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SuzanneG
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| Posted: May 24 2007 at 9:59am | IP Logged
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Angel wrote:
Any ideas about how to go about organizing the organizing? (Time management, anyone? Sequences?)
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Here's my "sequence". This WILL take me all summer, as we're travelling a bit.
1. Move everything to a "secure area". For me, a room in the basement. (it's all in bins/baskets right now) (done)
2. Take everything out, where I can see it.
3. Take inventory and write down.
4. Make list of anything additional that I want to make or things that need to be fixed.
5. Find containers or storage "something" to house the items with lotsa pieces.
6. Separate items into large bins that I will rotate on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
7. Set up a shelf for the "current" items to live when they are being used upstairs. (done, but I need to figure out where I'm going to keep this to keep 15-month-old away from it.
I am having 2 teenage sisters come in once a week this summer, so I can get some of these big projects done. If this doesn't pan out, I'd probably do it for 30 minutes several nights right after dinner when dh is in town, while he's getting everyone ready for bed. OR, spend 30 minutes a night after everyone goes to sleep.
THIRTY minutes for big projects that can be set up in 'secure' areas is always my time limit. And I do set a timer. Otherwise, I'd keep doing it til it was done, but then my nightly routine would get neglected and it would be even more chaotic the next day.  
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Suzanne in ID
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Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Meredith
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| Posted: May 26 2007 at 9:38am | IP Logged
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SuzanneG wrote:
1. Move everything to a "secure area". For me, a room in the basement. (it's all in bins/baskets right now) (done)
2. Take everything out, where I can see it.
3. Take inventory and write down.
4. Make list of anything additional that I want to make or things that need to be fixed.
5. Find containers or storage "something" to house the items with lotsa pieces.
6. Separate items into large bins that I will rotate on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
7. Set up a shelf for the "current" items to live when they are being used upstairs. (done, but I need to figure out where I'm going to keep this to keep 15-month-old away from it.
I am having 2 teenage sisters come in once a week this summer, so I can get some of these big projects done. If this doesn't pan out, I'd probably do it for 30 minutes several nights right after dinner when dh is in town, while he's getting everyone ready for bed. OR, spend 30 minutes a night after everyone goes to sleep.
THIRTY minutes for big projects that can be set up in 'secure' areas is always my time limit. And I do set a timer. Otherwise, I'd keep doing it til it was done, but then my nightly routine would get neglected and it would be even more chaotic the next day. |
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This sounds great Suzanne, I'm going to use your list as a springboard  I especially like your idea of writing it all down as a reminder for what you have on hand. I can *see* this when I look at all my books in my library, but when it comes to Montessori, so many items are stored (hopefully in an organzied way here by the end of the summer  ) and I'll just have to look at my list of what I've got and when it's good to bring it out and present it!!
Blessings!
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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Maryan
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| Posted: May 26 2007 at 12:39pm | IP Logged
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Great ideas here! I think an end of June carnival sounds good to me -- will give Cheryl enough time with her new gardens!!
I hope to find my camera to participate -- but I know I'll love seeing everyone else's ideas!
ETA: I'm sure a lot of us our in organization mode too -- maybe we can do a June and August carnival. A Before and After of organizing our stuff. Or maybe if we see an idea in June that we try to imitate, we can "flatter" the source by showing in August how we tried to implement their idea.
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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Mackfam
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| Posted: May 26 2007 at 7:04pm | IP Logged
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Oh how exciting - I'd love a carnival in June. Hope we're ready. I've been pouring through all the sites you guys have listed here - they've been so helpful. I'm a little frustrated though. I printed out all my nomenclature cards  but I can't find any more laminating sheets from Wallyworld  . Nothing worse than wanting to laminate and being forced to wait. Can you tell I'm impatient? I have one more local source to check before I have to pull out the big guns - GOOGLE!
Here are my goals:
1. I set as a goal to read through all my online material by next week. I printed off so many great blog posts and info from experienced Mont. teachers suggesting particular things for particular ages that are their favorites. Helps to narrow things down.
