Blog

Spring Has Arrived on our Playground and in Our Classroom!

Posted on by Sara Kasbarian

We have had a beautiful week!

Outdoors the forsythia is in bloom and flowers are beginning to bud. Indoors our classroom has been centered around the spring-time tradition of egg dying. The children experienced dying hard-boiled eggs, peeling hard-boiled eggs and eating hard-boiled eggs.

The children had two special surprise guests join us in the classroom.  Henrietta and Shell, two Ameraucana Hens.  Thank you to Rachel Heggland for sharing the chickens from her farm with our class!

“The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”- Maria Montessori

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: We’re Going On a Bug Hunt

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

Spring is the perfect time to go for a nature walk and bug hunt and that’s exactly what we did yesterday. Going on a nature walk is simple and full of fun and learning. It’s a great way to spend time outdoors. The secret to a great nature walk is time, lots of time to explore and discover. A bug hunt is a really fun way to help incorporate what we are learning about insects inside the classroom and what we would observe in nature.

As we left the school to begin our walk around the perimeter of the school and see what insects we would discover, we were encouraged by one young friend yelling out “Come on entomologists, we have a job to do!” We had no problem finding insects that were hidden under leaves and rocks, however, flying insects were not to be found. The general consensus is that it was just too cold for flying insects to be out. Mrs. Lyga and I strongly agree!

The best thing about a bug hunt? Once the children get in the habit of learning, observing and studying insects, their reaction is less likely to be “aarrghhhh a bug!”

Have a wonderful week!

Michelle & Sonja

Ms. Kayser’s Class: Be Our Guest!

Posted on by skayser

This week has been an exciting week for our students! To start it off, the children came in on Monday to see that the caterpillars were indeed all spun into their chrysalises! We carefully put them in the upright position in the tank and watched as they wiggled from the unexpected movement. It was such a cool experience for the children to see them move around and prove they were in fact the little caterpillars we received just two short weeks ago. The children anxiously come into the classroom every morning to check on our soon-to-be winged friends. This Saturday marks seven days since they formed their chrysalises, so we may have a surprise waiting for us in the classroom on Monday! The children went outside on the playground and found a few flowers to place in the tank, and we will make a delicious drink of sugar and water to mimic the nectar of flowers in case they decide to come early over the weekend.

Next, the students got a fantastic opportunity to share the classroom with their families at our Parent-Child Night! The night began with a tour around our first Art Show at Fraser Woods, where all the artwork from the year was brilliantly displayed by Mrs. Reid. It was beautiful to see the hard work and dedication the students have put into their pieces. The younger students loved to see all the work that Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School worked on throughout the year! Afterwards the children got to bring their loved ones into our class to show them some of their favorite works. It was such a rewarding experience to watch as the children proudly showed the room to their guests and even gave their own lessons! It was a memorable experience for both the parents and the students that Ms. Alli and I truly enjoyed to watch.

We hope that everyone who celebrates has a wonderful holiday weekend spent with family, friends, love, and laughter.

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Physical Education: “Eggs-Ercise”

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

 

This month, the primary through 5th grade played a game called Eggs-Ercise for their warm-up activity.  For Primary, the game involved matching and sorting the different colored eggs.  We had to run to a cup and check what color they found and match it with the colored egg in the tray. Recognizing the colors and identifying the color names is an important part of a child’s development.  When we recognize colors, we are noticing, matching, sorting, and labeling the characteristics of things in the world around us.  

At the elementary level math was incorporated.  Each team/group had to find a total of 15 eggs but had to arrange them a certain way.  They were asked “How many rows of eggs and how many eggs in each row would you have arrange to equal 15 eggs?”  They would have to work as a team to organize either five rows of three eggs or three rows of five eggs each.  The purpose of this activity is to promote increased fitness, effective teamwork, and math concepts.

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: This Planet We Call Home

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

Maria Montessori believed in giving children experiences in nature. In Montessori education, Earth Day principles are a natural part of everyday learning. Children are encouraged to think about the Earth, and how they can become protectors of this habitat we share with all the creatures around us. This week we celebrated Earth Day in our classroom as an extra way to show respect for the Earth and to build community.  The class discussed what it means to renew, reuse, and recycle. The children planted container bean seeds in a pot made from recycled newspaper. They kept a conservation checklist of things they are doing to help the environment such as turn off the water while brushing teeth and turn off lights while playing outside. Our week concluded with our budding naturalists participating in a bug scavenger hunt, to get close and personal with insects in our environment. By celebrating Earth Day and encouraging children’s participation at a young age, we contribute to cultivating lifelong caretakers of this planet we call home.

