Day 183

6th September 2022

Reggio Emilia

Today we went to the property where Mila will attend one day a week.

We met her educator who was lovely, kind and gentle.

We heard her speak about her time teaching English in Cambodia and how the culture was very caring and shared everything they had.

The home school co-op will take a Reggio approach.

Lincoln & Mila’s preschool was set up the same way. It’s a beautiful & natural style that encourages curiosity within the child, along with materials from the environment that the child can explore and the culmination of this, is meaningful learning.

Here’s how Reggio Emilia says it.

The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy based on the image of a child with strong potentialities for development and a subject with rights, who learns through the hundred languages belonging to all human beings, and grows in relations with others.

We were so excited by the teacher & the philosophy and watching the children come alive in the outdoors.

Within 10 minutes Mila had found a snake.

“Mum! I found a snake! Can I have your phone to take a picture.” She gasped, bursting through the door.

“Sure. Just don’t get too close.” I said handing her my phone.

And then she was gone.

Where we sat for our meeting. The view is 360 deg of bush land and fields. I immediately felt at home. I wanted to run off and see the snake, but I refrained.

Mila’s gorgeous diamond python.

Mila, Linc and a couple of kids on the tramp.

After our morning in the trees, we went to buy Mila’s pocket knife.

Lincy got one on his 10th birthday and although Mila’s only 9, Lincoln said he was ok with her getting it early.

The man at the camping store was very uncomfortable with the idea and said they had to be 16 to buy a knife. 🙄

I made a joke that we were also after cans of spray paint, and this didn’t go down well. 😂

We got our knife and left.

When we got home, we had lunch and then they sat on the back step with their knives.

I forgot to take a picture of her with her new knife! 🙁

Here’s Lincy working on his knife.

After this we completed an English lesson.

Barbarians

After English we got comfy on the sofa, and I read a chapter from our history book.

Today we learnt about the dark ages.

We learnt that the Greek Myceneans, were taken over by barbarians.

The Myceneans were civilised. They lived in houses. The mother didn’t work, instead watched over the slaves and the children went to school. The Myceneans believed education was very important. The barbarians could not read or write, they didn’t have structure in their lives and didn’t know how to make weapons.

But they learnt!

They eventually defeated the Myceneans and ruled in their own right.

As the barbarians couldn’t read or write there is no record of their lives during their reign and this period is known as the dark ages.

After our chapter we wanted to draw a barbarian!