Starting again!

I've had 4 months to get settled in with our new baby (I'll call him Bumble Bee I guess) and now I'm feeling like I have completely neglected Link!  My goal was to start having 'school time' with him by the time he was 2 1/2.  Now I have only one month to prepare, but I think I can do it.  So this post is all about what I'm doing to get started, which is mainly reading.  

In addition to blogs, I'm getting ideas for activities and language activities from a few books recommended by My Boys Teacher over at What DID we do all day?  The first is Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under Fives by David Gettman.  This book was the most help in determining what activities to start with.  I tend to want to do the ones that look like they'd be a lot of fun, but then realize that they are too advanced.  Finding activities with instructions online is easy, but sorting them into the proper periods is not (for me at least).  So what I found the most useful from this book was the section where Gettman lists the activities for each Period.  So, my plan is to make a list of the activities he has in Period One, and introduce them gradually to Link.  Many of them are explained in detail in his book, and the ones that aren't in the book I think I'll be able to find online.  Once I actually start introducing them, I'll post more about that.

The Practical Life, Sensorial, Language and Culture activities are all described in Gettman's book, but I wanted more help in the Language area.  My Boys Teacher also recommended A Path for the Exploration of Any Language Leading to Writing and Reading by Muriel Dwyer and Montessori Read and Write: A Parent's Guide to Literacy for Children by Lynne Lawrence.  Both of these books have been helpful, but honestly, I think My Boys Teacher does an excellent job of summarizing the process, so anyone interested would do good to check out her blog because I'm not even going to attempt an explanation.  So I'm going to begin with the language games (I Spy) in earnest!  I hope that by the time I'm ready to start school time, he'll know the sounds well enough to start identifying objects by their sounds.  

I don't know how I'll ever fit school time in!  Now that we're out of the city with a wonderful yard to play in, Link wakes up every morning and the first thing he wants to do is play outside.  I just can't say no!  So our day consists of breakfast, playing outside, lunch, playing outside, naps, cooking/cleaning, dinner and bedtime.

Plus, the weather here is soooo wonderful, I just can't stand to stay inside either.  (We moved from GA to TN for anyone not familiar)  It'll probably start getting cold soon, so maybe that will help motivate me more :)  

So that's where I am.  I haven't actually started a thing yet!  First I have to find a place to have school that won't be distracting and a time that will be good for everyone.  Then I just have to cross my fingers and hope that Link actually wants to participate.  Wish me luck!