ethan and camryn: Nothing

This was the first week all summer long when we didn't have to be anywhere, anytime, at all. It was sublime. No camp, no swimming, no trips, no visits, no appointments, NOTHING! A true vacation. We slept in all week, started each leisurely morning with an episode (or two) of Curious George in bed, and since E and C are now able to prepare a cereal breakfast from start to finish on their own (which is great for many reasons, mainly of course because H and I get a few extra minutes in bed), my mornings went from stress to bliss.

We spent a lot of time with our Montessori work this week and both Ethan and Camryn are concentrating for longer periods, growing in all areas, and most importantly, really enjoying the process! We literally lost track of time working many days this week and they impressively kept themselves busy and engaged for two to three consecutive hours each day. Ethan's behavior during these work periods is perfect, confirming yet again the genius of Montessori. I only wish it were easier to make our whole house a "prepared environment" and myself a perfect role model all the time.

Ethan could hardly wait for his new iron to arrive, watching for it every day, and he ironed everything he could get his hands on when it finally did come (a few days later than expected). It took him a little while to figure out the pressure he needed to use and the steam feature, but once he did, his technique was flawless. I don't remember the last time I ironed anything--which speaks to my stay-at-home-mom wardrobe and its urgent need for an upgrade! Ethan showed particular interest in math this week and practiced working with the teen beads. He definitely seems to have a knack for numbers and mathematical concepts and is much more drawn to those materials than language/art at this point. I don't want to push him. He is SO ready to read, yet he's just not interested, not in any real way, not yet. Another new interest has been in maps, roads and general geography. He always wants to know the name of the road we're on and in what direction we're traveling, and he seems to recognize a place and its relative location even if we've only been there once before. He's always had an uncanny sense of direction; I remember how stunned we were when he directed us home at age two! He loves to watch the GPS and loves to berate me the second I miss or opt for a different route. Anyway, a few days ago he decided to make his very own continent map by push-pinning each continent, glueing, labeling, painting and making his mama oh-so-proud with a beautiful finished piece (even though it's all about the process!).

Camryn LOVES practical life work - polishing, folding napkins, scooping, pouring, squeezing, beading, etc. It's so fun to watch her scrunch her little face with focus and refine her little hands with every tiny turn of her wrist. She is fiercely self-directed and independent and the biggest challenges are 1) getting her to watch a presentation in it's entirety before jumping in herself and 2) cleaning up when she's finished with an activity. She learns quickly and easily and is curious and enthusiastic about EVERYTHING, especially anything that Ethan is doing. But, unlike her big brother, Cami is very drawn to language and in addition to an incredible vocabulary she already knows all of the letter sounds (and has for the past six months at least). She might be close to reading and writing and was very proud of writing a most beautiful "m" this week.

In between all the work, we did manage to squeeze in a magic dragon ride, plenty of play around the neighborhood, a swim at Walden Pond, a playground date and even a journey aboard a pirate ship! AHOY, MATEY!