After about 20 minutes, I ask him what he's found out. He starts telling me stuff about worms themselves, and I get him back to what has he found out about how to take care of them. Nothing. Oh. "What have you been looking at?" This, that and the other, but not how to actually take care of them. Interests run amok. And nothing written down. lol.
For tomorrow, I will print off a sheet that is a little more specific and whoever wants to tackle how to keep these worms alive can look it up and write information down. Ds might decide to do it--especially since it means being on the computer again (lol), but maybe not.
I did find out from Bob that he had a 2nd small container with a couple of worms on purpose. "But it's so small. I'm not sure they'll do okay." His response: It's okay. They're Exhibit A. LOL.
Dd decided to start tackling learning the first 10 elements of the periodic table. She chose to do a table, but wasn't sure what to look up since I don't really have a proper French resource here for chemistry, so I told her to look up "table périodique". She found a good French site with the periodic table, and put in her table the atomic number, symbol and name, but also what type of element it is! Very cool. :) This reminds me that I had looked at Montessori Research and Development's chemistry album listing online and am pretty sure I want it. I should order it ASAP. And maybe guide dd to their materials section where she might get be tempted to do some of the same as part of her work.
This reminds me: I went to Austin Montessori's website the other day to look at their information on their Adolescent Community. There has been a change with dd this year and I really think I need to learn more, immerse my brain as much as possible, in what Montessori schools out there are doing so I can find something, or try different things, to find a good match for her. She definitely wants to learn, wants to progress, and while I've had difficulty figuring out how to meet her desires and needs the past couple of years, there's a greater motivation, a greater confidence that's allowing her to venture into new areas, and I want to at least try to make the most of it.
I've totally gone off track. Back to what I was saying. I went to Austin Montessori's website and had a look at their Adolescent Community information. Something interesting stuck out at me:
We use an integrated project approach in order to engage students in the pursuit of ideas and expertise, encouraging them to become better thinkers, problem-solvers, and responsible and informed citizens.This is an area, the idea of an integrated project approach, that I would like to explore more. Something else struck me:
One way we cultivate this community is by preparing rituals and routines which allow the adolescents to operate relatively independently in the prepared environment.
She has been, without my requesting, taking initiative to do more herself, be more independent. I recall my own adolescence where I *loved* days on my own where I could be completely independent and responsible. There is probably a lot I have not shown her over the years that would be super important to show her now, to provide these rituals and routines so she can feel the strength of independence. Not force her to be independent, but work step-by-step at establishing some more routines around here that would allow her to develop the ability to be independent. I feel like I'm repeating myself. Ah well.
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