Montessori Visiting Day

Prior to the Holiday break, Maksim's school hosted a Parent's Visiting Day.  We always look forward to these days, as it is uncommon for us to get a glimpse of his daily routine at school.  In Florida, there was a Mom's Visiting Day, a Dad's visiting day, and a "Special Guest" visiting day for parents, relatives or friends.  These events occurred once per school year, respectively.  So, I usually had 2 chances per school year to see what was going on firsthand.

Hollis Montessori School - Children's House II

His new school is very similar to his old one (both are AMI Montessori schools).  There are more opportunities to sign up to observe the classroom individually (but let's get real - how likely is this to happen with a younger sibling at home with me?), but they also host a formal "Parent's Visiting Day" in December.  We'd planned on Bryon attending for 30 minutes and then myself experiencing the final 30 minutes of the visiting hour.  However, Deklan was invited into the classroom with us.  He thrived!  He's so excited to go to school himself, but after much contemplation about him starting school this January, we've decided that he's going to wait until Fall 2017!

I can remember back to Montessori Children's House of Hyde Park and how he spent the majority of his time during those years perfecting this area of the classroom - practical life.

The order and organization to these classrooms has my heart SINGING every time I step inside.

Maks had picked out a specific lesson that he wanted to show to us.  His choice: Sound Cylinders.  Most likely because Bryon likes to joke around with Maksim and refer to them (incorrectly) as "sound tubes."  Maksim has been waiting for his opportunity to prove his dad wrong!  Anyhow, I love watching these little Montessori bodies in action.  Every little detail is thought out.  You can tell that the students have carefully observed their teachers in each presentation they've received.  The way they carry items, the step-by-step process that they go through...everything has a purpose.  It's amazing.

After our sound cylinder lessons were complete, Maks was excited to branch out and show us other lessons/presentations he's received.  He's currently spending a lot of time at school doing map work.  I didn't know what to expect with map work, but this kid completely blew me away!  He started by showing me how to put together the entire map of the United States of America.  He'd take each state and move it from the wooden board and put the new map together without any sort of frame or picture to work off of.

He needed the placement of each state to fit perfectly.  No exceptions!

But then!  My 4 year old put together a map of Africa!  I was of absolutely no help in identifying the countries or their correct placement (and thankfully he didn't need me to be!).  Time for me to brush up on world geography...and probably every other subject he's about to school me on!

Maksim also enjoys freehand map work - where he takes the individual states/countries/continents and traces them with a coordinating colored pencil onto a large piece of paper.  When he's finished, he'll have an entire country/continent/world map completed.

Deklan was ready to jump in with both feet when Miss Anjali offered to give him some of his very own presentations!

Deklan's very first Montessori lesson/presentation.

After receiving the lesson once, he knew exactly how to get to work solo!

Working diligently.

Poor kid has no idea that when he'll begin school in the Fall he will need to go to Children's House I (Maksim is in Children's House II) because they like to separate siblings between the two classrooms.  In the meantime, I'm sure he'll spend the rest of Winter (and Spring and Summer) dreaming about the day when he gets to get out of the car with his older brother in the morning drop-off line!

He's so anxious to begin Primary school!  These counting beads had better watch out!

Winter Solstice

And just like that, it's really Winter.  

School cancelled = sledding!

Snow Day!  (I write this with an exclamation point in an attempt to not have my disdain for the cold & snow rub off on my kids.  What I really want to say is, "Winter.  Ugh.")  We're in the depth of the Winter Solstice - marking the sun being as far away from us as it gets, and my heart is weeping.  Please come back, sunshine!!!

This snow "angel" ain't fooling' no one

We've had some sleds packed away as Christmas gifts, but one found its way to our kids last week when the first snowflakes fell.  Well, with the arrival of the first significant snowfall, the 2nd sled managed to magically appear as soon as Daddy came home from work.  2 sleds are still left in hiding.  We'll see if the manage to stay hidden for another week...

