Blog

Ms. Kayser’s Class: A Day to Remember!

Posted on by skayser

This week our students got the chance to share their classroom with their grandparents and special people in their life. The day started out with an amazing concert that filled our hearts with joy. The students took so much pride in practicing the songs and when they finally got the chance to go up on stage to sing for everyone, you could see it beaming on their smiling faces!

After the concert was over was when the real fun began. All of the special persons and grandparents came back to our room and got to spend the morning learning all of the exciting things we do with the children every day. The experience was not only rewarding for the grandparents, it was also so special for the children. Each and every one of them got the chance to show off their hard work, and spend extra time with the ones they loved. Many students paired up and shared their loved ones and created memories that will surely last a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who came and visited our classroom. It made us beyond delighted to share it with you, and see all of our students carefree and joyful.

Have a beautiful weekend,

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Toddler: Fine Motor Skills

Posted on by Sara Kasbarian

Our toddlers have been busy working on their fine motor skills.  Fine motor skills involve the use of the small muscles that control the hand, fingers, and thumb. They help children perform important tasks like feeding themselves, grasping toys, buttoning and zipping clothes, writing, drawing, and more. The ability to complete self-care and every day tasks helps a child’s self esteem and confidence to increase.  The children have been very successful using the works in our environment. We hope you continue to allow your children to practice these skills with you at home.  Some activities could be simply be playing with play dough or cutting, pouring, transferring, lacing, beading, and painting.

The children were also fortunate to be able to visit the music room (again) where they were able to play the xylophone. The children loved sliding the mallet across the xylophone to hear the different sounds it made. We used both a wooden and metal xylophone. The children showed joy hearing all the different sounds!

Thank you to the sun that finally showed its beauty this week!  The children were excited to get outside and enjoy the warm weather.

Mrs. Hood’s Class: The Big Day!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

On Monday morning the children arrived to the environment and found a new sound, the sweet sound of peeping little chicks starting the hatching process. Children were curious and expectant! We were thrilled they were able to observe the external pipping process. This starts when the inner membrane has been pierced and the embryo starts tapping the eggshell repeatedly with its egg tooth, a sharp and strong structure that can temporarily be found on the top of the beak of the embryo. Repeatedly tapping the eggshell in the same spot causes the shell to weaken and eventually break. Pipping demands great effort!  

While cutting, the embryo turns around inside the egg, using its wing for direction and legs as the driving force. Once it  has cut a 3/4th circle in shell of the blunt end of the egg, the embryo tries to push itself out of the egg by forcefully stretching its legs and finally becoming free. The newly hatched chicks looked very wet, tired, and vulnerable. A while after hatching, their down feathers dried and they became fluffy and more active.

The children were amazed and super happy to see the baby chicks! They petted them very carefully and showed great love and respect for them! Now the chicks have been moved to a prepared environment,  the farm where they will grow and be taken care of appropriately.  

A huge thanks to the Heggland family for all their hard work and support during this process! What a great experience this was for our toddlers!

 

“The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul”

– Dr. Maria Montessori 

 

Check out this video of one of  the baby chicks hatching in our classroom!

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Delicious Science!

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

This week, we began our study on exploring our five senses. What better way to teach this concept than to use popcorn? Popcorn is a multi-sensory snack as it incorporates all five of our senses. Plus, it might just be our most appetizing science unit yet! Did you ever notice that when you make popcorn, somehow the entire family knows about it and shows up to have some of this favorite treat?

We began our unit by discussing what our five senses are and how they allow us to observe and understand the world around us. There are five ways we do this; using our eyes for sight, our ears to hear, our tongues to taste, our fingers to touch, and our noses to smell.

First, we made a chart brainstorming what popcorn feels, looks, tastes, smells, and sounds like. Next, we made popcorn using an air popper, which allowed us to listen, watch, and smell the popcorn popping.  Finally, we compared our findings to see if any of our predictions were the same or different after making the popcorn. Best of all, our experiment was edible and was enjoyed by all!

As temperatures rise, it is important that children remain hydrated. Please have your child bring a filled water bottle labeled with their name to school. We bring the water bottles with us whenever we are spending time outside. Thank you!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Michelle & Sonja

Happenings & Events

Posted on by Alison Kistner

FWM Summer Camp is REGISTRATION deadline is TODAY!  Weekly sessions for summer program offerings for Toddler, Primary, and Elementary age children.  Register online at MyFWM.org under PROGRAMS.

