It has been a shift from thinking about the classroom at Villa in my sleep to building a “home classroom” for Dylan.  I have learned so much from my experience at Villa Montessori, and am grateful to be applying as much as I can, little by little to our home. Dylan seems pretty excited about the process and glad to have my full attention.  Today we cleaned off shelves, brought shelves in from other rooms (including one shelf that is to be left by my oldest, who, well hasn’t quite moved out yet, I hope he won’t mind the shelf’s early departure from his room) We set up work and supplies, as beautifully as possible in baskets and containers made from natural materials,  and basically began to think about what would be needed for him to build independence, and to re-establish his own intrinsic motivation to work.  Remembering to keep it beautiful, he has a nice spot for supplies, a journal that he decorated for language and math thus far. We set up an “art” shelf with items of current interest, and put out books on easels, and a big chalk board to practice writing and words etc. We will have to carve time for systematic, and repeated contact with math and reading and writing, that are particularly hard for him.  These materials will be touched on everyday, but the rest will follow his interest.

Today, after a bit of reading in a world Geography book, we found a video made by two students about the earth’s interior.    These two young girls did a quirky little skit imagining themselves traveling from layer to layer into the earth down to the core.  Simple and perfect.  Just enough to spark Dylan’s interest.  There was also a short piece done by another young boy demonstrating how to make a model of the Earth’s layers.  Terrific, a little  peer teaching right across the internet on You Tube.  So off we went today to gather plaster of paris and a sphere for the core to build the Earth.  It seems like a reasonable place to begin.  I imagine this is  the beginning of many curious pursuits that he will follow, and  in that alone I rejoice!