Friday, October 30, 2009

Canadianisms - Snakes and Ladders


Ok, so I am from Canada.  I live in the States.  I've been here for about 12 years (and counting) and I still have these moments where I make a comment, and every one in the room stops and stares at me, like I have two heads.

I call them Canadianisms.  And they still happen to me.  You'd think I'd have sorted them all out by now, but apparently not.

So a few weeks ago, when we had our first Family Game Night, I suggested that we play Snakes and Ladders.  DaddyDew gave me this odd look.  I know that look.  It's the Canadianism look.

Turns out, Snakes and Ladders was never in the States.  A little online research (thank goodness for the internet!) revealed that Snakes and Ladders was originally from England.  Well, there you go.  It constantly amazes me how things from England are prolific in Canada but never cross the border into the States.

So the Wikipedia article was actually rather fascinating on this particular topic.  The game hails from India and was actually a game based on morality.  Each ladder represented a virtue, and each snake a vice.  The same concept carries through today - apparently if you look closely at the board, there are good behaviours at the bottom of the ladders, with the children or characters enjoying the rewards of such behaviours at the top of the ladders.  And the reverse for the snakes (chutes) ... bad behaviours at the top of the snake and the consequences at the bottom.

Who knew it was that designed?  And who knew that Snakes & Ladders was Canadian? (well, British ... but ...)  Now I need to send my mother out to find a game ... just for memory's sake.

Family Time - Game Night with Dora Chutes & Ladders


We're trying to start playing games.  We need to learn about taking turns, winning and losing, and just spending a few minutes together.  I figure it's never too early to start ... and if we don't try, we'll never figure it out.

So tonight was our second attempt at Chutes and Ladders.  And we did better!

Last time we only got to about square 30 before  it was game over.  We needed octopus arm extensions to keep the game moving, keep the kids off the board, and keep hands off of the playing piece (the little Dora figurines are way tempting!)

Tonight we got to square 50!  And we probably could have gone further, but it was getting very squirmy and we decided to cut it off while it was still a good experience.  Dew2 won, we celebrated that, and Dew1 was very happy for him.  I was pleased to see it.  Amazingly, we got both boys to square 45 before someone hit either a chute or a ladder!  So the game was actually longer than it seemed.  And it was longer than last time - progress is being made, even if it took both adults to wrangle both kids.

The weird thing for me is that I grew up with Snakes and Ladders.  But that's another post.

Giveaways - 5M4M ArchiQuest blocks from Kobold Toys


When I saw these building blocks on 5 Minutes For Moms Giveaways, I knew we were in trouble.  They are Archiquest Blocks from Kobold Toys and they are are SO cool!  They have sets that cover the major architectural influences of the world - Egypt, China, Rome, Medieval Europe, and the Byzantine. 

The Dews just might need them all :-)  Someday.

But I'm going to try to win them a set from 5 Minutes for Moms Giveaways.  It's a pretty cool site, if you haven't checked it out already.

Matching - Halloween Mix and Match Creatures


I found these cute Mix and Match Creatures on Family Fun's website.  They have some really cute printables, and this one caught my eye.  I want to say that another blog led me to their site if not this specific activity, but I can't remember exactly (sorry!)

I printed out two sets of the page.  One I cut up into each part, the other I just cut into each creature.  This way, the Dews would have a master to work from.  Eventually we'll get to using it as it's intended (as a Mix and Match make your own type of game) but for now this is a great activity.  I put magnets on the back so they are for our magnet board. 

As usual, I wrestled with magnets or felt.  I try to go for either of the two as our boards are mounted against the wall, and it's really good OT for Dew1 to work standing up.  Helps strengthen his trunk.

There are 6 creatures all together.  Happy Haunting!

(now I just need to find some mix and matches for next season!)

Language - Halloween 3 Part Cards


I found these great Halloween 3 Part Cards on United Teaching's website - Free to download.  There are 12 of them altogether, plus a control chart.

Dew1 Loves them!  I realized that while he is still behind in speech and such, there is no reason to not try to teach him new words to expand his vocabulary.  I think his favourite right now is the Cauldron.  He also loves "cards" in general, so I try to keep new ones in his box for he and his VB teacher to work through during their session.

