Hooray for school

Not a direct quote from the boys, but from ME.  After about 3 weeks of Montessori method at Homestead School, I already see differences in the boys' ability to work together, concentrate on a task,  take turns, speak quietly when necessary AND...Clean Up After Playing.  It's not an absolute, and they are still almost-4-year-old boys with all that entails, but the structure and routines of school have made an appreciable difference at home (most of the time).

Here they are (in mismatched pajamas, chosen by themselves) playing a game together that we've had for almost a year.  This is the first time they've played the game on their own, making neat piles and taking turns hanging up the monkeys on the tree.  Of course, later on, the monkeys repeatedly "crashed" dramatically out of the tree to a loud song that Aidan made up.   BUT, they still cleaned up all the pieces and put it away -- correctly -- when they were done.  Unprecedented!