Lower Elementary: Enjoying Fall Outdoors

Posted on October 19, 2018October 23, 2018 by Ashley O'Connell

: Students receiving a History lesson in the outdoor classroom.

: Enjoying recess in the outdoor classroom.

: Nature journaling.

: Students playing football at recess.

: Students enjoying the fall weather.

: Children using the Cosmic Mat as follow up work to the Creation Story.

“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all of the life to be found around them in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.” -Maria Montessori

We spend as much time in the outdoor classroom as possible; from lessons, to discovery, and playing in the woods. Being in nature promotes creativity, imagination, and responsibility as well as connecting us with the natural world. The outdoor environment allows children to interact meaningfully with their surroundings and think freely. We also have been enjoying learning how to nature journal and taking time to appreciate the beauty around us. This week we had our first history lesson on the study of time where we learned about the different cycles of time on Earth. We discussed seasons, phases of the moon, movement of the stars in the night sky, and day and night.

The children learned how to use the Cosmic Mat material for independent work on the creation of the universe. They have been enjoying taking out this work during our morning work cycle!

Lower Elementary – Learning About the Universe

Posted on October 12, 2018October 22, 2018 by Karen Sankey

: Third year students telling the story of the creation of the universe.

: Demonstrations used to illustrate the scientific concepts in the story. Particles are attracted to each other and the universe smaller than a grapefruit before the Big Bang.

: Outer space is colder than the coldest thing you can imagine.

: The fireball erupted with a big bang.

: The surface of the forming earth was hot and steamy, covered with volcanoes.

: Dense, heavy matter sinks and light matter floats.

: Heat rises.

: Everybody’s favorite: the model of an erupting volcano.

: Drops of rain on the new earth evaporated immediately upon reaching the hot surface.

: Talcott Mountain Science Center. Learning about our solar system.

: The giant sun dial at the top of Talcott Mountain, 946 feet above sea level.

: Standing on the sundial with views of western Connecticut.

: We can see Farmington.

: The research-grade telescope. It was too cloudy for us to see any planets.

: We learned a lot about our universe in the planetarium.

The physical universe, most physicists now agree, came into being between fifteen and twenty billion years ago. If present notions are correct, we can contemplate conditions that existed a minute fraction of a second following the Big Bang, the explosion that gave birth to the cosmic egg. There was a time when what appears now as the entire universe was the size of our Earth, and before that the size of an orange, and before that the size of the head of a pin. That was about one thousandth of a billionth of a second after the beginning. Counting backwards through unimaginably small time intervals and conditions that can be described but not imagined, we can approach time zero, but we can never quite reach it. And we certainly cannot talk about anything before that cataclysmic event. Science comes to a halt there. The end of its tether. There is nothing on the other side that the human mind can grasp.

– Dawn of a Millennium by Erich Harth

We have had a fun week, full of learning! The third year students told the story of the creation of the universe to the younger students, a rite of passage for third years. They read the story and did demonstrations to illustrate scientific concepts. This is the first of Maria Montessori’s Five Great Lessons.

We followed this first Great Lesson with a trip to the planetarium at the Talcott Mountain Science Center to learn more about our universe and solar system. The children heard descriptions and attributes of the planets, learned how a sundial works while standing on a giant sundial, and learned about galaxies, constellations, and stars in the universe during an information-packed planetarium presentation.

We had a wonderful week and it was exciting to do some learning outside of school!

Lower Elementary – Learning and Playing Together!

Posted on October 5, 2018October 22, 2018 by Karen Sankey

: Science lesson with Miss Beckett

: Recording in our science notebooks

: A favorite group game and learning to “pass the clap”

: Math with friends is always more fun.

: Countries, capitals, and flags of South America

: We love reading and spelling.

We completed our science lessons in preparation for hearing the story of the creation of the universe. The third year students have their speaking and demonstration parts and are excited to give this lesson to the first and second year students next week.

