Blog

Lower Elementary in the Great Outdoors

Posted on by Karen Sankey

An important part of Montessori education is “going out”. Maria Montessori believed in the great benefits of field trips for children. She said, “The outing whose aim is neither purely that of personal hygiene nor that of a practical order, but which makes an experience live, will make the child conscious of realities … When the child goes out, it is the world itself that offers itself to him. Let us take the child out to show him real things instead of making objects which represent ideas and closing them up in cupboards.”

Our trip to Camp Jewell was a wonderful experience for every one of us. We did a number of fun activities together and spent two days in the beautiful outdoor environment of Camp Jewell. The children enjoyed going down the 50 foot slide and swinging on the giant swing. They practiced their archery skills and used big muscles on the climbing wall. We hiked to the top of a mountain and took in the gorgeous view of the lake and Camp Jewell from above. At our campfire, we all enjoyed the s’mores, skits, and songs. We ended our campfire with the children treating our counselors to a song from their musical.

As much as we all enjoyed our time away, it is always nice to return home and to our routine at school. We have been hard at work these past two days. On Thursday, we enjoyed Reader’s Workshop outside. Third year students have been working on follow up research on the Timeline of Life. After writing reports on animals from the timeline, they are working on making life sized drawings of their animals. We ended our week with Writer’s Workshop in the outdoor classroom.

Creating Beauty and Order

Posted on by Sara Kasbarian

 

“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.” Maria Montessori.-

The Children’s environment should have beauty that brings them peace, and the prepared environment should offer structure, order, be inviting and be well maintained.  The children model this by beautifying our classroom with the flowers that are donated weekly.  They really enjoy the process of arranging the flowers and displaying them.  Everyday the children progress in keeping order in their environment by demonstrating how capable they are with returning work to a shelf when they are done, or how they can give a reminder to a friend that may have forgotten.   It still amazes me what they are capable of!!

We are grateful to the sun this week.  It feels so good to be outside and explore all the fun things that are happening in this blooming season.  Our snow peas have grown so much!  Hopefully we will see some peas before school is out!

Thank you to all the Grandparents and Special friends that were able to visit on Friday.  The children truly enjoyed showing you their classrooms!  Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

 

Up coming events to look out for:

5/31- End of the Year Celebration @ 5p

6/4- Field day*

6/6- Bridge crossing ceremony @ 10:15*

*more details to follow

 

Upper Elementary: Nature’s Classroom

Posted on by Brian Comstock

We had an outstanding time on our two night overnight to Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, MA!  The students worked in class today to help create a Top 10 List of their favorite things about the trip. Enjoy and have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Top 10 Best Things About Nature’s Classroom

  1. Food
  2. Night Experience (campfire and s’mores)
  3. Quiet Sing
  4. Field Group (atl-atl, camo)
  5. Science Fair
  6. Transition time (soccer, cards, kickball)
  7. Special Interest Classes (Thor, Pond Probe, Roller Coaster, Remember Me)
  8. NC Teachers
  9. Group games (bat vs moth)
  10. Cabins

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Making Memories!

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

A Grandparent is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher and a little bit best friend.   –Unknown

Relationships with grandparents and special friends all have a profound impact on the development of our children.  The bond between different generations is powerful and beneficial for everyone.

Last Friday, we celebrated Grandparents/Special Friends Day and the children were so excited to welcome their special guests into the classroom. This is a time that the teachers step back and let the children lead. They are so enthusiastic to share the materials and lessons with their grandparent/special friend. We love to observe how much they have grown since the beginning of the school year and the pride they take in their accomplishments. The very best part is seeing the pure joy on everyone’s faces. It is always a special day at school. If a picture speaks a thousand words, there are many stories in the pictures here and they all have a common thread–love.

Have a wonderful week!

Michelle & Sonja

Ms. Kayser’s Class: Spring Cleaning

Posted on by skayser

““The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, “The children are now working as if I did not exist.” – Maria Montessori

The end of the school year is right around the corner and the maturity and independence of the children proves it. They continue to amaze us with their ability to work and act so responsibly with little to no need for intervention on our part. We remember the first few weeks of school, the hectic transition period where new and returning students came together for the first time trying to navigate the new year. It was not always easy, but every day was a new learning experience that they have kept with them all year long.

Now that we only have a few weeks left, the children act as if we did not exist; they are able to independently navigate the environment, make peace with their peers when conflict arises, and know the standards we must uphold in our classroom. With the season for “spring cleaning” upon us, there has been an even greater drive in the children to maintain our environment. The children have spent an entire year learning the daily chores that need to be done in the classroom, such as window washing, table scrubbing, dusting, and even flower arranging. What once was a “lesson” on the shelf, is now a daily activity for the children in our room that they truly enjoy.

