Long days of June

Primåvara asta a venit tarziu si este ploioaså si råcoroaså.In putzinele zile cu soare am realizat cå soarele in perioada asta a anului nu mai apune :) Grådina mea aratå exact faptul cå-s incepåtoare si incå testez plantele care se potrivesc sau nu zonei.Nu-i usor deloc,uneori zic mai las doar gazon verde,decat så plang dupå florile care le-am plantat inghivece mari pe balcon pe 16 Mai si a doua zi le-am gåsit degerate,sau un fel de "cråciunitze"mici ,roz care de la atata ploaie aratå de parcå au zilele numårate :(( si totusi sunt in balcon,nu chiar sub cerul liber.Panå si florile din caså,mi-au inflorit vara trecutå iar apoi au intrat si ele la iernat= hibernat :) pt. cå nici frunze nu au mai fåcut,iar acum spre fericirea mea si-au revenit.

Am mai incercat cu semintze de rosii,ardei si dovlecei pe care le-am plantat si tzinut in caså panå la sf. de Mai ,apoi unele le-am pus direct afarå iar altele in serå.Din zeci de råsaduri au mai råmas un ardei ,un dovlecel si o rosie afarå si 3 rosii in serå.Bine cå ceapa si ridichiile o duc bine la råcoare si ploi,iar cainele vecinului de o såptåmanå este plecat ,asa cå nu le-am mai acoperit.Parcå vad cå timpul frumos cand o så infloreascå si liliacul imbobocit,o så vinå cand noi luåm concediu si plecåm de acaså si iar nu apuc så våd si eu mica mea grådina dand roade.

Peter Jöback Stockholm i Natt (Allsång på Skansen)

Royal wedding

More than 1200 guest showed up to give support for the new royal couple, Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel (Westling)Duke of Vastergotland.

It was a beautiful wedding. Gratulerer !

About Montessori philosophy

Somebody was ask me about difference betwen Reggio E. philosophy and Montessori ph. and after I was reading a lot of things I think it`s a lot alike.

Maria Montessori was born in Ancona, Italy in 1870. She was a very unconventional woman, interested in mathematics and biology.
She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School in 1894. After graduation, her first work involved the children committed to the University's psychiatric clinic. Teaching these children led her to dedicate her life to education, so she returned to the University to study philosophy, psychology, and anthropology.
In 1907, she was asked to direct a daycare center in a slum section of San Lorenzo. Word spread of her success and more schools opened using her methods of teaching and her equipment. Dr. Montessori traveled, lecturing and training teachers. In 1909, the first book about her work, The Montessori Method was published.
Foundation of Philosophy
Maria Montessori used a scientific approach in developing her educational philosophy. She pooled ideas from other scientists and philosophers, like Sequin, Itard, Piaget, and Nunn, to create a hypothesis. She used the classroom as her laboratory to test her theories and create her learning materials. The following are some of her conclusions:
Education is the construction of a human being so the materials need to reflect the seriousness of the task.
The motivation to work and learn comes from within the child. The child has a vital force to perfect himself that stimulates him to perform activities.
The child educates himself through his senses when provided the correct environment and the freedom to explore that environment. The teacher is a guide and an aide not a master. The teacher is responsible for preparing the environment and allowing the child to explore it. However, the teacher must recognize the difference between freedom and license.
Maria Montessori believed, as many researchers do now, that the pathways in the brain must be stimulated when the child is young or they may be lost.
In The Classroom
The Montessori classroom is a community where all citizens are responsible for its care. Not only the teacher, but every member of the class is given the responsibility of caring for himself and for the environment. The teacher models respect for the contents and the citizens of the community and in this manner instills this respect in the child.
The aim of Montessori education is the development of concentration, coordination, self-discipline, and independence within the child. These aims are realized by allowing the child to explore freely in a carefully prepared environment and to progress at his own rate. Although the students are sometimes doing work beyond what is offered in more traditional settings, academic superiority is not a goal.
There are four main areas of the classroom: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, and Language. Younger children and first year students tend to spend more time in the Practical Life and Sensorial areas. These areas lay the groundwork needed for the more academic areas. The benefits of the activities include building the muscles in the hand for handwriting and increasing concentration for longer lessons in numbers or letters.
The Materials
The equipment, either Montessori- created or teacher-created, is purposeful as well as beautiful. The materials entice the child to work with them. Tasks start with the concrete and move to the abstract. They also progress from simple to more difficult.
There is a built in control of error so the child can correct himself. Some activities, like pouring, spooning, and sweeping, prepare the child for life. Some activities, like the tower of cubes and the broad stair, also prepare the child for future learning (decimal system, volume, and geometry).

Rhythms of summer

Sunrises dance in the evening sky,the hoops and hollers of kids in the next yard having one last game before bed… soft morning light brushing against climbing roses and the sweet sound of birds filling the air…These are some of the wonderful things that fill up the rhythms of early summer. Where the sky is impossibly blue and the kiss of the air on your skin is warm and full of adventures waiting to be discovered.

The bright summer sun washes worry and stress from our minds. Our spirited inner muse infuses us with emotions and inspiration to play and try new things. Reminding us that all things are possible.

I`m happy again ...just watching the fireflys dance across the evening sky .