“For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.” -Henry Beston

This week we started the study of life. Animals are more familiar to children than plants, and vertebrates are the most familiar animals. Throughout the year, first and second grade children will study five classes of vertebrate animals and third grade children will study five classes of plants in evolutionary order. We will learn about fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals as well as seaweed, moss, ferns, pine trees, and flowering plants.

First year students learned about the external parts of fish. We started with a little in-school field trip to the Middle School science room to observe Mr. Brown’s fish. Mr. Brown facilitated a discussion about the external parts of the fish. We will follow up next week with an introduction to classroom materials of fish.

Second year students also took a little trip to the science room to learn about the body functions of fish. Mr. Brown reviewed the external parts of fish and then the children examined the internal parts of the fish the Middle School students are working on dissecting. They will be introduced to our classroom body functions of fish materials next week.

Third year students learned about the external parts of seaweed. We started by examining three different types of seaweed brought in by Ms. Beckett. The children used a magnifying glass to get a closer look and they also compared how different the three types of seaweed looked and felt. We will take a third grade trip to the science room next week to examine seaweed under a microscope. Thirds years will also continue learning about seaweed next week with lessons on its body functions.

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. This idea helps the mind of the child to become fixed, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied, having found the universal centre of himself with all things.” -Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential

This week, the third year students told the first of Maria Montessori’s Five Great Lessons, the creation of the universe. The third years have been working so hard for the past few weeks, preparing and practicing, to give this lesson to the younger students. Even though the third years told us they were nervous about being the “teachers” and presenting this lesson to the class, they leaned into the discomfort and did an outstanding job. What an amazing thing to witness! They should all be so proud of themselves, as are we.

Last week, we enjoyed a day out of the classroom at Blue Jay Orchards! Since we had so many leftover apples from our trip, we made some delicious treats as a class to share this week. On Tuesday we made applesauce and on Thursday we made apple crisp. The children enjoyed peeling and slicing the apples for these tasty fall snacks.

We had a great second full week of school! We enjoyed our first Community Service day when the Middle School students came to help us with our work. All of the students, Lower Elementary and Middle School, benefit from this experience. We get to have extra individualized attention while connecting with the elders of our school. The Middle School students get to experience the wonderful feeling of giving help where needed. We love the days our older friends visit!

We are diving right into our Writer’s Workshop lessons. Our first unit in each grade focuses on writing true stories about our own lives. The children participate in separate mini-lessons by grade level and then spend some quiet time writing and practicing the new skills they are learning. During this time, Ms. Beckett and I are able to move around the room and conference with individual students, giving them help and instruction where needed. We periodically get together as a whole group and share our writing with each other; this is a favorite part of Writer’s Workshop for many.

Each Friday afternoon we have Friday Fun. This is a time when the children socialize with each other and build our Lower Elementary community, making bonds and creating memories. Whenever possible, during this time we enjoy going to our outdoor classroom and playing in the woods. Spending time in nature is incredibly valuable and it is wonderful to watch the children be creative and play, no equipment needed!