my child understands empathy

Last week the Alliston community lost a young talent soul to a train accident. The Blue Frog, where I work, hosted a memorial/band night for him and hundreds of his friends showed up to proclaim their love for him.

I was planning to send Kade to my parents house so I could work overtime but I wanted him close to me. I want to cherish every last moment I have with him and a lose like this one really brings that home. Alex came home early from work and brought him along. I want my child to be exposed to both life and death. To learn that every moment is worth living to its fullest because you never know when it will be your last.

Some would say that a child Kade's age (almost 4) would be to young to understand such things but he would have proved them all wrong last Friday night. Not only was he genuinely upset about the lose of a young man that he never knew but he could empathized with my lose. He held me tight while I cried and wiped my tears.

Kade has always been a sensitive kid but it is moments like that that I know that my child is on a wonderful journey and I'm glad that Montessori School and Rachel Coleman are their to guide him forward.

One more quick note: I aspire to be the type of parent who can rejoice my child's life. Who can "not sweat the small stuff" and allow my child to be everything I know he can be. This lose has taught me so much about the type of parent I want to be. Watching parents mourn their only child with such control and composer has shown me that parenting is more about the life you give your child then the one you want for them. That if you give your child the love they deserve everyday then they will love others and they will live on in others! It's all about love!

Rest in Peace, Patrick!

What a great weekend!

Yes we had a wonderful long weekend and I am truly sorry to be heading to bed and putting it behind us.

Not only did we enjoy hanging out and being together as a family but we also got a lot of work done around the house and got to visit with some lovely people.

On Saturday, Kade's dad Alex decided to climb one of the trees over at The Montessori Family School next door and remove some of the big branches. Alex is an arborist and has been keeping an eye on the trees at school. Finally he had some time to climb it and make some more light for the family garden.

It is wonderful to have such great neighbors! Not only do we have them as Kade's teachers but their daughter is one of Kade's closest friends.

On Sunday we went to a garden center just out side of town and ran into one of Kade's class mates mom! Kade was super excited about seeing her and letting her know all the fun things we did over the weekend.

And today we got to spend time with our favorite Becky's and their wonderful families. We are truly blessed to have not one but two lovely ladies named Becky in our lives and got to see them both today. Jose, Becky, and Tim came to visit and got to the park (and out let mall...thanks for helping me find shoes Becky M) this morning and we met Becky, Zackary and Aiden this evening for dinner.

Busy busy weekend! But much love to go around!

This week, special day with the grandparents, work, Beeton Bee Festival, how Montessori has changed my sons eating habits and so much more! Looking forward to filling you in!

The turkeys go to school!

Today was a special day at the Montessori school....the turkeys came to visit!

Rachel, Kade's teacher, asked my parents (Nunnie and Nonnu) to bring in their baby turkeys that I posted about last week. Kade was really excited to have his grandparents visit and teach his classmates about this new little friends.

My mom thought up a little game for the kids where they each got a color for their wrist and one for the turkey....so they were like little friends. Then they tried to feed the turkeys. They loved that, saying "my turkey is eating from my hand!" So cute.
Below are some more pictures of Kade with the turkeys!

Mexico!

This week at school Kade is learning about Mexico, which is kinda funny because one of my co-workers in leaving to go on vacation in Mexico tomorrow.

It's great that they learn about different cultures and get to become aware of how different people live. So far they have learned about the food and clothing of Mexico, or so Kade tells me.

Yesterday we went shopping for our snack support item, a papaya! I had never bought a papaya before (I'm not a big fan of tropical fruit but Kade is) and it turned out to be a little adventure (mostly because we couldn't find the paper plates that Rachel needed).

I quickly looked up cultural learning in one of the Montessori books my mother-in-law gave called "How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way" by Tim Seldin and here's what he has to say.

"Introducing our children to different cultures helps cultivate their sense of wonder and curiosity as well as dispelling prejudice" (P. 52)

"All of humanity is part of a global family. We share the same needs, and have more things in common then divide us. The differences among us stem from our different cultural ways of meeting these same needs...There is no educational objective more important than to bring our children into full membership of the human family" (P. 52)

I couldn't agree more with both the quotes I provided above! We want to teach our children to embrace different cultures not belittle them. We want them to ask questions about what they don't know or understand not make assumptions. And I am so glad that my son is exposed to such lessons because even though I would love to be the one to teach him, I know I don't have the time to do so.

In his book, Mr. Seldin also provides information about how to teach your children about different cultures in your own home. Here are some of his suggestions, paraphrased by me...

-admit to your child that you are also learning about different cultures and may not be able to answer all of their questions. Be sure to inform yourself about the culture, getting books at your local library and talking to people you know who have visited or lived in the culture you are learning about.

-be engaged yourself, explore along with your child, and be sure that all the information you provide your child is authentic and accurate.