If only I had a printer that would take cardstock!  That is an essential feature for my next printer purchase.  Instead, I print them on regular paper, and then glue them to a cardstock weight paper, and cover them in contact paper.  It makes them a little more durable for Dew1.   If they are cards that we are really going to use a lot, I'll use the Xyron to stick them down (I hate gluesticks ... they never really stick ...) and then also laminate them with the Xyron.  But for something as quick and short lived as Halloween cards, glue and contact paper is all that's needed.  For even quicker, I won't stick them to cardstock, and will only contact paper one side.

I did not get into the full aspect of the 3 Part Card, as clearly he's not old enough yet, but I have filed the other parts away so when he is ready, they are good to go.  One of these days I'll come up with a better way to organize it all, but for now, this works.  Right now we are simply running through the cards and labeling them for what they are.  He does like to match, but I kept these as straight vocab cards.

I store his 'active' cards in Tupperware sandwich keepers. I had a set of 4 from my single days, and have repurposed them this way.  It works well as they are generous in size, hold the cards well, are durable, and slightly tricky to open so it forces them to ask for "Help to Open Cards". (Although Dew1 has become quite good at using his teeth to open the little latch ...)

I really like these cards, and United Teaching was a great resource.  They have other downloads, as well, some free and some at cost.  But thanks to them for helping me introduce Halloween to my son.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Stereographs, View Masters and Slides, Oh My!

Independence Hall. Digital ID: G91F373_043ZF. New York Public Library
Independence Hall, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.  1865?-1880? From the Digital Collections of The New York Public Library

Why a stereograph, you might ask?

Well, I found this blog entry on The Movable Alphabet about "Teaching Children to Look and To Study:  A Lesson on How To Use a Slide Viewer".

Very inspiring.  Not for my Dews right now, but in the future.  It's never to early to teach your little ones how to look closely at things.  But here is where I was inspired.

My first thoughts on reading this entry was a ViewMaster.  Today's version of slides and a stereograph viewer.  There are tons of vintage ViewMaster Reels available online as well as in thrift stores (agh.  I knew I should have picked up those ones I saw a few weeks ago!)  There was a time when you could get ViewMaster reels at just about every tourist attraction in the world.

My next thought was how happy I am that I still have my parent's and grandparent's slide collections and hand viewer upstairs.  Some sets are complete, some are not.  Some are of outdoor camping trips, some are of family events (my parent's wedding, even!) and some are just random, out of order shots that at this point, no one even knows who is in them, where they were taken, or why.  But still fun, nonetheless.  Now I know what to do with them!

My next thought was about the stereograph viewer.  I think my parents had one.  I'm sure they don't still.  One more thing to put on my list of things to keep my eyes open for at flea markets, in thrift shops, on freecycle, or craigslist.

But, what if I can't find one?  Is the art of the Stereograph viewer lost to my kids?  Well, a quick Google search and there are plenty of articles on How To Make a Stereograph viewer (also known as a Stereoscope.)  Ok, neat!  A fun science project for the family.

The next problem ... the Images.  Not as easy to come by, I bet.  And then my Librarian mind began to turn.  When I used to work for the New York Public Library, they were just beginning their Digital Collection (and did I go to training after training on it ...)  I will, at some point, do a whole post on the amazing contents of the Digital Collection.  You can spend days and days just browsing.  And it's all Free.  But to the point.  They have a digital Stereograph collection that is over 42,000 images strong! (I just checked)

So here's my thinking.  Don't have a stereographic viewer and plates available?  Well, that's ok.  We now know that we can make a stereographic viewer.  And now we know that we can easily, and free of charge, download and print one of literally tens of thousands of images from a library more vast than one can imagine.  The tough part is choosing one.  Now, to be fair, these images are preserved exactly as the originals are, so some of them are faint, or perhaps in poor condition.  But with 42,000 to choose from, that's not such a big deal.  I'd say that the majority are black and white, but I did see a few colours in there, too.

Here's how to find them.

  1. Go to the New York Public Library's Digital Collection:  digitalgallery.nypl.org 
  2.  Two options here.  You can Search "Stereographs", or you can go to Browse, select 'S' and work your way down the list to Stereographs.  Both yield the same results.
  3. You can then narrow down your search, if you like.  Once you browse through a bit and get a feel for how they are catagorized, it becomes easier.  You can add a state name and / or subject to the search box.  For example, I searched "stereographs philadelphia independence" to find a picture of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  I got an image from the 1860's.  How much fun it would be to compare that to a photograph of today!
  4. You can print or download the images as you like.  A warning - do a print preview first to be sure it fits on your page.  My first attempt was in portrait mode and i only got about half of it.