Have a wonderful week!

Cindy and Sharlene

Upper Elementary: Botany

Posted on by Brian Comstock

We spent a good deal of time this week exploring botany during our cultural lessons. Specifically we explored the importance of roots and how roots seek out water. We set up a few experiments in class to observe root growth using bean and radish seeds. The students enjoyed these lessons and requested to plant their own seeds.  They are now set up outside our classroom and we will be able to observe their growth.  The enthusiasm of the class sparked some ideas that we are really excited about! Once we wrap up the science fair next week we will progress with the ideas we discussed as a class. Be on the lookout for some additions to our botany studies the following week! For those of you who were able to make it to Parent/Child Night, thanks for taking some time to visit the classroom with your child.

Lower Elementary’s Sense of Wonder

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

To Maria Montessori, the teaching of grammar was at the center of her language curriculum for elementary age children. It is a critical element in our language program. Understanding language and the words we read and write is extremely valuable for the students’ further education.

First and second year students are learning the parts of speech. The aims of this work are to learn the function of each word and to understand the relationship between words. Our elder students have started learning sentence analysis. Sentence analysis is the Montessori version of sentence diagramming and the aims of this work are to study how words are used in sentences. First year students learned about verbs this week. Second years learned about conjunctions. And third year students learned about predicates, subjects, and direct objects.

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.” -Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder.

Our relationships to other living things need to be more than theoretical. Children love animals and plants and relate to them as individuals. Children are drawn to living things and they want to know about them. We can nurture and build on that interest by helping them to sharpen their skills in observation, and to learn and apply methods of appropriate care taking. We are going to be visiting the outdoor classroom as frequently as possible!

Middle School: A Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Thank you to those of you who attended the Art Show and Pizza Dinner! The Middle School students did a wonderful job setting up, doing their jobs, and taking down the event. It was wonderful to see the community come together and enjoy food and conversation. Next week, we will let you know the charity the 8th years choose to donate the proceeds.

This week in math class, the 6th years began their patterns and rules unit. So far, they’ve worked with patterns and graphs and are learning about scaling and intervals when reading and drawing graphs. They have also been working on arithmetic and geometric sequences. The 7th years continue their brief introduction to trigonometric ratios. They have learned how to use the tangent ratio to find the length of a side and concluded with the sine and cosine ratios. From here, the 7th years will continue working with area and perimeter of polygons. The 8th years continue working with quadratic graphs and their properties. They’re working with the formula to find the line of symmetry and the vertex of a parabola.  They are then plotting points in order to graph quadratic functions.

In science class, the 6th and 7th years are beginning to assemble their display boards for next week’s Science Fair. Students are excited to share and display their hard work. The 8th years are continuing their unit on space titled, Minor Bodies of our Solar System. Students tested the difficulties of being an astronaut, performing simple tasks such as opening a CD case, grabbing a pencil, or writing their name wearing gloves. Students also performed a lab demonstrating the formation of an impact crater using plaster of Paris and marbles.

In Humanities, 6th years continue looking at Afghan culture as they began to read, Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai. The book takes place in 2011 and discusses the influences of the Taliban on culture in parts of Afghanistan and the plight of a family traveling to the U.S. for refuge. The students were surprised to learn that at its genesis, the Taliban was not a terrorist group. They are learning through the novel and class lessons the progression of the Taliban as well as the struggle between the people and the Taliban with regards to religion, culture, and everyday life. The 7th years studied the historical context needed to begin George Orwell’s Animal Farm. They learned the differences in the political economic systems of capitalism, socialism, and communism, and then took a look at revolutions: why they occurred, what the goals were, and if goals were achieved. Specifically, they looked at the American Revolution as well as current Sudanese protests and the Yellow Vests in France. This all built up to learning about the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the history building up to it. We are excited to continue reading Animal Farm next week. In 8th year Humanities, we finished the novel, Witness, and are ending our analysis on the novel. Classes surrounding our analytical work have been rich and challenging, which has been exciting to see. We also took pause to discuss some of the controversy following the burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. What are the feelings surrounding this by nationals and foreigners? Why so much controversy over donations? What are the ripple effects of this? We spoke about the outpouring of donations after the Notre Dame fire to the three historically black, Louisiana Baptist Churches that were burned to the ground at the end of March-early April and victims of hate crime. I love allowing students to have a platform to give honest opinions and hear each other’s perspectives while respectfully disagreeing. It’s a great age to start including your children in these discussions and modeling civility while doing so.

All-in-all it’s been a great week! We look forward to seeing you next Thursday at the Science Fair!