All the best,

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Ignite Your Excitement

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature,”- Maria Montessori 

Being outdoors ignites a unique excitement and curiosity in children that cannot be replicated in the classroom (unknown).  Every day your children spend time learning, working together, and exploring our natural playground. Daily outdoor learning helps to develop healthy, active lifestyles and routines for the children, while providing them with hands-on experiences in our natural world. Our beautiful natural playground provides unique experiences to stimulate the children’s creativity and contribute to their appreciation of nature.

Helping children develop an appreciation for the outdoors is one of the significant benefits of regular outdoor play. The outside world is full of beautiful sounds, sights, textures, and life. Exposing children early on to the beauty of the world around them can be the perfect way to boost the aesthetic development of a child, allowing them to be more aware of all the beauty around them.

Here’s to rising temperatures, longer days, and the opportunity to spend time exploring the outdoors!

Until next week,

Cindy & Sharlene

Upper Elementary: Welcome, Guests!

Posted on by Brian Comstock

 

After our successful play and immersion week we returned to our regular routine and work cycle on Monday. Some of the choices students made included literature study, botany, reading responses, and geometry activities using the tan grams and pattern blocks. We welcomed a student visitor to our class on Wednesday and hope she joins our school for the coming school year! On Thursday we enjoyed an all sports celebration after school with Mrs. Pascarella. Thanks to the volunteers that offered their time to help, or donate snacks and supplies for the celebration. We concluded the week welcoming special friends and grandparents to our classroom. They made acrostic poems to give to one another before the visits ended. It was wonderful to see the children interact with their guests!

Music: DELIGHTFUL RHYMING

Posted on by Yun-Kyung Kim

“There should be music in the child’s environment, just as there does exist in the child’s environment spoken speech. In the social environment, the child should be considered and music should be provided.”~Maria Montessori

Our Primary classes have enjoyed learning rhyming songs with accompanying movements. These young children, who possess absorbent minds, love chanting poems and singing songs especially when they rhyme. Beyond the delighted participation, there has been lots of research proving the benefits of ‘Nursery rhymes’ for Primary-aged children. Below are some of the most significant findings.

Cognitive Development

  • Repetition of rhymes and stories is good for the brain, teaching how language works and building memory capabilities.
  • Nursery rhymes help develop inferencing skills, both with encountering new words and in reading comprehension.
  • Because these verses are made up of patterns, they are easy first memorization pieces.

Speech

  • Nursery rhymes are important for language acquisition and help with speech development.
  • They help children develop auditory skills such as discriminating between sounds and developing the ear for the music of words.
  • Rhymes like these help kids articulate words, modulate voices (practicing pitch, volume, and inflection) and enunciate clearly by saying them over and over without fear of criticism.
  • Nursery rhymes are excellent, natural choice for a first recitation selection.
  • The mouth and tongue muscles are developed as children say these rhymes.
  • Listening comprehension is a foundational skill that is often skipped, but nursery rhymes can help ensure this crucial ability (that precedes reading comprehension) is covered.

Reading

  • Nursery rhyme knowledge provides an excellent foundation for later literary works.
  • They are a great introduction to stories since many contain a beginning, middle, and end (sequencing).
  • Familiarity with nursery rhymes makes good readers, even despite differences in social background.
  • Work with these verses helps children detect phonetic segments of words.

Language

  • Nursery rhymes increase vocabulary.
  • They help children assimilate language.
  • They are a wonderful introduction to poetry.
  • They promote spelling skills.
  • Verses like these introduce literary devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia, and imagery.

Creativity

  • Nursery rhymes expand children’s imagination.
  • They promote creative dramatization when kids act the scenarios out.

History

  • These classic verses preserve the culture and provide something in common between multiple generations (a good way to bond with grandparents or when meeting new people!)
  • Nursery rhymes teach history and connect a child to the past.

Math

  • Nursery rhymes are full of patterns, sequencing, numbers, and counting (forward and backward).
  • They also discuss size, weight and other important math vocabularies.

Physical

  • Since many nursery rhymes involve movement, coordination and physicality are integrated with their readings (Think “Ring Around the Rosey” or “London Bridge.”)
  • Coordinating finger-plays are helpful for fine motor skill development.

Social and Emotional

  • Nursery rhymes develop humor.
  • Because of the connection between movement, rhythm, and words, singing these songs can be a great group activity.
  • Children can learn social skills from many of the rhymes.
  • Nursery rhymes are familiar and can thus provide comfort and support to youngsters in uncomfortable situations.