-always speak with respect about the cultures you are learning about! Your child can pick up on your feelings about the lessons.

If you're interested in learning more about Montessori school Mr. Seldin's book is a wonderful starting point. Kade likes the pictures and I enjoy all the good information!

Thanks for reading my blog! I'm really enjoying writing it!

Turkeys!

Today we went to my parents house for Mother's day and to visit with the new turkeys! Needless to say Kade was really excited and wanted to play with them. You can see in the picture above that Kade gave the turkeys all the things he made for them on Mother's Day.
In the picture's below you can see Kade gently playing with them. I was amazed at how good he is with them and how he can calm himself down when he starts to get worked up. Enjoy!

Bike riding with Grandma!

Today was a PA Day at Kade's School so he went yesterday after school to stay at Grandma's house. He has only stayed at Grandma's one other time but he loves it!

They went swimming twice which is a special treat for Kade because Alliston doesn't have an indoor swimming pool so we haven't gone much since last summer. Then they went to get a new bike for him to ride at Grandmas. This is the first time he's really rode a bike that has training wheels but she says he is doing well with it. (See picture above)

Kade's dad wasn't feeling well today so he didn't go to work and was able to pick him up this afternoon. Naturally Kade fell asleep in the car so he is a little bit grumpy now but he had a good day and loves his grandma.

The kettle is ready and we are going to have some family tea.....next post will have the turkeys I promise!

Mother's Day Tea!

Today I went to Kade's School for Mother's Day Tea!

It was so cute!

When I got there he took my scarf and bag and showed me into the class room. Then he served me tea and our snack which was a strawberry short cake with whipped cream and coconut! When I was done he took all our dishes away and cleaned our places.
Then he showed me his pieces of work. He wanted to make stuff for the turkeys my dad is getting this week so he did work that has paper so he can put it in with them.

First he did cutting a line. Then he did the metal insets, where you trace the inside of the metal inset and then draw straight lines inside. He sent me home with a whole bunch of work for the turkeys.
While I was there and Kade was showing me his work, he broke a glass jar! It was an accident but he was quick to admit it and tell Rachel that there was tidying up to be done that wasn't safe for him to do. It is great to know that my child is in an environment where his mistakes are used as a time to teach him lessons about slowing down his actions instead of a punishment!

When it was time to leave he gave me a plant with a pot that he decorated and a card that said

"Dear Mommy,
I love you because you make my breakfasts so yummy and you bring flowers for me.
Love Kade"

These simple gifts speak volumes about Montessori Education. There is a strong emphases on learning about nature and making it a part of children everyday lives. But also, each child is given plenty of one on one time, enough that their teacher can sit with each of them and write a card to each parent. And the baking! Love that!

Observation at the Montessori Family School

Every few months Rachel has times where people can come and observe the goings on at the school. I went last year to see if I thought the school would be a good fit for Kade and I was so impressed!

The kids who I saw everyday playing and yelling and jumping around in the play yard were calm and focused in the classroom. They waited their turns to talk and started and stopped lessons as they saw fit. Their teacher gave them respect and allowed them as much of her attention as they needed without neglecting the other students.

Oh, and the materials! Everything is wood and clean and so organized! Such a lovely experience and now I can visualize everyday while I'm busy at work.

Anyways, here are the dates and times for this month observation.

May 11, 18, and 25 from 9:20 to 10:30.
Please contact Rachel if your interested in sitting in!

a note on color.

Today Kade came home very excited about a new lesson he learned in school... Stamping!

My son loves art. His Grandma is a professional artiest and at the mere age of 9 months he painted his first painting. Needless to say, he comes home several times a week with big beautiful paintings. They are all lovely and he must keep them all (Kade is also a pack rat but more on that another day).

From what I understand, art is a very important part of Montessori Education (or at least at Kade's School) and they are exposed to it on a regular basis. Some times it is as simple as classic Canadian art displayed in the class room or matching cards with original art work on them.

From the research I did in the handful of books I still need to go through, I found that learning about color, as well as the actual act of making art, is an very important lesson. Kade has been talking a lot about color the last few months and often asks his dad and I "if you put this color and this color together, what does it make?"

By giving children only the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) to work with and letting them explore the many colors they can mix for them self, you are teaching your child the science of color. It is easy to think that the more colors you give your child to work with, the more fun they will have, but they are able to create their own fun by creating their own colors.

Also, by allowing your child to explore with color you are teaching them that there are many different shades to the same colors we see every day. How great is that!

Montessori School breaths life into your child's ability to think and grow. It gives them the tools to learn but doesn't hold back on their learning. It is so exciting to see my little person excel in so many ways but also to know that he will always be supported and encouraged to be unique and question.

Check back later in the week when I let you know how my mothers day tea goes....I will take pictures, promise!