My youngest, She Who Talks Mightily is 5 years old. It’s amazing to me to think that if she had gone to school she would already be near the end of her Reception year and heading for year 1.
Almost as soon as she started learning I noticed she did best with tactile objects and that she tends to think in pictures. This is shown through her many drawings which are pretty good, and tell lots of interesting and, odd stories.
I did buy a couple of Montessori things back then and I have used them, sort of. But the whole business of getting them out, making the lessons and organising a hands on activity instead of having her so the the same stuff her older siblings did, just went out of the window. It was so much easier to have her do the same as they did, because it’s what I’m used to. I was already having to shift gears in approach thanks to my health problems so I let Heleyna’s learning needs slide a bit.
The fact is, Heleyna has her own way of learning and she needs a more Montessori type approach. Making her do things the way the others did things is frustrating both of us. It just isn’t working.
I should have done what I planned to do in the beginning. So now we are starting again and I will be investing in more Montessori stuff as soon as I can budget for it.
Thankfully being home educated means Heleyna can have an education that best suits the way she learns – as soon as her mother gets her act together – and that adapting to her needs will not impinge on the learning needs of the others.
Thinking Love, No Twaddle 