2. Then I'm going to make my own list from various books/sources with skills I think the kids really need to work on.
3. Then, a final list of the materials I need to either buy or make from home stuff.
4. Order supplies and organize learning areas
5. Set up rotation zone in big hall closet for materials that are not currently being used.
6. Spend some time working on a generic observation sheet based on the great info from another thread on how best to observe children's work that allows me to track progress from the goals I set in step #2
Can't wait for the carnival Meredith - keep us posted on the date. I'm flexible!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Meredith
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 10:12am | IP Logged
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Your ideas sound great Jennifer! I love the idea of your rotation closet and observation sheet. If you are happy with it perhaps you could link the doc for us as others may find it useful too! I do this for my older two children, but haven't yet for Montessori, makes total sense
Blessings in your endeavors!
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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Mackfam
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 11:09am | IP Logged
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Meredith wrote:
If you are happy with it perhaps you could link the doc for us as others may find it useful too! I do this for my older two children, but haven't yet for Montessori, makes total sense
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Yes! It's still a work in progress though. At first I just wanted a simple sheet, but now, as I have been reading, I'm visualizing more. I'd like to incorporate the three period lesson onto the observation sheet. I'd like a place to list vocabulary, particularly for a series of nomenclature cards. In addition to general observations, I'd like a place to list potential rabbit trails - art projects, subjects to investigate more, books on the shelf to read that will help round out the subject matter, a movie or history channel/discovery channel special, art projects. In short, I'm still looking into this. I'm not a strict Montessorian, I find it next to impossible in a home with small children - so the observation sheet will probably be a lot Montessori, a lot Real Learning, KWIM? I'll come back here though and let you know when I blog it.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Meredith
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 12:34pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
| I'd like to incorporate the three period lesson onto the observation sheet. I'd like a place to list vocabulary, particularly for a series of nomenclature cards. In addition to general observations, I'd like a place to list potential rabbit trails - art projects, subjects to investigate more, books on the shelf to read that will help round out the subject matter, a movie or history channel/discovery channel special, art projects. In short, I'm still looking into this. |
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I like the way you are thinking about all this, it's very helpful to visualize it all and to write it down, lest we (Meaning ME)forget 
Mackfam wrote:
| I'm not a strict Montessorian, I find it next to impossible in a home with small children - so the observation sheet will probably be a lot Montessori, a lot Real Learning, KWIM? I'll come back here though and let you know when I blog it. |
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I am right there with you!! We couldn't ever be total Montessori at home IMHO either. It's just a little tweaking here and there for us as well!!
Thanks for more great ideas!!
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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Angel
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| Posted: June 03 2007 at 3:21pm | IP Logged
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Ok, I have a dilemma. I have these cabinets in my dining room. One of them is supposed to be a china cabinet, and the other is supposed to be dedicated to homeschooling (montessori). They're actual dining room furniture.
The problem is I can't find any cabinet locks that will work with the doors. The doors won't shut with the standard locks. And front strap lock might work, but it's adhesive mount and I think the adhesive might not come off like they say it will. Not sure I want to ruin my furniture like that.
We've already tried open shelves, and it was pretty much a disaster. The twins were into everything. They're a little older now and I was going to try bringing the Pink Tower out for them. But I still have materials I want to put out that I don't want them to use as weapons or eat. I have a very small media cabinet that I could use and lock (right now it's full of books) for chokable stuff, but it's not very much space.
Any opinions? Would you take a chance on putting out some materials if you knew that 2 20 month olds were lurking about? I guess I'd also be able to use the china cabinet now, too, because we certainly can't put anything breakable in the bottom cabinets if we can't lock it.
This is what is so frustrating to me. I get set to do something, and it doesn't work. I try something else, and that doesn't work. I keep trying things -- and spending money on them -- and I'm back to where I started, questioning whether or not it's even possible for us to incorporate Montessori into our homeschool. I don't want to blame everything on the twins, but ARGH.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Meredith
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| Posted: June 03 2007 at 3:41pm | IP Logged
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Oh Angela, I can sure feel for you and I only have ONE little terrorizer I'm really trying not to let this get me down on what I want to be able to do as well, as it can get so frustrating sometimes Is it possible to have just the pink tower out to start, or the Pink Tower and another item so they could each have their own work for what ever period of time you set??
