Montessori & Waldorf & Sewing

So I have spent much time in the past couple of weeks researching these two types of education. I know it's early, b/c N is only 2, but when I called the Montessori school to inquire about maybe sending her there when she is 3, I found out they have a waiting list for Fall 09!! I always considered myself a Type A overachiever, but I guess I was slacking in this area. :)

We went and observed the Montessori school, and while it was better than I expected (I had done some research and a couple of things didn't resonate with me), it still didn't feel 100% right to me. N loved playing with the different toys, and sat very focused while doing each activity. She enjoyed running around and checking everything out. The director was very nice, and not at all super-rigid with the Montessori curriculum, which fits nicely with my outlook. However, the price was too high, and the kids all seemed a bit... too quiet. They sat and ate their snacks without much of a peep. It was a little creepy to me. (This was the 18 month to 3 year old room.) I left feeling like "Hmm that was nice..." but not super excited. I did like the concept of having purposeful toys around, so I am going to work on that for our house a bit more.

We then went to a Waldorf school to look around, and WOW what a difference. I am in love. I already had good feelings about Waldorf, so I guess I went in a bit biased. Everything I have read really goes with my beliefs and my feelings about education, and as I posted awhile back, I used Little Acorn Learning last year with Natalie, which is Waldorf-based. During our visit, there was a small summer program going on, and the kids were cleaning, but were boisterous and happy while doing so. That felt WAY more normal to me. The layout had a much better vibe, and I really felt great about all the teachers I met.

So we are going to sign up for the Parent-Child classes they are holding this year. It's 2 hours, once a week, and it's to get a feel for the Waldorf school. I'm really excited about getting involved in this, and it feels better to me to be doing a parent-child group at this point, instead of sending N off by herself. It's a good way to dip my toes in, so to speak, and get a feel for the place. I have a couple of years to figure this out, but it will be nice to get involved with a group like this and see what's what.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia page about Waldorf Education in case anyone out there is interested in more about this type of program. :)

So that has been my major project this month so far. I have also been working on some sewing. Here is my first home project - it's a skirt to cover up underneath a desk in our kitchen. It has become a storage spot, so it's nice to have something cute covering it up. Next up -- a skirt to cover under the craft table in my office/project room.


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