Daddy delivers the 2nd sled and sledding commences:

Before calling it a night, we decided to help the boys make their very first snowman.  Maks was quick to learn how to roll the snow together into a ball.  He also thought it was a great idea to send the snowballs down the hill so that they could accumulate a lot more snow (with minimal manpower).  What he didn't take into account was how he was going to retrieve those snowballs once they stopped rolling at the bottom of the hill!

Snowman building by moonlight.

First snowman! (Tomorrow we'll finish the face/hat/scarf.  I was unprepared!)

Deklan was especially affectionate towards the snowman, who he lovingly named Olaf:

"I love you, Olaf.  I'm gonna give you a hug."  

Now, each day when we take Maks to school, Deklan waves goodbye to Olaf as we pull out of our driveway.

The following evening, I had an appointment and left the boys at home with Daddy for 2 hours.  What happened?  Operation Daddy-sends-the-4-year-old-sledding-face-first-down-a-wooded-ravine.

Operation Daddy-sends-the-4-year-old-sledding-face-first-down-a-wooded-ravine.  

Bryon stood half way down the hill next to a big pile of boulders, which Maks did a good job of dodging.  The trees further down the hill?  Whoops!

Perfect timing, as Maks' Winter Solstice celebration/program for his school was the very next day!  He handled the crash and burn like a champ, though.  He now proudly strokes his hair behind his ear and shows his battle wound to everybody he sees.  I've also heard him tell the story of how it happened...which has grown to include running into six trees.  He claims "the next time, I'm going to do a better job of being a human bowling ball and actually knock the trees down!"  We're banking on a little more practice with steering (he did have lessons on steering prior to the big event) and additional lessons on learning when it's time to bail!  Bail, Dude!  Bail!

(Opening song for the HMS Winter Solstice 2016)

Gingerbread Workshop

Holiday activities are keeping our schedule jam-packed!  The other afternoon Maksim and I did some gingerbread house decorating at the town library while Deklan (and Bryon) napped.  

Maksim was thoughtful enough to request making a 2nd gingerbread house so that Dek wouldn't feel too left out.  We read some festive books while our "cement" dried.  Then it was off to the "exterior design" table to pick out decorations!

I was in charge of decorating Deklan's gingerbread house, while Maksim had full control over what his looked like.  The chimney additions on each house were all Maks' idea!  

He was so proud of his finished product!

I couldn't help but taking a 2nd picture to document the other side of this masterpiece.  I'm extremely partial to the sucker he placed on the roof!

Deklan was content to have the finished product when he woke up.  I'm told they didn't taste too bad, either...

We brought home 2 additional gingerbread house construction/decorating kits to keep us busy throughout the week.  Such an easy activity when using graham crackers instead of actual gingerbread!

Stay warm out there!

SNOW

We had the first snowfall of the season - not a lot, but enough for the kids to get a taste of what snow is all about.  Deklan and I explored the front yard while Maksim was at school.  Maks' entire classroom went exploring in the snow-covered woods as well.  (His school has it's own apple orchard and adjoining woods that they regularly walk through.  When he's in Upper Elementary, they'll harvest the apples, make cider and then sell it for profit!)  He was fully decked out in boots, coat, snow pants, mittens and hat when I arrived at the pickup line.  Oh, and he was eating snow.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Maksim and Deklan were quick to understand the rules (or lack thereof) for snow fights.

Brotherly love:

Littlest man holding his own:

Kira jumped in on the action, too!  Here's her very first EVER snow experience:

A quick slide down the wooded ravine (against the rules!) by two sneaky boys while I helped the neighbor whose dog got loose, and playtime was OVER!  Apparently Maks had said, "Come down the hill with me, Dek!"  And that's all it took.  

Remember, I'm on crutches for 2 months post surgery.  Maks was able to climb back up the hill on his own, but Deklan was stuck.  In hindsight, it was so very foolish to have them out there.  But seriously, we have an entire front yard to play in - which is where they were supposed to stay!  I actually tried to pull Deklan up the hill with a rope, but he couldn't figure out how to hold on tightly.  He finally gave up, let his little body slide even farther down the hill and said, "You have to come and get me, Mama.  You HAVE to!!!!"  And I did have to.  I crossed my fingers that my boots didn't slip and that my hips didn't rotate (no internal rotation, external rotation, full weight bearing or bending past 90 degrees allowed).  Thankfully, Deklan was only about 10' down the ravine and I reached him on the first try - without slipping (but with some explicit language).  Our snow adventures without Daddy have now concluded.

