Showing posts with label steiner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steiner. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Project Trays

Bird project tray

We are just starting our home education journey and I have been reading a lot around Steiner and Montessori methods, both of their methods advocate project based learning and it's something we have been trying out. I decided on a bird project as it's something Seth has a lot of interest in at the moment and with spring approaching it seemed appropriate. As we began we quickly gathered a small collection of crafts, treasures and books that we needed to find somewhere to keep and that's how I thought of setting up a project tray, it's portable, it's inviting and it promotes conversation and learning.

My project tray ideas -

  • It should provide a sensory experience, whether that is see, smell, touch, taste or hear, in this basket we have picture books to see, feathers and seeds to touch and a bird whistle to hear.
  • It could hold crafts that have been made as part of the project, here Seth has made a nest out of string and glue filled with a mix of plain and red cabbage dyed eggs.
  • It could contain some books on the topic, fact and fiction.
  • It provides a place to display treasures that have been collected during the project, so far we have some feathers and a bird whistle.
  • It should have a notebook or scrapbook in as a place to write and record the project.

Some more ideas for things to keep in the tray, depending on age and project, are a camera, magnifying glass, bits of nature, souvenirs, photos and artwork.

What things would you put in a basket? Or do you already do something like this and do you find it useful?



Monday, 21 January 2013

First sewing.

 
Seth and Julie sewing
 
 
 
Leading up to Christmas Julie and I were doing lots of sewing projects with Seth eagerly watching on, sometimes patiently, sometimes not so. He often asked if he could try, which on my electric machine probably wouldn't have been a good idea for a three year old, though luckily Julie has an old hand powered Singer which last week he was finally able to have a go on. He enjoyed it in a way that wasn't loud and exuberant but in a way that was calm and focused, he concentrated hard with respect for the sharp needle in front of him and was very proud of the sewn lines that he produced. 
 
In the days since I have been inspired by his enthusiasm and am hatching plans for a textile based project to follow on from his current bird themed project, hmm where to start!