The Great Story
The first lesson we give to 6 year olds starting elementary in the Montessori program is the Great Story. It is the story of creation of the universe and an overview of how the Earth was formed and some of the laws that govern the universe such as matter is in different states depending on the temperature.
The Great Story is filled with wonderful impressionistic charts. Here’s a couple below
so you get an idea. There are amazing facts such as light travels at 186, 000 miles per second and it would take 106 years to drive to the sun at 100 m/hr. Also there are fun experiments including one showing how some particles in the universe are attracted to each other and others are repelled and a big volcano experiment.
So imagine I have 3 enticing experiments and a series of beautiful charts and one chair for my almost 6 year old and I am ready to deliver this wonderful lesson which is supposed to fill him with awe and wonder of the magnificent universe that God has created.
I start! I am serious and well rehearsed and I am just getting into it and he says.
Excuse me, but I know this! Can I just do the volcano?
No! You can’t interrupt the Great Lesson!
I keep going and he’s impressed by the relative size of the sun to the Earth.
Excuse me, can I just do the volcano 1 time?
No. I have to do this experiment first. You have to sit and watch.
OK. Can you hurry up?
Speed. Sit down and watch. No more interruptions.
I say my spiel. I did see his imagination turning over in his head briefly and the moment volcano was mentioned he jumped up and lept in front of the volcano, trying to wrench the baster of vinegar out of my hand.
My turn, I said.
It was an impressive volcano.
I had an extra bottle of the volcano recipe mixed and ready to go for him afterwards. He squirted vinegar in the volcano 27 times.
He thoroughly enjoyed it.
Update on Chuckles:
We went to an orthopaedic specialist today, Dr Cunningham at the ONS Center in Greenwich, CT. They retook x-rays and compared both of Chuckles elbows to make sure everything was in order. His conclusion was that she has a small break in the elbow that will heal by itself and that she probably dislocated the bone and it went back into place and that is why there is swelling and dark patches on the x-rays around the bones and also explains the pain. She will be in a sling and it will take 4-5 weeks to completely heal. So that is all very good news! Thank you for all the phone calls and presents. She has been extremely touched by all the love 