Leave it to Bryon to show up after work a few days later with a sled for the kids!  Maksim exclaimed, "I knew you would get one!  This totally rocks!"  The language he picks up from the kids at school is cracking us up!  Bryon's back was towards me when this happened, but I can only imagine the gigantic smile that beamed across his face in response.  Now to wait for a real snowstorm...

Boston Bound!

Sometimes weekends call for adventures outside of the house!

Mid-week, I spotted some tickets to Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker (do yourself a favor and click that link!) for a steal and purchased 2 tickets.  Deklan isn't old enough to sit through (or appreciate) a 2 hour experience in an Opera House quite yet!  However, I figured it'd be the perfect thing for Maks to see since he's currently enjoying his weekly tap & ballet class so much.

(Deklan is in the background reading Where the Wild Things Are to me.  "[Sent him to bed]...without dinner...Gnashed their terrible teeth, showed their terrible claws..."  Pretty good for a 2 year old!)

Since I'm still on crutches, I was happy to have curbside chauffeur service compliments of Bryon.  Honestly, I'd have appreciated the drop-off sans crutches as well.  It was so nice to not have to worry about finding a parking spot!  We kept the performance a secret and just told the boys that Maksim was going to have a special day with Mommy while Deklan was going to have a special day just him & Daddy.

Boston Opera House lobby

Since Maksim and Deklan don't know the story of The Nutcracker, we were sure to have read it to them as a bedtime story the night prior to the performance.  As soon as Maks saw the marquee, he pointed out The Nutcracker to me!  He was all smiles and could barely contain his excitement while we waited for the doors to open so we could find our seats.

He's pretty proud of this crown!

And we're in!  First stop: bathroom...then snacks!

Maks was surprised to learn that the performance had real people and wasn't on a screen (he'd only been to movie theaters).  He also loved watching the orchestra.

His favorite: the xylophone. 

All in all, I'm SO GLAD that I was able to see this performance.  It was beyond impressive.  I've seen The Nutcracker just once before, and (unfortunately) it left much to be desired.  I was a bit hesitant to give it another go (of course, this was a different performing company in a completely different part of the country), but decided to give it a second chance.  Verdict?  There's just no comparison between the two shows.  I'd see the Boston Ballet's rendition again any day!  Skilled musicians, excellent dancers and incredible costumes.  Such talent!  And the best part was that it completely entertained me AND my 4 year old for 2 solid hours!

Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker!

Meanwhile, Deklan and Daddy had some special "boy's time" roaming around Boston.  Bryon is continually trying to convince Deklan that he likes sushi (selfishly!), but Deklan just isn't a fan like his older brother is. (Maks has been devouring sushi since before he could walk.  We regularly have to cut him off!)  He made up for it by taking Deklan to the Public Garden (America's first public park).  Deklan LOVES visiting this park - mostly because it's the exact same from the Make Way For Ducklings book that we read at home.  It's so much fun to be able to show the kids actual places from the children's books that they're reading!

Feeding overweight squirrels.

After getting some snacks, feeding wildlife & playing at the park, they warmed up at a local pub.  Deklan thought it was something special to his own glass of OJ from the bartender!

Pub time!

We met up 2 hours later and headed to Faneuil Hall Marketplace (America's first open marketplace!).  There's something so charming about downtown Boston - but throw in a horse drawn carriage and carolers singing throughout the cobblestone streets and it's the real package deal!

Just saying "Hi!"

Who's that masked man?!

We finished off the day with a viewing of Blink! - a LED light and sound show at either end of Faneuil Hall.  We watched the main tree (it's huge) light up and listened to songs from Boston's Holiday Pops.  It was only a 7 minute performance, but that was perfect as the sun had just set (4:30pm!) and we had an hour drive to get home.

*Bummer that a string of the lights was broken!