This week we wrapped up our family ancestry studies at Research Night. The students did a wonderful job preparing and presenting their family history. This project was a perfect compliment to our history studies that focused on our closest living relatives and our closest fossil relatives. I hope this sparked an interest in your child to continue to find out more about their family and pass along what they learned to future generations. Thanks again for your support throughout the research process!
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Mrs. Lopes’s Class: Classroom News
On February 12th we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in our classroom. Giving and receiving valentines is a special part of a child’s school experience and one they truly enjoy! There are 21 students in our class. Please have your child sign (alone or with your help) the back of each valentine. Leave the envelope blank (with no specific name on it). This enables your child to distribute his/her valentines without having to read each classmate’s name. If your child is able to read the names of their classmates then they may choose to write names on the outside of the envelopes. Please allow ample time for the name writing process. This is a great vehicle for them to practice writing their name so remember to use upper case only for the first letter of their name. We will be passing out valentines on the 12th but please feel free to send in completed valentines before then. Have fun!
On Wednesday, February 19th the kindergarten students will be celebrating the 100th day of school. From the very first day of school, the kindergarten children have been learning to count by 1’s, 5’s and 10’s to 100. That afternoon is filled with fun activities and special snacks. Each kindergartner will be asked to bring in 100 small objects to share with the class. These objects will be returned. A letter and plastic bag for the objects will be coming home soon.
If you have not yet signed up for a time to meet on our Parent/Teacher conference day please take time to do so by clicking the link below. We look forward to seeing everyone on February 13th!
Enjoy the week!
Amanda & Deanna
3D Printing in Kindergarten
Kindergarten students started the new year with learning the basics of 3D Printing. We took a “tour” of our 3D printer gallery and discussed what a 3D printer can do. We held the filament in our hands and looked at color choices. Then we went to our iPads and learned about three dimensions- woah! Once in our iPads, we learned how to draw and convert our drawing to 3D. Then I added their handwritten names to a rectangle template and printed them in their selected color.
This experience, holding what you created on a computer, is truly a special moment. The oh’s and ah’s could be heard around the building!
Mrs. Lopes’s Class: Becoming Bubbleologists!
On Thursday, the Connecticut Science Center visited us for an exciting program called “Bubble-ology.” The children were introduced to what a ‘bubbleologist’ would study. We learned why there are rainbows in bubbles and how they are made. We now know that bubbles pop from the top because of the weight of the soap and that with helium you could make bubbles go up instead of falling down. The best kept secret in the bubble industry is that with a little bit of sugar added to a bubble mixture you can catch bubbles! We tried putting our hands on a large bubble without it popping, but couldn’t do it unless our hands were really, really soapy.
We look forward to sharing with you all of your child’s social, emotional and academic growth during parent/teacher conferences on February 13th. Please be on the lookout for our Winter 2020 Conference sign up in an email.
Have a wonderful week!
Amanda & Deanna
The Montessori Work Cycle
“The mind takes some time to develop interest, to be set in motion, to get warmed up into a subject, to attain a state of profitable work. If at this time there is interruption, not only is a period of profitable work lost, but the interruption, produces an unpleasant sensation which is identical to fatigue.” -Dr. Maria Montessori
A Montessori classroom is a sacred space. Our focus as adults in that space is on what is best for the children and for that reason we treat them with utmost respect. We protect their right to focus and concentrate on their work without interruption from their peers, adults entering the classroom, and even from ourselves. Maria Montessori says, “To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.” The children lead this environment and adults can sometimes distract from this. Each child in a Montessori classroom is working to become independent. To be successful with this independence, the children have to feel empowered to solve their own problems, have a consistent and predictable routine, and have the opportunity to work independently. Our Montessori classroom is a community where we take the growth in independence of each child seriously. We strive to provide a space where the children feel comfortable and confident that they can trust adults to respect their environment. This enables them to become independent and helps to shape them as they grow.
This week the children have been busy working on their research projects in preparation for Research Night next Thursday, February 6th. They are enjoying learning more about the topics they chose and they are looking forward to sharing all of their newly learned information with you! In addition to their research, they have been working hard on their independent and cooperative work. Ms. Beckett and I take turns sitting with the children and observing them as they work each day. By the end of the week we have sat with each and every child in the class. Doing this allows us to see when children are having difficulty with their work or when they are ready to move on to the next lesson. That is the beauty of individualization in a Montessori classroom. Each child gets to move at their own pace and receives the undivided attention of their teacher.
Mrs. Hood’s Class: 1,2,3,4,5
“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is
par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.”
