Homeschooling Frustrations

It's the best and the worst day. We started as usual today but I was stone tired. Really, mums try to do too much, and still feel they don't do enough. Miraculously, today was one of those Montessori days. Umayr and Sofiyya were already working on the Geometric Solids and rough and smooth boards at the foot of my mattress as I laid half-awake.

After breakfast, Ihsan got on with his workplan , Umayr, by some miracle, moved from one work to another that we even missed the morning outdoors hour. By noon, Umayr was back to his toys, I managed to persuade him to do a presentation though, with the promise that he can play his toys later.

By some twist of fate, he found a long lost album which kept pictures of extensions with the sensorial materials. He chose one of the most elaborate projects and Ihsan strangely chose the simplest. Umayr, my dreamer who whines in frustration when he can't do something and Ihsan the careful strategist. I ended up doing the extension, cause he refused to let me dismantle it for him to try on his own. Ihsan also did another extension which was more complicated.

I do get irritated with constantly having to remind them to clean up after themselves though. After a year of homeschooling, the Montessori discipline of returning things you take after finishing with them is still not embedded in my children. Of course once in a while I'm lucky, but I'm still awaiting for that day when I don't have to do this every day, for like a million times.

How do you homeschool, in the Montessori way at that, when you're not a tai tai like most homeschoolers here are? You use what you have and try to make as many extensions as you can. It's amazing how the kids got into the geometric solids for instance this past few weeks.

We had just half of the number in natural wood from pieces I found at Daiso. No matter, we had fun making playdoh models and even paper pyramids yesterday which extended to the Egyptian pyramids.

It is such a miraculous day. The boys have cleaned up on their own and are now continuing with their extensions on the sensorial materials and its 7 p.m. Wow, if only every day is like this I can rest...However, that is a misconception; because the method requires a prepared environment, you've got to knock yourself out before the actual day and you have to always be prepared for a diversion that the child might take.

I think I'd reward them with some real materials soon, God willing... for now, I think I can take a break.