Of Ginger & Spice

HM2V: M is for Montessori

7: HM2V: M is for Montessori

12:10 pm, Vera Manor Garden

"That sounds like a step in the right direction," Macy shakily replied.

"I thought you'd agree," Harry said, smiling. "I'll set everything up so Maya and I can get started tomorrow morning—right here, in Vera Manor Garden."

9 am, Next Morning, Vera Manor Garden

After Maya had sleepily eaten her breakfast, consisting of a quarter of a scooped-out ripened papaya, a half-pint glass of coconut milk, and a cup of whole grain cereal in the Vera Manor kitchen, she was led to Vera Manor Garden by Macy, where Harry sat waiting on a yoga mat in the dewy grass, surrounded by a mixture of whimsical child-friendly objects. After yesterday's tense conversation in the patched-up she-shed, Harry and Macy had decided to decamp at Vera Manor for the evening with Maya, bringing a couple of large duffel bags specially designed to carry 50 times its natural weight, at a mere fraction of the normal heaviness.

9:02 am, Yoga Mat, Vera Manor Garden

According to his online research, Harry had learned that the Montessori Method of Education, developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori, was a child-centered approach based on scientific observations of children (perfect for himself and his wife, he thought to himself, given that they both worked in the scientific field). What particularly drew his attention, was that Montessori's method had been widely applied on an international scale for well over 100 years. Which was, of course, just slightly longer than he had been alive, either as Jimmy Westwell or Harry Greenwood-turned-Valensi. That earned more credibility in Harry's eyes, than just about anything else about the teaching style.

He had read a Wikipedia article on the Montessori methodology, which stated that the method "views the child as the one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It attempts to develop children physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively." That description of the Montessori child matched his own observations of his energetic, intelligent young daughter, and the developmental aspects could, in theory, mesh well with an adapted hands-on, or kinesthetic, approach to magical training of little ones. Harry smiled. "Maya, love, are you ready to be daddy's guinea pig today?"

"Daddy, you're silly," the little girl giggled, shaking her head and tossing her curls left and right. "I'm a girl, not a pig."

"I know, I know," Harry murmured, taking Maya into his lap. "A guinea pig is a cuddly, furry creature that oft is one's first pet. It can also have a scientific meaning—to be the star of an experiment, I suppose you could say. Do you want to be daddy's star?"

"Sure, daddy. Will the experiment be fun?"

"Loads of fun," Harry responded, beckoning toward all of the curious objects that sat all around them.

9:07 am, Yoga Mat, Vera Manor Garden

"This," indicated Harry, pointing to the first set of objects, "is a way of pouring water. You pour the pitcher, full of water," he pointed to the larger of the two containers, "into this cup here." He continued explaining the rest of the items. "The second set of objects are—"

"BUBBLES!" Maya shrieked in delight.

"Yes, Maya, bubbles. You dip this large wand in the soapy suds, and blow into the air, see? Like this," Harry demonstrated, waving a large, baseball-sized orb into the space up above their heads. Maya watched, happily clapping her hands. "Moving on," Harry gently scooched Maya to the third mini station, "are the wooden blocks—stack them however you would like." Maya seemed somewhat less fascinated by these but attempted to pay attention to Harry all the while, hoping that something more interesting lay beyond that particular activity.