E.M. Standing: Maria Montessori: Her Life and Her Work p. 344
Dr. Montessori observed that young children learn early mathematical concepts through touching, stacking, sorting, and handling objects as they count them. It is through this manipulation of various materials that children learn to recognize quantities, sequence, and patterns. This is the groundwork for basic mathematical principles.
In our toddler environment math can be found in all areas of the classroom, providing indirect foundations for higher-level math skills developed in the Early Childhood environments. Some examples of Toddler math materials include stacking and nesting cubes/bowl/rings, blocks, puzzles, sorting, games, and counting materials. Other mathematical concepts like colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes are also explored daily through play/work.
One of the activities children seem to enjoy are concrete exercises such as counting out loud how many peers are present using the magnet pictures they use to transition inside of the environment. Also, how many peers are absent. They love books, songs, and fingerplays that encourage them to count. This week we introduced a lovely fingerplay song called: Five Little Snowmen. As they loved it and kept asking to repeat over and over, I promised them I would send it to you so they could practice it at home and teach it to you.
On the subject of snowmen, another highlight of the week was a lovely art piece the children created called: “My Melted Snowman.” Children had fun helping me mix glue and shaving cream to create snow puff paint and then explore the mixture while painting their own piece of art. They added a hat, arms, nose, eyes, and smile as they pleased, finishing it with the magic of glitter. Even though the result was adorable, it seems what they loved the most was the experience and process of this fun project. Their smiles throughout the activity were just priceless.
For food tasting this week, children used all their senses to explore a mango! They seemed to be in awe of the color of the skin being red on one side and green on the other side. They seemed to be very surprised to find out the mango was yellow inside as well. Most of the children thought it was either blue, black or red inside. 🙂 Needless to say, children enjoyed the mango and kept asking for more, so go ahead and add it to your grocery shopping. Also, bring your toddler with you and make them part of the experience! Grocery shopping (and cooking) is one of the best ways to encourage and lay mathematical foundations that will benefit your child’s development tremendously.
As promised, here is the song your child loved this week. Hope you have fun with it too.
Five little snowman standing in a row (hold your hand up showing your 5 fingers)
Each with a hat (pat your head)
and a big red bow (touch your neck)
up came the sun and it stayed all day (bring your other hand high pretending to be the sun)
and one little snowman melted away (hide one finger)
3 Ways to Support Language Learners
As we move into a new calendar year, students are acquiring the language at an impressive rate. Students, primary through middle school, are able to answer yes/no and either/or questions, in addition to some open ended questions. Their comprehension has developed through storytelling, songs, movietalks, and by reading independently. If you are not a Spanish speaker, you may wonder, “How do I support my child in a language I do not know myself?” Here are some things you can do outside of school:
- Expose your child to music in Spanish. The younger children LOVE the Super Simple Español songs. They have many Spanish versions of popular songs they already know in English, so they are excited to hear familiar tunes. Also, singing in Spanish helps them to retain the vocabulary.
- Share bilingual books with them. Your local library or bookstore is bound to have lots of titles available in Spanish. Sometimes, I send home copies of stories we have read in class. If your child is older, looking for proficiency based readers designed for novice and intermediate language learners will best suit them. If you’re nervous about pronunciation, try audio books!
- Podcasts can be a great resource to provide more input. You can download a podcast to play during your commute to school or as background noise while your child is playing. Hearing the language without seeing something can help to solidify their comprehension skills and challenge them to make those connections in a new way.
Remember to take it slow! Focus on input. Can you recall when your child was an infant, simply absorbing the world by observing and listening? Children are acquiring language from birth, yet they may not be ready to produce much output for a year or two after being exposed. Allow your child to use the language without feeling pressure. Avoid questions like, “How do you say ______ in Spanish?” There may be vocabulary they do not know yet, and asking a question they are unable to answer may deter them from wanting to share what they know.
Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Becoming Bubbleologists!
On Thursday, the Connecticut Science Center visited us for an exciting program called “Bubble-ology.” The children were introduced to what a ‘bubbleologist’ would study. We learned why there are rainbows in bubbles and how they are made. We now know that bubbles pop from the top because of the weight of the soap and that with helium you could make bubbles go up instead of falling down. The best kept secret in the bubble industry is that with a little bit of sugar added to a bubble mixture you can catch bubbles! We tried putting our hands on a large bubble without it popping but couldn’t do it unless our hands were really, really soapy.
We look forward to sharing with you all of your child’s social, emotional, and academic growth during parent/teacher conferences on February 13th. Please be on the lookout for our Winter 2020 Conference sign up in an email.
Have a wonderful week!
Michelle & Jeannine