The children love doing group games in the classroom. One of their favorites is a pass the clap game that is done to a rhyme called “Way Down Yonder.” This is a great game that includes cooperation with each other and keeping a rhythm.

Spending time in nature is incredibly important. We are enjoying going to the outdoor classroom each week. On Monday we spent time observing nature and writing in our nature journals and then the children had time to play. They had a great time!

Preparations for the talent show are well underway. The children have shown us their acts and are working hard getting ready for their performances at Oktoberfest on October 20th. We hope you come and see them!

~Parent & Teacher Conferences are coming up!

Parent & Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, October 25^th.

This is to a wonderful time to learn about your child’s progress; it is strongly encouraged that parents attend. The online Parent & Teacher sign-up will be live on Monday, October 8^th – please look for more information in Monday’s School News about scheduling your Parent & Teacher Conference online. If you are unavailable to meet with your child’s teacher on October 25^th, please email your child’s teacher directly about scheduling another day or time that week for a conference.

Lower Elementary – Learning Indoors and Out!

Posted on September 21, 2018October 2, 2018 by Karen Sankey

: Spending time in the outdoor classroom, sketching and writing in our nature journals.

: Reader’s Workshop

: Shree and our new student Mia during Reader’s Workshop. Welcome Mia!

: Ms. Beckett’s first science lesson!

: Recording in our science notebooks.

: Emma and Emma doing partner grammar work.

This year we will be spending lots of time exploring and observing the outdoors. We are learning to sketch what we see and record our observations in nature journals. We had our first nature journal time last Friday. Please don’t forget to send in bug spray!

The children have plunged into our Reader’s Workshop. They have a mini-lesson at the beginning where they learn a skill to focus on while reading. They are enjoying their lessons and reading time.

We are getting ready to hear the story of the creation of the universe, told by the third year students. To prepare, the children are participating in science demonstrations which illustrate the concepts in the story. On Tuesday Ms. Beckett gave the third set of presentations. Among the concepts illustrated were the attraction of particles and the concept of displacement. After the demonstrations, the children record their observations in science notebooks.

Elementary children love working together with their friends. Emma and Emma enjoyed some time together completing their grammar work with pronouns.

We are happy to welcome Mia, our new student, to first grade! All of the children are making her feel welcome and are helping her learn the routines.

What’s Buzzing in Lower Elementary?

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Ashley O'Connell

: Karina, Avery and Jheniya having fun at recess.

: Friends playing Gaga Ball

: Lucien working on the Stamp Game

: Madison working on a Word Study

: Oliver working on his writing piece.

: Mrs. Matsikas teaching the first years a Writer’s Workshop lesson

The school year is off to a great start! The Upper and Lower Elementary students are thoroughly enjoying coming together during recess time, reconnecting with old friends. Recess consists of activities such as playing “make believe” in the woods, swings, participating in Gaga Ball, and enjoying all of the new playground equipment. Mr. Comstock will be taking students every other day on the field to participate in group sports.

Our Lower Elementary classroom consists of students that love to work collaboratively and individually. One of the beauties of work cycle is that different types of work go on simultaneously. Children can be working on a variety of language, math, geometry, cultural and spelling work. This is a supportive classroom of community learners!

The children are continuing to love their Writer’s Workshop lessons! They are learning about the steps involved in the writing process and applying this to their “small moment” stories. We are looking forward to watching them grow as writers.

Lower Elementary – So Glad to Be Back!

Posted on September 14, 2018September 24, 2018 by Karen Sankey

: Morning meditation

: Mentors

: Small group rules discussions

: Writer’s Workshop with Mrs. Matsikas

: Writer’s Workshop

: Grammar work

: Scavenger hunt in the outdoor classroom

: Bunny time

: Bunnies!

