SOMETIMES WE NEED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, RIGHT?
CREATING
My eCourses are now on the Trillium Montessori site and that gives me more time to create!
Did you happen to lose touch with your kid students in 2020-21?
As a result of the pandemic, I had lost my bearings in my work and career.
Yes, I did have fun doing Zoom Music classes with some of the groups I had worked with in person before covid.
The children were so happy to "see" me again, and I did get the hang of teaching online. That was an interesting process since some of the children were piled up cozy in their beds, some were rolling around on the rug in their living rooms, and some were "glued to their parents' side" as they were still a bit scared of the zoom experience!
Gradually, we all got better at it, and it was always fun.
Children were using wooden spoons from their kitchens for Rhythm Sticks. Sometimes, we even used tissues as a substitute for movement scarves. It was an ongoing and creative process, and the teachers were so appreciative and excited to give their little "zoomers" some enrichment experiences during those unexpected and sometimes confusing times of online learning.
However, when the kids returned to in-person schooling again, I was not comfortable being in the classrooms of 24-36 young children, and so until recently, I've been a "virtual teacher" for adult educators and I've only had special times when my grandchild, god child, and their little friends have made music with me in- person in my home or theirs.
During the past year, I have been collaborating with the Trillium Montessori team to move all my eCourses over to that site, and it has been a wonderful success!
In the meantime, I realized that what I really want to do nowadays is work with a small group of local children in the afternoons making music and art, and exploring the outdoor classroom. My three favorite things to do with kids!
ENTER: Montessori Kids Studio
Fortunately, I have my entire music studio with a small Orff Instrumentarium set up in my home.
Two of my rooms are dedicated to music and art activities for a group of six children in the afternoons.
I'll be opening up my small program: "Montessori Kids Studio" in late January 2024.
It has been an exciting new endeavor that gives me a satisfying "purpose" again.
Not that teaching online eCourses isn't giving me a purpose in my work. Actually it is very satisfying...but I had to face it:
I'VE BEEN MISSING THE KIDS!
I miss the classroom experience with its routine, its "bee hive buzz" and its community of young learners.
So, I thought I'd start "Vlogging" about my old stand-by Montessori curriculum, my new small home studio setting, and my new ideas for music, the arts, and the outdoor classroom that I have been developing over recent years when I had lots of time to take eCourses and Webinars from some of my favorite creators.
Now that Trillium is handling my eCourses, I have time to develop more activities for music, the arts and especially the Outdoor Classroom. And, with my adorable Montessori Kids Studio, I have children to try out those activities and give me even more ideas!
I hope you enjoy my Vlog Series, where you can get a little glimpse of how I prepare for my music and art lessons and explore some of the beautiful places in my neighborhood in the Redwoods of Northern California. And you'll meet my sweet little companion, Gigi. My beautiful little Pomeranian doggie that was a gift from my daughter. She loves my little collection of rhythm instruments!