I would also suggest printing out a few before making your own stereograph viewer, just to be sure that the dimensions of these images are correct for the viewer.  I do not know if they are printing out "life size", or how they compare to an real viewer card.   It would be great if they fit vintage viewers.  Anyone out there have one to compare it to? Leave me a comment!

So thank you to The Moveable Alphabet for inspiring me in this direction.  This will be fun (and likely my newest obsession...)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Matching - Jack O Lantern Faces




With Halloween coming, and Dew1 starting to figure these things out, I decided it was high time to have some Jack O Lantern Fun.  Dew1 loves to match - he finds it to be a very rewarding task.

This is by no means an original idea.  I googled around, and found a great Pumpkin Body and Jack O Lantern Face pieces patterns on the Family Education website - the patterns are free to download, and copyright to Pearson Education Inc.

Because we have a great flannel board mounted on the wall, I finally decided to make this out of felt (I wrestled with magnetic as we also have a great magnetic board on our wall as well.)  I chose sensory over fine motor, and I thought the felt would be fun.  I have had troubles getting things to stick to our flannel board - I suspect it's because it's mounted flat against the wall.  All of the flannel boards I have ever used at work have been standing easel-types, and I am thinking that the angle is a big help.

Anyway, after testing velcro and other types of sticky assists, I discoverd an article on about.com that commented on using sandpaper.  Well, sandpaper is a lot cheaper than velcro (I bought a package of 5 large sheets for $1 at Dollar Tree to make sandpaper letters.  Haven't gotten there yet but I had the sandpaper!)

I traced the outline onto the back of the sandpaper (right side up ... I made that mistake the first time.)  Then I ran it through the Xyron to stick it up, and then stuck it to the felt.  It made it very easy to cut the felt out, I must say.  Same for the eyes, mouths, and noses.  Then I realized a problem.  Our felt board is black.  The face pieces are black.  Hmm.

So I put a few pieces of sandpaper onto a square of blue felt to use as a landing zone area for the face pieces.  Not ideal but it works for me for now.  Perhaps a basket on the shelf beside?

I have also taken pictures of several face combinations for Dew1 to match.  I punched a hole in the corner and put them on a binder ring.  He has tried a few, but is more interested in the pieces for now.

He is also very wrapped up in the sensory experience.  It is soft on one side and quiet scratchy on the other.  This makes it fun to just hold and reposition on the felt board.

Update:
Emily at Learning Vicariously posted about her Magnetic Jack-O-Lantern here.  It looks great - I might have to do a magnetic one after all!  I love how they used it as a springboard to talk about feelings.  Great Idea!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Organize - Our Art Gallery



Last year, Dew1 brought home about 2 pieces of art a week from preschool.  We put them on the fridge, and then when it was time to replace them, I put them in a plastic 12x12 scrapbook storage box.

Well, this year rolls around.  And there are two problems immediately presenting.  The first is the fact that I now have a box full of last year's art.  The second is that he now brings home about 3 pieces a day - 6 pieces a week - and many of them are 3 dimensional.  Way too much for the fridge.  I've seen cute ideas that involve screwing binder clips into the wall, mounting plastic frames to the wall, painting fancy art frames on the wall or even nailing empty picture frames to the wall.  All lovely ideas, but we rent and i don't want to do anything that I am going to have to reverse later.

Enter the amazing and wonderful 3M Command hooks.  Add some ribbon and a few clothes pegs and we have the Dewey Family Art Gallery.  It's not pretty nor is it perfect, but it works.  The moment it was up, Dew1 and Dew2 were fascinated with it.  Dew1 was telling me about Big Bird.  He was naming all of the items that we painted on his fall picture the other day (leaves, corn, pumpkin - and  a new one - acorn.)  It holds art of all shapes and sizes, and makes our drab white walls much more interesting.

Remember my motto?  Done is better than Perfect.  I spent all of last year trying in my mind to make it perfect.  But it never got done. 

It can be improved.  Prettier ribbon (I used some leftover Christmas curling ribbon.)  Pretty clips (I had a bunch of clothes pins in the Tot Tools box.)  3M does make little springy clips - I could add some of those as well.  But I think that the first thing to add is a second line.  Or even a third.  One for Dew1 and one for Dew2 ... or one for school work and one for home work ...

