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Mrs. Lopes: A Look at Our Week

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

First the education of the senses, then the education of the intellect—Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori believed there is a sensitive period for a child’s development of their senses. Although the senses are an integral part of our lives, children have the greatest potential to develop and retrieve them during their early years. It is precisely this idea that demonstrates the purpose of Sensorial materials in the Montessori classroom. The Sensorial materials are powerful tools that allow children to become aware of their unconscious impressions and bring these impressions into conscious awareness. Additionally, they enable your children to create a basis of order in their minds, allowing for the intelligent exploration of their environment.

This week we are beginning our study on the five senses. What better way to teach this than to use popcorn? Popcorn is a multi-sensory snack as it incorporates all five of our senses. 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 begin by discussing our five senses and how we use different body parts to learn about things in our environment. For example, our noses are for smelling, ears are for listening, eyes are for seeing, hands are for touching, and our tongues are for tasting. We learned that sometimes, we use more than one sense at a time.

Next, each child had the opportunity to handle popcorn kernels to observe what they saw, smelled, and felt. We record all of our observations as we go along. Finally, we used an air popper to pop some popcorn. Now, we can include our observations about hearing and tasting as well.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

First the education of the senses, then the education of the intellect—Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori believed there is a sensitive period for a child’s development of their senses. Although the senses are an integral part of our lives, children have the greatest potential to develop and retrieve them during their early years. It is precisely this idea that demonstrates the purpose of Sensorial materials in the Montessori classroom. The Sensorial materials are powerful tools that allow children to become aware of their unconscious impressions and bring these impressions into conscious awareness. Additionally, they enable your children to create a basis of order in their minds, allowing for the intelligent exploration of their environment.

This week we began to discuss the five senses. We discussed how we use different body parts to learn about things in our environment. For example, our noses are for smelling, ears are for listening, eyes are for seeing, hands are for touching, and our tongues are for tasting. We learned that sometimes, we use more than one sense at a time. We also talked about people who do not have the ability to use all five senses, such as those who are blind or deaf.

In the afternoon, the older children had the opportunity to engage all five senses as we popped popcorn using an air popper. We closed our eyes and listened to the sound of the kernels being poured into the popper, then the sound as they began to pop, we enjoyed the aroma as the kernels heated and what an exciting sight to see all the fluffy white popcorn – and of course we enjoyed the delicious tasty treat. We even tried tasting some with salt, as we discussed our taste buds.

Our 4 and 5-year-olds were also invited to visit Lower Elementary, where they set up tables to share their research projects with us. Our students learned about famous athletes, Texas, Albert Einstein, and a variety of different animals, among other things! It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved!

Wishing your families a wonderful spring break with a perfect balance of fun and relaxation.

Ms. Marissa: Weekly Update

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

The month of March brings our study of rainbows! We all are anxiously waiting for Spring weather, so why not bring it into the classroom?! We will be learning all about rainbows, weather, and the water cycle with some fun hands-on experiments upon our return from break. This week, the children have been having fun learning the order of all the colors in the rainbow. We have also been practicing a fun poem; ask your child if they can recite it with you!

Rainbow, rainbow in the sky,
Peeping out as clouds go by.
Red, orange, yellow, green and blue,
There is purple in there, too!

Have a wonderful Spring Break, and hopefully, the weather cooperates for some fun outside time!

Ms. Mollie: Hello March!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

Hello March! What a wonderful week! We enjoyed being outside every day this week! After what feels like a long winter with little time to be outside, this “spring” like weather has been welcomed. Our different daily weather gave us many opportunities to talk about the weather and how it feels or looks. Each day the children were convinced it was stormy out, due to the heavy clouds….with some explanation and observations we could see the sun did hide behind the clouds. The children noticed that the daffodils are coming up by our classroom, too. Indeed, spring is coming!

Our week was filled with Birthday celebrations, sensory exploration, new works, and overall joy! The children have been so curious this week; it’s made for a very fun week! As our spring break is beginning, remember to enjoy the curious nature of your child, and enjoy the little moments! Wishing you all a safe, happy, restful spring break!

With Full Hearts,

Ms.Mollie. Ms. Lizette and Ms. Anabel

Mrs. Hood: Green, Gold, and Giggles: A festive week of learning!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

This week, we immersed ourselves in the traditions and folklore of St. Patrick’s Day. The children were captivated by the festive environment, exploring new works and decorations inspired by the color green. It was a wonderful opportunity for sensory engagement and language enrichment as they encountered various shades of green throughout the classroom.

