Mary’s School Blog

Taming the Dish Demons- Kimberlee Davison

November 21, 2008 at 9:44 am · Filed under mary's montessori school, montessori boone, montessori western nc, preschool western nc, alternative education, montessori education, green living, allowing children to be successful, living up to potential, work, freedom, children at home, chores, independence

“First thing in the morning, I entered the kitchen and sighed. Dirty dishes filled the sink and spilled over the counter, the island, and the breakfast table.

In an attempt to find the culprits, I questioned my eight children, ages 5 to 20, and even my husband. As usual, most of the mess was traced back to a mysterious sprite named Not Me.

The solution came to me one day as we were learning about the birth culture of two of my adopted children. We learned how the traditional people of Kazakhastan live in yurts, tentlike structures, with very few possessions. The way I pictured it, each family member had one and only one bowl for eating meals. When it got dirty, it would be washed.

I headed for a local discount store and picked up a stack of plain glass bowls, wide with flat bottoms. I also chose some fun plastic cups, a different design for each family member.

I decided to introduce the new system with a project that was guaranteed to get an enthusiastic reception. After dinner that evening, I pulled out some glassware paints and instructed each family member to decorate the underside of a bowl.

The next step felt drastic: we packed up the rest of the dinnerware, plasticware, and drinking glasses. I left the fine china in a high cupboard for special occasions. Otherwise, all that was left in the cupboards was the new cups and our decorated bowls, with a couple of spares tucked away in case of guests or breakage.

I taught hech child how to handwash his own cup and plate and place it in the drying rack. We timed ourselves and discovered it took exactly 12 seconds- not much longer than it takes to rinse a bowl and put it in the dishwasher or to drop it in the sink. Even our youngest learned to pull a chair over to the counter and wash their own plates with a little help.

At first, my plan went like clockwork. The kids thought it was a fun challenge to eat everything out of a single bowl.

Inevitably, though, the novelty of the single dish system began to fade. Some of the kids started leaving their dirty bowls around, thinking it wouldn’t matter if they washed them later- or secretly hoping someone would give in and clean the dishes for them. I now knew exactly who the offenders were, thanks to the custom decorated plates. Most of the time, I did once was once unthinkable: nothing.

Why? I realized that each child’s dirty dish was his or her best motivator. Every mom knows what it’s like to wash a bowl of breakfast oatmeal that’s been drying out all day. Now some of my kids knew. And if that wasn’t enough, they learned that they couldn’t fill their bowl with tortilla soup until they’d managed to removed the cementlike remains of lunchtimes mac and cheese.

With our new routine still firmly in place, our dishwasher gets much less use. We used to run it twice a day, and now it’s once every three days. The sink remains almost free of dishes. Occasionally, I wake up to crumbs on the counters and a few pieces of dirty silverware, but the kitchen no longer looks like it was attacked by a pack of wild beasts in the night.”

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Heifer Reading Program

November 18, 2008 at 3:10 pm · Filed under mary's montessori school, montessori boone, montessori western nc, preschool boone, preschool western nc, alternative education, montessori education, how children see the world, Heifer and children

Hey families,

I have had a blackboard leaning against my computer for about a month, and we need it back at school.

It’s been sitting there so that I could tell you how we give to Heifer International every month. The first year I opened the school, I wanted to reach out overseas with the children, in a way that would be meaningful to them. I looked at various “adopt a child overseas” programs, and most of them gave very little to each child, or had huge operating budgets.

I settled for the “Read to Feed” program at Heifer. Heifer gives animals, and training, and support, to families all over the world. The animals are appropriate for the climates and cultures. Then, each family is required to “pass on the gift”- to share a calf, lamb, offspring, output with another family, to share the wealth, to share the opportunity.

Reading the Heifer magazine generally brings me to tears.