But today, it's done and it's another project off of my list.

Oh, and problem #1?  Well I emptied the box of art from last year into a file box and brought the clear one back downstairs to use this year.  I'll have to deal with both problems soon - the box upstairs and the soon to be full box downstairs.  I'd always heard that pizza boxes are great for this. But before there was a pizza in it ... there is the problem ... for another day.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Coupon - The Children's Place (Dead)

This coupon is no longer available!  Sorry!  I'll be sure to let you know when another is out.

If you love shopping at The Children's Place as much as I do, you'll know that the best way to get the most bang for your buck is to use their coupons.

Get the Children's Place Holiday Pass for 15% off your next purchase. Click Here

Friday, October 23, 2009

Family Time - Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics


Be sure to gather up the family and head to Lowe's by 10 am Saturday morning (October 24th).

This week's project is the Frankenstring Magic Trick.

If you haven't been to a Lowe's workshop before, they are a lot of fun!  Each child is given safety goggles and a mini Lowe's Apron to wear - and keep!  The projects are packed up in kits, all ready to assemble.  They say that the age is from 6-12, but we've been taking Dew1 for a few months now and while he clearly can't build them by himself, he's getting really good at hammering, and he enjoys putting on the stickers - both good Fine Motor skills for him to be developing.

It's a great project for he and DaddyDew to do together, and over time he'll get some good building skills.

When the project is complete, each child receives a certificate and a Badge - that is specific to each project - to sew on their apron.  It's so cute!

So far, Dew2 has just been an observer, although he is quite interested in the hammer and steals it whenever he can.  However, the next project is a NASCAR Car and Garage, so I've signed them both up - there is no way that it's fair for Dew2 to watch his brother make and play with something as neat as a car and garage, and not have one for himself!  Looks like both MommyDew and DaddyDew will be building that day - and, if this is any indication, every day from there on out.

You need to register online - Here - and then print and sign a waiver to take with you.  That's it!  They are every other weekend.

Have fun!

By the way - Home Depot does a similar kid's workshop once a month.  I'll let you know when that is coming up!

Tot-Book - Thomas the Train

Our First Tot-Book!
We were inspired by Carisa at 1+1+1=1 and used the Thomas the Train Tot-Book that she so generously shared.  As it was our first, we followed it a little to the letter, or so to speak.  (In addition to being our first Tot-Book that we've made, it's the first I have tried to photograph ... hopefully I'll get better at that, too!)

















The Cover.  I downloaded some Thomas clip art, printed it out, covered it in contact paper and ran it through my Xyron to make it sticky.  Dew1 helped me decorate.  To make the flap cover, I found a graphic of a wooden Thomas track and used it to cover up my bad folding job (first lap book fold - I missed it a little!)

















The inside, open.  I covered just about everything with contact paper for my first go round.  It was very time consuming but I figured that Dew1 was going to Love it Very Much so it was worth it.  I also put a piece of cardstock weight paper behind the center panel to give a bit more support to the folded part. 

















The inside, right side.  Dew1 used dot markers as well as crayons to colour the trains.  I covered both covers and the pages to the Thomas and Friends book with contact paper for a little durability.  I also ran the back pages of both books through the Xyron before stapling the books together to make them stick better.

















The inside, left side.  I made two copies of the shapes so they could be matched.  I covered just the front of the shapes, pockets, and pages of the How Many book with contact paper to make them old up a bit better.  The pocket (after assembly) and the last page of the How Many book also went through the Xyron.


We were supposed to go spend a Day with Thomas this past summer and I had planned to take a picture of Dew1 with Thomas and use it to make a puzzle to put on the back cover.  Our trip had to be rescheduled, but when we do go, I'll be sure to do the puzzle and update.

I've found that the Xyron adhesive works so much better than a glue stick, even if it is more expensive.

Dew1 has loved this book dearly.  My only minor annoyance is the fact that you need to use paperclips to keep the shapes and How Many book in.  But as you follow Carisa through her Tot-Book journey, you'll see that she has solutions to all of these little problems (Hello Activity Pack!)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Language - My Pictures


Dew1 loves to look at "pictures" and more recently, his "books".

His pictures involve anything that has interesting images on them, mostly the cover sleeves to a DVD, inserts from toys (the Thomas the Train mini catalogues that are inside the trains are favourites), postcards, maps ... anything. I tend to laminate them so they'll last (well, after he ate the Thomas the Train Yearbook ...)