One of the highlights of our week was learning about leprechauns! We introduced the Irish folklore surrounding these mischievous little beings who are believed to guard pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. This story sparked a wonderful conversation about real and pretend, helping children understand the difference between stories based on history and those that come from imagination and tradition.

To bring this tale to life, we played an exciting math game in which we hid small leprechauns around the classroom. The children eagerly searched for them, practicing their counting skills along the way. The goal was to find a total of twelve, and once all were discovered, each child received a special gold coin. It was truly precious to watch the older toddlers helping the youngest to find their leprechauns! This daily game quickly became a favorite, fostering teamwork, observation, and early numeracy skills.

We also incorporated lively Irish tunes into our movement and music time. It was incredible to see the children’s musical development as they listened attentively to different instruments, mimicked playing them, and even named a few! They recognized familiar instruments like the guitar, drums, and flute while also being introduced to new ones, such as the fiddle, accordion, and bagpipes.

To round out our St. Patrick’s Day experience, we enjoyed a taste of Irish culture by trying some delicious Irish soda bread. They all really LOVED this part!

On another note, with the arrival of warmer temperatures, we made the most of our time outdoors, soaking up the fresh air and enjoying active play together. Lastly, we explored asparagus as our food tasting lesson of the week.  While some children were hesitant to try it, others surprised us by asking for seconds.

As we look ahead, our next theme will explore the magic of rainbows and colors when we return from the break. We can’t wait to dive into new activities that celebrate the beauty of light and color in nature.

Wishing you all a joyful and restful March break and Happy St. Patrick’s day for all of you that celebrate!

See you in two weeks! Ciao!

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Patty 

Mrs. Wilson: March Explorations: St. Patrick’s Day & Zoo Animals

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the month of March, well during the first and last weeks, the children will explore St. Patrick’s Day traditions, including symbols such as pots of gold, shamrocks, and the vibrant colors of the rainbow. In addition, we are learning about zoo animals.

This week, Parker’s mom visited our class to read a St. Patrick’s Day story and share homemade Irish soda bread with us. To celebrate the upcoming holiday, the children also received a shamrock tattoo, which brought them so much joy!

Food Tasting: This week, we introduced leeks to the children. They loved the sautéed leeks so much that many asked for seconds—and even thirds! It seemed like they couldn’t get enough.

Have a beautiful break!

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

A Memorable Week in Lower Elementary

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

What an incredible week it has been! Our students have been working tirelessly for months, and on Research Night, their hard work truly paid off. It was amazing to see them present their projects with confidence, sharing their knowledge and passion with all of you. The energy in the room was inspiring, and it was heartwarming to see so many families come out to support the students. Thank you for being there to celebrate their dedication and accomplishments!

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, we also had a fantastic field trip to the Yale Peabody Museum with Upper Elementary and Middle School. The students were captivated by the incredible exhibits, from towering dinosaur fossils to stunning mineral collections. It was a wonderful opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom and spark their curiosity about the natural world. A huge thank you to our chaperone volunteers—your support made this experience even more special!

Wishing all our families a joyful and relaxing spring break!

Middle School: Incredible Week Before Break!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Wow! What a week! The Middle School was buzzing with presentations, and it ended with a great field trip to the Yale Peabody Museum.

First of all, 6th and 7th grade students presented the culmination of a 5-week research project surrounding the theme, Overcoming Obstacles. Students gave 5-15 minute presentations about a notable person or group of people they chose to research that contained interesting graphics, research, and multimedia. The evening was a big success, and all of the students should be proud of the work they did preparing and the bravery they showed delivering a presentation of this scope.

8th grade students gave the first of two Internship Presentation sessions this week. Their unique experiences in diverse fields interested the middle school community. Students spoke about their day-to-day schedule, highlights, challenges, items that surprised them, and an overall reflection on the career as well as the experience.

Finally, Middle School ended the week with a day at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut. From dinosaur fossils to ancient civilization artifacts, rare gems and minerals, and an exhibit about the brain, the students had a lot to cover. It was a great way to ease into spring break.

We hope you and your family have a rejuvenating two weeks. We look forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday, 3/24.