We are so excited to be back at school! All of the children are settling in and enjoying reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

We start each day outside getting some exercise and when we come in, we spend a few quiet moments meditating, preparing for our day. Our third year students are being very helpful mentors to their new classmates. They have been showing them some good first grade work and helping them with classroom routines. The children worked in small groups to write our classroom rules and they all came up with some really meaningful ideas.

Lessons are in full swing. The children are enjoying Writer’s Workshop lessons and daily writing time before they start their work cycle. They have also already started lessons in grammar, geometry, science, spelling, and math. First year students learned about nouns with Ms. Beckett and are enjoying labeling lots of objects in our classroom. Last week we ventured into the woods for a scavenger hunt. The children enjoyed being in our outdoor classroom.

We are all enjoying fostering seven baby bunnies and have welcomed their mom and her sister as our new school pets. The children are doing a great job taking care of them and love taking trips to the zen garden to see them.

Lower Elementary – Cherishing each other

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Karen Sankey

: Alexander presenting research.

: Emma presenting.

: Josephine presenting.

: Sadie and Veronica presenting.

: Tug-of-war

: Sack races

: Three-legged race

: Obstacle course

: Wacky Wednesday with Upper Elementary

: Our awesome third year students. We will miss you!

: Next year’s Upper Elementary class

The last two weeks have moved very fast. The children have stayed focused and motivated to do their work right up until the last day of school, asking for new lessons and looking forward to work cycle time. We have wrapped up lessons, done final oral presentations on independent research, enjoyed field day with each other, and celebrated some special days during spirit week. One special activity was our bridge crossing ceremony. Our third year children each shared something special to them about their time in Lower Elementary and then, after hearing some words from their Lower Elementary teachers, crossed the bridge to be greeted by the Upper Elementary children and teachers.

We also celebrated many summer birthdays this week. We enjoy learning about one another by asking lots and lots of questions before writing a birthday poem. We end our celebration by singing a birthday song. We hope you enjoy the video of your joyful children singing to Simone. Thank you so much for all of the beautiful flowers and cards from you and your children.

We have had an amazing year with this incredible group of children. The year always goes by much too quickly. We will miss the children moving on and up and wish them nothing but the best. Each of the children hold very special places in our hearts. We hope you have a wonderful summer.

Lower Elementary at Camp Jewell

Posted on May 26, 2018June 4, 2018 by Karen Sankey

: Just arrived. Getting ready to go down the giant slide!

: 50 foot slide

: Group games

: Archery

: Candle making

: Mini farm

: Climbing tower

: Canoeing on the lake

: Mealtime

: Our cabin, Senior Lodge

: S’mores

: Skits and songs with our s’mores and campfire.

: 6:00 am.

: Giant swing. 45 feet high.

We had a fantastic two days at Camp Jewell. When we arrived we started our fun by taking a trip down the giant slide. Then we enjoyed some group games on the field with our counselors Jaime, Simon, and Robert. After our games we visited the mini farm complete with llamas, guinea hens, goats, sheep, and Wilbur the 750 pound pig. After taking a break for lunch, we continued our activities with archery, climbing, kayaking and canoeing, and candle making.

Our meals were family style. Two children from each table got trays of food and each child served himself/herself. After our first meal one of our counselors explained to the children that we would be weighing the uneaten food left on our plates, called ort, and then it would be fed to Wilbur the pig. The goal was to decrease our amount of ort with each meal. Our first meal had seven pounds of ort and our last had just three. Nice work!

After dinner and some down time in our cabin we had a campfire, s’mores, and skits and songs. At the end of our campfire the children proudly sang a song from the play for their counselors.

We spent our second day at camp on the giant swing. The children got securely strapped into harnesses and after climbing a ladder and getting hooked onto the swing line they were pulled high into the air by the rest of the children until they said “stop.” When they were ready, they released themselves to swing through the air.

Our trip to Camp Jewell was a great experience for all of the children. They bonded, took risks, and made discoveries about themselves while having a great time in a beautiful place.

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