I'd love to hear from you!
* * *
Your comments make my day !
(Please note : comments won't be visible until after my approval!)
(Please note : comments won't be visible until after my approval!)
* * *
Today, I'm happily linking up to
Montessori Monday, The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Thursday Toddler & Preschool, Tuesday Tots, Preschool Corner &5K, Money Savings Monday, Serenity Saturday, Virtual Montessori Sharing Fair, and We Made That.
If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!
I really enjoyed reading about rhythm. It sounds very peaceful and inviting. I have always been very interested in Montessori practices but my son's diagnosis and needs have not been very compatible with the ideology and it has been more of a strain than anything. We do what we can but are also contemplating trying him in a Montessori class room that is not home. He is not self directed, lacks curiosity and motivation to discover and does not do anything independently. I say this as positively as I can but at least others to have seen it so I am not alone! Good luck to you and I hope to read more!
ReplyDeleteWhile I am unsure what your son's diagnosis and daily needs are, the Montessori method has worked wonders on children with various learning disorders and medical diagnosis. Know that in your home you can choose to adapt the method to suit your child for example. I'm sure he would love all the learning activities we have going on here but may need more encouragement and help for example. I will tell you that I talk a lot more than they do in a regular Montessori classroom in my home and am a lot more "present" too. :) You know your son better than anyone. Try and adjust. Montessori is very hands on and sensorial which usually more helpful than traditional instruction. :)
DeleteI couldn't help but read all of the comments on this wonderful post. Sorting Sprinkles is SUCH a great blog to read and enjoy. After reading this comment, I just wanted to share that I have three special needs kiddos, with varying abilities and disabilities. We've had to adapt or change some things in regards to the original Montessori Method, however, in general it has worked FABULOUS for my kiddos. Feel free to check us out at http://everystarisdifferent.blogspot.com. I would love to help or offer ideas if you ever wanted them. Special needs kiddos can be hard, but I have found such joy and satisfaction as they've progressed so far using this method.
DeleteThis was extremely helpful for me to read. My kids have been attending full-time preschool while I have been finishing grad school, but now that I have graduated (just yesterday, in fact!) I will have them home with me more and I want to incorporate more Montessori work into our daily routine. I love to see how you are doing this because I am new to Montessori and still learning about how to best use it in our home. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYay! Congrats on graduating from Grad School Katie! More Montessori with your kids this year? This sounds great. Most children find the method very appealing so I'm sure your kids will enjoy it. I'm glad the schedule was helpful. I tried to create a somewhat traditional Montessori schedule for toddlers/preschoolers. Let me know how this works for you guys! :)
DeleteI liked reading your thoughts about circle time and appreciate your decision to have it at the start of the day.
ReplyDeleteThank you Shannon! It's a personal decision and I know some people may not agree with it but I stand by my position. :)
DeleteThis is very helpful, so thank you! I just recently began researching Montessori inspired activities and the method itself. I enjoy reading and seeing others in action, which always helps to clarify certain parts I was unsure about and give ideas on what we should be incorporating. Your site is such an amazing resource!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tara! There are so many great blogs out there using the method so your comment is truly appreciated. I love Montessori-inspired activities at home. I find it truly beneficial in several aspects and highly recommend it. If anything, I wish I had followed the method more closely with my son but when I first started, I only wanted to incorporate elements of the theory and over time, realized I should have "done it all". LOL Oh well...
DeleteThanks so much for sharing. This week it's my goal to create a schedule for all four kiddos ages 18 months to 6, at least for the summer. Since three of the kiddos are older, I sometimes find it difficult to incorporate my 18 month old. This was nice!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment (and for guiding my other reader to your blog in case she wants to see how you adapt and do things). I'd love to see your schedule. Working with children in such a wide age range will not be easy but when you've got to do it, you find ways to make it work. Montessori being hands-on and focused on fostering independence, I feel like it gives us a bigger chance to make it happen thankfully. :)
DeleteAlways interesting to get to see how others organize their days =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up to TGIF! I hope to see you linked up again later today.
Have a great weekend,
Beth =)
I know. I look too! Inspiration is everywhere. :) I do read your series of posts written by other moms and their daily homeschooling lives too. :)
DeleteThis is exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you so much for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcomed! Glad you found it and that it was helpful! :)
DeleteHi, I am planning to become s Montessori teacher myself and I have been doing a lot of research regarding the same and I came across your blog. I am very much enjoying it. I am changing my kids room to a montessori classroom because I am very passionate about the Montessori philosophy and strongly believe in it. I have incorporated a lot of montessori related activities. This daily schedule gives me an idea on how to start.
ReplyDeleteAre there any alernatives available for teaching the concepts if pink tower, the decimal system?? I feel its a little expensive. Thank you.
There are alternatives to everything! Lots of parents chose to make the materials themselves for example and save lots of money. Most Montessori materials are very expensive. The pink tower when one comes to think of it, is simply a block tower. We're just trying to see if kids can assess which is the next block in the tower. It's all about visual discrimination. It could be any color. It should be just one color though otherwise, it could be confusing but in many schools these days, it's just plain wood. For the decimal system, a lot of people have decided to buy beads and wire and make themselves. Others have decided to buy cheaper versions sold on eBay. The decimal system is necessary in a classroom but you could make your own system. No beads? Maybe you have lots of something else that can be attached together! Good luck!
Delete