At school, every time we read a book, we mark it with a sticker. At the end of the month, we count stickers together, then vote on what animal we would like to donate towards. Last month the choices were: cows (2 votes), sheep (1 vote), water buffalo (1), chickens (1), ducks (1). Bees won with 2 votes.

We get to talk about what you get from each kind of animal, and how to vote (only once

Then I sent a check to Heifer, to buy some bees for someone, somewhere.

We have given almost $3000 to Heifer over the years.

Anyway, now I can erase the board and take it back to school.

(PS Last summer, when Clara went to work for Heifer in Arkansas, one of her roommates was a girl from El Paso who was a Heifer Partner; she and her grandmother had gotten a gift of 2 nanny goats when she was in elementary school…now she works for Heifer

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paying for college

November 15, 2008 at 1:55 pm · Filed under alternative education, paying for college, 529 plans

The Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan is currently offering a $25 refer-a-friend bonus if you open an account and deposit at least $25 by December 15, 2008. You can be a resident of any state, and there are no application or annual fees.

Is This Ohio Plan Any Good?
After doing some research on the best 529 plan for those without an in-state tax break, my opinion was that the two best overall 529s were the Ohio CollegeAdvantage and the Illinios BrightStart plans. Illinois uses Vanguard, has a decent variety of low-cost index options (average ~0.20% total annual expense ratio), and has one of the lowest fee structures around. Ohio is similar - they use Vanguard, are a bit more expensive (average ~0.30% total annual expense ratio), but have a few more investment options like inflation-protected bonds. So yes, it is a solid plan.

Collecting 529 Bonuses
We don’t have kids (yet), and yet I’ve opened a bunch of different 529 plans in different states for their bonuses or in-state resident tax advantages. The nice thing is that you can usually roll them over into another 529 plan, although some states do a tax recapture. (Oregon didn’t.) So open an account, get the bonus, and just see if you like it. If you don’t have kids yet, simply list yourself, your spouse, or even your parents as the beneficiary. You can always change it later.

For the curious, I am currently in a New Hampshire plan run with 0.50% expense ratio by Fidelity because I have a grandfathered-in 2% cash back card that deposits into the 529. Given how good the Ohio account is, one day I might be rolling everything over there.

Referral Bonus Instructions
Both the referred and referree get $25, and I’d love for you to help fund my future kid’s college. I opened the account last week and got my $25 bonus successfully and as promised:

Instructions:

You can enroll online or via mail. The online process was quick and easy, and I didn’t have to mail in anything.
The first step is to input your personal info and choose a login/password. Next, you’ll verify your e-mail and complete the application.
After that, you’ll choose your funding amount and select an investment fund. Your initial deposit must be a least $25, and is funded using the account/routing numbers of your bank account. At the bottom, you will need to enter a referral code to get the bonus. Enter 2437362.
In 1-3 days, your initial deposit will be sucked out, and in 5-7 business days you will get your $25 bonus. The $25 will be deposited directly into the 529 account, and will be invested in the same thing as your initial deposit.
Finally, please send me your name and e-mail address so I can request an “official” referral e-mail be sent to you. Although not mandatory, I feel that this will help if there are any issues.

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Outside time

November 11, 2008 at 2:12 pm · Filed under mary's montessori school, montessori boone, montessori western nc, preschool boone, preschool western nc, alternative education, boys, raising boys, children outside, montessori education, children's health, green living, play, freedom, how children see the world

Hey guys, now that the weather is getting colder, I know how not-fun it is to hang out outside with your kids. I know, because I do it every school day that I am there, for from 20 minutes to an hour a day(depending on the temperature).

The reason I do this is not that I am such a nature buff, or never get cold or bored outside, but for three reasons. 1) I learned, when my children were little, that the best thing to do when I was going crazy, to change the negative energy (mine) was to go outside 2) we were told that outside time every day was part of a Montessori program in my training and 3) I see the difference it makes in your children at school.

