4Real Forums: Montessori "Going Out"

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Topic: Montessori "Going Out"

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SeaStar
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Posted: July 19 2012 at 11:50am \| IP Logged

I have been reading a bit lately about Montessori in the upper elementary years, and I was intrigued to read about the "going out" privileges that students enjoy.

Basically, these students gradually earn the privilege of going out by themselves from the classroom into the school in general, then to the school grounds, then to the community at large. These trips are conducted when they need more material or information to complete projects they are working on.

For example, students might plan a trip to a science museum to learn more about a topic. They plan the trip- cost, route, transportation, etc. They may or may not have an adult go with them. Their teacher reviews their plans with them before they go. Montessori believed that having all these life skills- planning, going out into the world, etc- was essential for the education of the students.

So... isn't that what we are doing as homeschoolers? We are taking our kids out into the world. We expect them to behave when they go. We plan trips together and learn from them. We are not expecting them to sit in a room all day with other kids all the same age. We are encouraging them to meet and learn from all types of people.

Montessori education has always intrigued me. I love so much of it- yet at the same time I have often felt discouraged that the materials can be so expensive and require me to learn presentations before I can introduce them to my kids. Sometimes I don't have time to figure out something like the binomial cube so I can present it to my kids in a pure Montessori way. Heck, I don't even own a binomial cube.

So, I find this "going out" idea very encouraging. I'm already doing this. Hooray! I don't have to watch a Youtube video on presentation before I plan a trip with my kids to an art museum. I am still able, in my own small way, to keep the Montessori spirit alive.

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CatholicMommy
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Posted: July 19 2012 at 1:52pm \| IP Logged

And those Goings Out (which should start in lower elementary as well) also include things like noticing that the class pet food is running low; let's get out the phone book, look up pet supply stores; make some phone calls to find the best options for the particular animal and food options; now plan that trip to get the food; where will the money come from; who will be responsible for the money; paying for the item; sales/coupons/etc.

It sounds like a lot, and the first time through it IS for any child. But my son now (at 8) can plan these sort of trips with relative ease.

As homeschoolers, whenever we do our errands, we try to group things together; my son pulls out the map and helps to plan our route; I'll point where there might be bad traffic at particular times or where there is construction (and he finds an alternate route).

So the Going Out happens naturally, but we do have to consciously involve our children - and allow them to initiate some of the outings as well.

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Marcia
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Posted: July 19 2012 at 3:11pm \| IP Logged

I too love this concept. And I love letting the kids lead through it. When my oldest was interested in the dust bowl, I let her find a person in our church who had lived in OK during that time and she scheduled a visit to this ladies house to learn more.

Recently another child couldn't make scones as we were out of milk...so she came to me asking if she could walk to the grocery store with her younger brother for support (7yo) and buy milk. It was a great learning experience for them. (and one for me too...as I learn to trust them).

I have several children asking if we can make a visit to the post office and see what happens behind the desk. This is a good reminder for me to have them make the calls....and set up the field trip. :)

In our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium we had an outing for the oldest children to a local synogague. The kids set it up and had a great time since they were the ones asking the questions and getting the answers they wanted to hear.

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Marcia
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Homeschooling 10th, 7th, 5th, 2nd, PreK and a toddler in tow.

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SeaStar
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Posted: July 20 2012 at 6:57am \| IP Logged

I think I am really going to take this idea to heart and try to implement it more. You've both given me some good ideas about how to go about this.
Even things like checking admission prices- so easy to do on line- are a good look at the real world.

I'm trying to figure out what else from the upper elementary years I can in corporate into our schooling. I read that the kids keep a notebook of all they have done- just record what they are doing daily and weekly.

I can't decide if this would be overkill for us- I am right here and know exactly what they are doing all day

- or if it would be good practice for them. My ds particularly dislikes busy work, and I know he would see this as busywork. Hmm.....

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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)

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CatholicMommy
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Posted: July 20 2012 at 7:31am \| IP Logged

We keep the work journal - again not specifically upper elementary (all school ages 1st grade and up should do some form of it). And it *really* helps with accountability, memory, keeping order... and this is having a (some days detailed) to-do list already. Some days we even do something akin to a workbasket.

But in the journal, he simply lists what he has just completed. He can take his own notes on it (such as list a follow-up to do and when "what type of bread eaten in Kansas in 1900 - library - Friday" is a recent example).

You can choose how detailed you want it; some journals require the starting time and ending time (so they have to write down what they are just now starting and the time - I would do this if I felt like time is being wasted; or we'll likely do it for a week or so at a time as he gets older just so he can see how that works (he may have to do something like in high school to use towards credit hours... I've had to do something similar for a nanny job I had... so the work journals are definitely real-life skills)).

Detailed work journals are also akin to keeping a spending diary for budgeting purposes.

So if you do a work journal, you might want to find a good "angle" to present it, so it's not busy-work. Perhaps just "we are going to be more specifically accountable for our time" if that will work for your son. Or "soon you will be working more independently and we'll need to have a record of what you have done each day, so we're starting now to have good habits." (this last one gets my son every time - he likes "practicing" for when he is older ;) ).

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