8th Year Expert Projects are this Wednesday, May 15th & Thursday, May 16th – 6:00pm. 8th Year students culminating projects. This year’s topics include: White Collar Crime, Microsoft, Cognitive Psychology, Criminal Psychology, Nutrition, Tourette’s, Trauma Surgery, Racial Diversity in America, Racial and Gender Bias in the Criminal Justice System, Air Pollution, Child Education in Developing Countries and Major League Soccer. Each night will have different presentations.

Grandparents Day is this Friday, May 17th – 8:30-10:30am. We can’t wait to spend the morning with our special visitors.

Entire School Early Dismissal this Friday, May 17th – 11:30am. All students will be dismissed at time. There is no after school program on this day.

Lower and Upper Elementary: “Oh the Thinks You Can Think!”

Posted on by Karen Sankey

Over the past week of immersion into the art of musical theater, we have watched in admiration as the children have become completely focused on one common goal. There is something very special about children who are ages six through nine all working together. Older children helping younger, younger looking up to older. Together they persevered and focused and throughout all of the practices stayed enthusiastic about reaching their goal. The result was a performance that they can all be very proud of. What an amazing group of children!

A special thank you to the Farinella family for recording the play. I will be sending an email with a link to the recording for you to watch at home. The children enjoyed watching it during our cast party today. Thank you to everyone who sent in food! Also, thank you very much to the parents who volunteered to help with costumes, props, and set!

A reminder:
The deadline for this year’s FWM sweatshirt is the end of the day on Monday. Order yours now! FWM Sweatshirt Order

PE: Let’s Play T-Ball!

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

 

The Extended Day students participated in a T-ball unit this month.  Students learned how to run the bases and how to hold a wiffle ball. In addition, they learned how to throw and receive a ball as well as batting off a tee.  Throwing a ball is not just physical, it is also cognitive. A child has to plan how much force to put in each toss, where to aim to keep the ball from going too high or low, and when to release.  T-ball helps students to listen as a group, get along with peers, learn how to take turns, and perform independently when needed.  The benefits of T-ball include:  improved balance, coordination, strength and stamina, motor skill development, social skills development, improved self-confidence, and sportsmanship.

Mrs. Hood’s class: Practicing concentration!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Learning cannot happen without concentration. Concentration cannot happen without interest. Whether we are learning to brush our teeth, write our name, bake a cake or solve complex algebraic equations, there is intense concentration specific to the task at hand.
Concentration is a skill that needs practice to improve and develop.
Our Montessori classrooms provide an environment that offers the time and opportunity to practice deep concentration. The uninterrupted work period enables the children to focus on a task for as long as they wish without an adult-imposed schedule. The adult in the environment is cautious not to interrupt and break the children’s concentration. As the ability to concentrate improves, the children also develop better self-control and self-regulation.

What can we do to nurture and protect concentration at home?

In recent times there has been a strong social message for parents to spend lots of ‘quality time’ with children. This could be because of the increased amount of time typically spent away from the home. Parents sometimes fear their children may get bored and try to compensate for the loss of quality time by providing videos, iPads and computer games that can keep children occupied.
It is important to spend meaningful time with your children interacting with them. It is just as important to offer children the opportunity for self-initiated play and the time to become bored. The best way to develop concentration is to practice it, and the best way to let children practice is to avoid interrupting when they are beginning to pay attention to something.

Here are some suggestions for you to do at home:
– Observe your child and identify what it is that holds his attention.
– Arrange the materials he uses so they are accessible and organized.
– Nurture his creative endeavors.
– Resist the urge to interrupt when he is deeply concentrating. Just supervise.
– Be a good role model and show your child that you have work that needs concentration.
– Provide uninterrupted time to complete his task or activity.
– Ensure your child has opportunity to develop his gross motor skills through outdoor play.
– Work on relaxation and introduce meditation or quiet time at the end of the day.
– Adapting these practices at home will support your child to develop concentration, a skill essential to success in schooling and life.

“Concentration is a part of life. It is not the consequence of a method of education”. ~Maria Montessori

A reminder:

The deadline for this year’s FWM sweatshirt is the end of the day on Monday. Order yours now! FWM Sweatshirt Order