His books are mostly catalogues. He loves to pour over catalogues of things and discover all they hold. We have learned so many new words in describing what he finds in there. I ordered some seed catalogues, so we are becoming very familiar with just about every fruit and vegetable known to man, as well as many flowers.

But they always ended up everywhere.

And then I remembered this denim pocket I bought at Old Navy a million years ago, in my single days when I spent Sundays shopping in the city, and perusing the Old Navy General Store to see what neat new things they had. I love it when I find a new use for something like this ... it gets it out of a box and makes it useful again. What's really annoying is when I think of a use for something that I purged in one of our many recent moves.

But I digress.

I grabbed a 3M Command hook and hung the pocket at kid height on the wall leading into our kitchen. Now, it's easily accessible to him, he knows where his pictures or books are, and it makes clean up really easy. I add new pictures and books as I see fit, and toss the old ones as they get shredded (the 'books' are great this way - there is never a shortage of mail order catalogues on our doorstep.)

Have Fun!

Tot School

We have been inspired by both Carisa at 1+1+1=1 and all of her Tot School friends.  Many of our ideas are from them, or inspired by them.

As a result, we decided that if they can share and inspire, so can we!

This is the first Tot School post.  Nothing Tot School-y about it, but keep your eyes open ... it'll get fun!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Fine Motor - A Bottle and Clothes Pegs


It doesn't get any easier than this - and the boys love it. Dew2 more than Dew1, but it has held both of their attention for lengths of time.

I'm not sure where I first saw this idea. Possibly on a blog somewhere (if it was you, please let me know so I can give credit where due!) It might have been in a book.

But it's easy. A 2 Liter soda bottle. A knife or scissors to cut a window in the side towards the bottom. Some masking tape to make it safe. Some clothes pegs.



Ok, at this point, you can make it pretty, if you like. I have a motto in my home and in my life ...

Done is better than Perfect.

If I wait until I can make it perfect, it will never get done. And the boys don't give a hoot how pretty it is.

They love to drop the pegs in the top, reach in and pull them out, put them in the side, line them up side by side or end to end ... chew on them *hee hee*. And, of course, it's easier to put them in 'head' side down, but Dew2 likes the challenge of putting the split end in first.

Enjoy!

Here we go ...

So here we go.

This is a new venture that I have decided to take on to help record and share the fun that myself and my two boys, Dew1 and Dew2 have every day.

This will likely be my longest post ever. But the beginning must be documented in order to know how we got to where we are today.

We have been given challenges in life to meet - some big and some small. As a result, some of the things we tackle are unusual, or may appear to be age-inappropriate. But this is our family and our life and we take each day as it comes.

Dew1 was a 34-week 4 pound preemie. Arriving 6 weeks early because I got sudden-onset severe Pre-Eclampsia. Our lives forever changed that fateful Monday morning at our routine doctor's appointment. Instead of the usual chipper check in with the nurse, we were met with silence, double checks of tests and blood pressure, and immediate instructions to lie on my left side. The doctor was with us immediately. Seemingly overnight, my blood pressure had skyrocketed, and as I had other symptoms, I was told that I had Pre-Eclampsia, and that the good news was that the cure for it was delivery of the baby. The bad news was that it was going to be this week. So much to struggle with, but after a few days our baby boy arrived, and immediately sent to the NICU where he stayed for 2 weeks. He was small but healthy. I was less so. It took a week and one relapse before I was well enough to go home. All in all, we were very lucky. So many other families are less so.

Dew1 has been healthy. He got Plagiocephaly very early on, and wore a StarBand cranial remolding helmet 4 months. Emerging with a beautifully rounded head and a lifetime of medical complications averted, we were on track for the arrival of his baby brother.

Dew2 arrived after a much fretted but otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy. My full term, 8 pound bear came on the scene in full force and has not stopped since. The difference between the two was remarkable. Dew1 came home from the hospital eating no more than 45 mL at a feeding. Dew2 came home from the hospital eating 2 to 3 ounces. Dew1 was a wonderful sleeper. Dew2 was a horror. Dew1 is in the 50th Percentile, Dew2 is in the 95th. The similarities? Dew2 developed Plagiocephaly as well, and spent 6 months in a StarBand.