We are having to do lots of things when the littlest is napping for peace of mind, but I can fully relate to your display and storage issues as well. I'm not sure I would want to put the straps on your nice furniture, is it an option for you to pick up some of the shelves that Jennifer is using and then your media cabinet can hold the "no touch/no see" items?? I know that's not much of a suggestion, but I imagine it'll be a fairly short amount of time before your little guys will be better about staying out of the cabinets???
Anyone else
Blessings and definately don not stress on this too much, please!
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Meredith
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 03 2007 at 4:14pm | IP Logged
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Ok, here is what I do for my tiny terror: he has three things on the lower shelves that are his to use,and about 5 things lines up on the fireplace hearth. These are all things that will not break and he can get them any time he wants.
For his more delicate things with multiple parts I have a long shelf in the hall way, way up high (about 5 feet up) with all of the things lined up. Visible, but not touchable. He has no problem letting me know when he wants something from there (point and scream ) but in order to get it he has to sit at the table to play with it. The minute he gets down, the toy goes back on the high shelf. I also have little boxes of activities for when he is in his high chair which I keep in a high kitchen cabinet.
Can you use the bottom part of your china cabinet for things like blocks? Can the pink tower be brought out in the morning and put away before lunch? I know my boy is most destructive in the afternoons.
I think the toddler is the most challenging part of the whole deal. Two at once? God bless you!
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Theresa
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 03 2007 at 4:26pm | IP Logged
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Oh Angela - I so feel for you. Like Meredith, I've only got one 2yo to juggle around - and that's sometimes tough.
One of my highest priorities this summer has been to clean out a closet we have under the stairs to use as a rotation zone. My 2yo was emptying everything off the shelves, and with new stuff coming in, I knew I only wanted a VERY limited amount of materials out at once. Iwanted to be in charge of what was available.
I second Meredith. How about letting your twins have access to the dining room cabinet and keep maybe 2 of your nicer materials out for them, and maybe a couple of picture books in there.
Then rotate things out of your dining room cabinet every couple of weeks. If you make an extensive inventory list of your materials cataloging everything, you could use that as a sort of checklist to make sure you don't forget (like I would) what materials you have set out, and which haven't seen the light of day. Keep the older kids stuff up high.
Here is my rotation zone closet. There is still plenty of room for more
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 03 2007 at 9:48pm | IP Logged
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Your closet is awesome! I only wish I had one! I do have a big old armoire that I am gradualy cleaning out and organizing. Hopefully it will do.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Angel
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| Posted: June 04 2007 at 3:40pm | IP Logged
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Your closet is really nice, Jennifer.  Right now I am using portions of 4 different closets to hold the Montessori materials, various baskets, trays, and kits. We have a room that used to be a bathroom but is now used as sort of a closet -- the previous owners took out the toilet and the sink, but there aren't any shelves or anything in it, so its usefulness is sort of limited until I go in and clean up all the piled up junk and put shelves in. 
Anyway, dh found a way to install locks on the cabinets that work, sort of. The doors don't close all the way, which looks a little funny. But they are locked. I left one cabinet without locks and today (in desperation, I should probably add, as I was trying to read aloud to the older kids)I got out the Pink Tower to show the babies. They *loved* it. In fact, they loved it so much I had to get out the Brown Stair, too, because they were trying to fight over it. One of the babies ("Pop" on my blog) stacked, unstacked, and carried the blocks for at least 45 minutes. I was very pleased.
I did make a discovery, though... I will need more materials out than I originally thought, just because I have to have different materials for each twin plus the 4 yo, who wants to do what the twins are doing. Otherwise, they'll all try to work together, and the primary materials aren't really designed for 3 kids to work on at the same time.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Cheryl
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| Posted: June 04 2007 at 7:43pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
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What a great line. Jennifer your closet looks great. I should take a picture of my closet and post it. It will probably make Angela feel better.
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Montessori Organization