I can tell from being with your children that most of you go outside with them a lot, and do cool things. I hope I have some ideas to make it more fun for both of you, which have learned from my years of standing in the 42 degree rain:

1) To quote someone wiser than I (who?): “there is no bad weather, only bad clothes.” I read last year that in childcare programs in the north, the children go outside unless it is colder than -10, as a matter of course.
` 1a) Mittens are good, and even a 2 year old can learn to put on the first one, and you can help with the second one. Gloves are not as warm, and harder to put on.
2a) Hats are good; they are better than hoods.
3a) Raingear is good, but warm is better.
4a) Umbrellas are very fun, tho not so great in crowds (like preschool). They don’t have to be cute, either.
5a) Rubber boots are cold, unless lined with fleece or wool socks.
2) Children will go outside happily, if you are going outside, too. They don’t mind rain, wind, or much of anything, once they get used to the idea. They will learn to go outside on their own, but your being there makes it a no-brainer. So, think of at least one thing you can do out there: fill the birdfeeders, rake a little, move rocks around, check the mailbox, sweep off the porch…which leads to #3…
3) You don’t have to play with children. You don’t have to push them on the swing, dig with them, play pretend play. In fact, I maintain it is better for them to entertain themselves, and I have never seen a child who could not. You don’t even have to watch them, as a spectator. “Watch me jump!” “Okay, I’ll watch you jump, then I need to do my work. Have fun jumping!” They are learning to please themselves, not please you…

and, to repeat:
4) I have never met a well child (not sick) who could not find something interesting to do outside, on their own. Of course, it is nice to have water, sand, some pretend “cooking” items, a few balls, maybe a little trampoline, a friend or sibling, a pet or two, some plants, some rocks, a spray bottle with some water to squirt (not at you!), some sticks, an easel, some hula hoops…but none of this is mandatory…You and I have both seen children sit in a parking lot and play with gravel…

Most of all, have fun!

Love,
Mary

Any ideas to share?

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On the Election 11/7/08

November 11, 2008 at 1:23 pm · Filed under mary's montessori school, montessori boone, montessori western nc, preschool boone, preschool western nc, boys, raising boys, montessori education, believing in children, allowing children to be successful, living up to potential, endless potential, how children see the world

Dear Families,

As many of you know, I have been very caught up in the election (I am looking forward to seeing how much I will get done without that to do and watch…:)

I have, for the first time since I worked for Mondale…:(, activly campaigned, canvassed, given out information, registered voters, worn my button/tshirt…

I never called anyone; just couldn’t do it…

But, no matter how you feel about the results, I hope you will be inspired by this comment from Riley(4) at school on Friday. I was sewing the “I voted” sticker onto our school stuffed rhinoceros, Ezra, so that it wouldn’t fall off. S/he didn’t actually vote, but s/he went to vote with Leigh Reid and Freyja. (S/he seems to have a different sex depending on who is talking, but that is another story) Riley was watching me and said: “Obama is the first president with black hair.”

As usual, I nodded my head, and went on. Then I remembered it later.
Wow. That is how amazing a black president is to Riley. Not very. Interesting, nice, but pretty normal. How cool. How cool that I went to Baltimore last weekend and saw soooo many inter-racial (all races!) young couples. No big deal. What’s the big deal?

I don’t want to dismiss the amazingness of what happened, for black people, for any of us. I have not forgotten the history of this country that John McCain beautifully mentioned in his concession speech. I cried when Jesse Jackson, and Juan Williams, and Condaleeza Rice, and Oprah, and Will Smith, and all those other folks cried. I certainly cried when Charles (above) cried.

I hope he is a great president. But, if he is, or isn’t, it won’t be because he was black, or in spite of it. That is what Riley sees, at least.

You have great kids. Really. And I really think it is becoming a new world.

Love,
Mary

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Mary’s School Blog

Archive for November, 2008

Taming the Dish Demons- Kimberlee Davison

Heifer Reading Program

paying for college

Outside time

On the Election 11/7/08

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