When Dew1 turned about 18 months, we started to become concerned about his speech delay. We had given him time to work it out on his own, and nothing was happening. A hearing test showed loss. An appointment to the ENT showed massive amounts of fluid - that had possibly been there for 8 months (he had a very mild ear infection way back when.) After 6 weeks of antibiotics, and the institution of a daily dose of Zyrtec, the fluid began to disappear, and his hearing tests got better and better. This led to an evaluation by Early Intervention that revealed not only a speech delay, but developmental delays, as well as some OT issues (later diagnosed as Sensory Processing Disorder, or Sensory Integration Disorder.) The snowball had started rolling and wasn't about to stop yet. A consultation with a Developmental Pediatrician resulted in a diagnosis of mild autism. He was high risk for these things - first born, preemie, male.

The therapy began. His OT started him on a brushing technique. I didn't get it ... what's this about brushing Organizing him? but it was working. slowly, his crashing behaviours slowed down. Speech started with him, as well as Ed (a "special teacher".) Eventually, a Verbal Behaviour program was introduced, and he attended an "after school program" twice a week that focused on all sorts of things - ABA, OT, sensory, fine motor, manding, group activities. And through all this, he was attending a "typical" preschool, where he was with his age mates, and getting wonderful socialization.

We are just now a year from that beginning, and his progress is amazing. A year ago, he was learning to sign "open" and "help" - and we marveled at the walls that even the little bit of communication opened. Now, he is beginning to speak in 3 word sentences. His play is much more functional - he wants to play with a toy instead of just holding it and checking it out. We still have sensory challenges - his eating is sporadic (he 'squirrels' his food a lot) and he still crashes, but sensory therapy is fun and there are a lot of things we do to help him out. We have transitioned to the Intermediate Unit of Early Intervention, and his new team has been in place for almost 2 months now. He's back in his typical preschool. This year is harder, though, because the delay is so much more obvious than it was last year when they were all 2 years old.

And Dew2? Well, when Dew2 turned about 18 months old, we suddenly realized that we'd forgotten to teach him how to talk! With all of the teachers coming and going for Dew1, Dew2 had fallen between the cracks. We had him evaluated by Early Intervention as well, and he is receiving weekly speech therapy. Luckily, he has yet to show any signs of anything other than a speech delay. In fact, his fine motor is amazing, and his logic and reasoning is wonderful.

Dew2 had his hearing test last week. The test was a disaster - significant loss in both ears. The next day at the doctor's office we discovered that both ears were packed full of fluid. Massive double ear infection. Gee, this is familiar. So he's on antibiotics and we're to check in again in 2 weeks. Who knows how long this has been going on. But at least he's a little less cranky that he was the week before, so we can hope that this will improve his disposition (although, to be honest, he was born cranky...)

So here we are. Dew1 is just over 3 years old, and Dew 2 will be 2 in January. They are about 4 inches apart in height, and 2 pounds in weight. People are starting to ask me how old my twins are. A girlfriend referred to Dew1 as my hollow chocolate bunny and Dew2 as my solid chocolate bunny. I couldn't have described them any better myself.

Since the diagnosis and therapy has began, I have been online searching out anything and everything that will help me help my boys. I was amazed to have a world of homeschooling, Montessori, and Tot School opened up to me. As a Children's Librarian by trade, I thought I knew what I needed to know to let my boys grow and thrive, but was I wrong! I have found more resources than I will ever use, and such wonderful people willing to share what works for them. It is all of them that inspired me to start this blog. I have been blogging on my personal site for at least 8 years, but this is different, and as such I wanted to keep it separate.

Our lives are very chaotic with the therapists coming and going, but we try to do bits and pieces of things. We are also restricted by space. One day I would dream to have a 'classroom', but until then, our dining room (which, incidentally is open to a kitchen that is not eat in, so it is our main eating area) functions quite well. Our living room is also a work area. We do not have neatly organized trays and shelves, as traditional Montessori would lend. We do not do workboxes (yet!). They are still at the stage of pulling everything out and making a mess. But we love it. And wanted to share it. This blog is growing just as we are. It's not pretty today - no funky page colour or fun graphics. But right now I'm too busy with my boys to spend hours and hours making this look neat. But who knows what it will look like in a day, or a week, or a month. I think it will be fun.

I hope that anyone who might decide to read all of this will give us a shot. It's a crazy life but it's ours and we love it.