Ms. Handibode: The Joy of Children’s Work

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

One of Maria Montessori’s most noted quotes is, “Play is the child’s work.”  We’re sure you have heard your child talk about their work at school by now. Dr. Montessori preferred the term “work” over “play” to describe the learning process children are constantly undergoing. Work conveys the amount of effort that children put into their physical, social, emotional, and academic growth. As adults, we have a very different definition of work.

When a child works, he does not do so to attain some further goal. His objective in working is the work itself.
Maria Montessori

Children are driven by a strong, unconscious internal growth process to seek out experiences that will meet their needs. Our role as Montessori teachers is to provide a well-prepared environment that encourages children to be independent and learn at their own pace. The children are free to choose their work and to use it repeatedly. So, while they are ‘working’, each child also builds independence, coordination, self-discipline, and concentration.

We asked the children what their favorite work to do at school was, and below are their responses.

Adeline—Water works in Practical Life
Brooks—Pouring Works
Charlie D.—The Pink Tower
Charley W—Eating Apples
Connor—Playdough
Eloise—Pumpkin Work
Hannah—100 Board
Jasper—Ten Board
Jaxxon—Apple Slicing
Johnny—The Dinosaur Sensory Bin
Layla—The Teen Board		 Melia—The Pink Tower and artwork
Mila—Picture Story
Morgan—Dinosaur matching
Nitzan—Picture Story
Olivia—Number Writing
Remi—Making my own picture stories
Veda—Working with Ms. Handibode
Wilder—Apple Slicing
Zaki—Pouring works
Zion—Reading books

Grace and Courtesy in Action
With the cooler weather, jackets, sweaters, and coats with buttons and zippers are being worn. Our older friends are helping the younger ones put on their coats and button or zip them. These moments of care and support exemplify the grace and courtesy we practice daily in our classroom community.

Exploring the Solar System
We are studying the solar system and learning the planets in order from the Sun. The children are fascinated by the vastness of space and the unique characteristics of each planet.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Mealtime Independence
    Ask your child to stay seated at the table until their meal is done. Talk about and reinforce good table manners. Have your child set up their own dishes and cutlery, and then clean them up when they are finished. Make sure there is no food on their place mat or the floor after each meal.
  • Solar System Conversations
    Questions to ask your children: Is the Sun a planet? Can you sing on Mercury? Can you sing “I Know The Planets How About You?” What color is the planet Mars?

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
Monday, October 20 through Friday, October 24: Parent Teacher Conferences
Monday, October 20: Adeline Sharing Box & Flowers
Tuesday, October 21: Playground Volunteer Allissa
Wednesday, October 22: Guest Reader Darshy
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent Teacher Conferences

Next Week
Tuesday, October 28: Pumpkin Patch on the Playground
Wednesday, October 29: Classroom Pumpkin Carving
Thursday, October 30: Primary Pajama Day, Classroom Harvest Celebration & Kindergarten Veggie Skeleton
Primary students are invited to wear their favorite pajamas to school on Thursday, October 30! Please help us keep the day fun and focused by leaving stuffed animals, toys, and other special items at home, as these can be difficult to keep track of and may be distracting during our learning activities.
Friday, October 31: No School – MSC Conference

 

Mrs. Sargeant: Growing Independence & Autumn Joy

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

This past week was filled with autumn discoveries and beautiful moments of growing independence!

New Works and Popular Activities
The flint corn (Indian corn) tweezing work was a huge hit on our shelves this week! The children carefully used tweezers to sort the colorful kernels, strengthening their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination while exploring the natural beauty of the autumn harvest.

Celebrating Independence
One of the most rewarding observations this fall was watching children master the simple yet significant task of opening their own snack and lunch containers. Some began the year struggling with lids and zippers, but through daily practice and gentle perseverance, they beamed with pride as they exclaimed, “I opened it all by myself!” These moments of independence built confidence that extended far beyond the lunchroom.

Grace and Courtesy in Action
I received several heartwarming emails from parents sharing stories about their children talking about “filling others’ buckets” and showing kindness at home. It was wonderful to see how our classroom work with grace and courtesy rippled outward, helping children become compassionate members of their families and communities.

Cultural Studies and Learning
Our autumn theme continued with songs, stories, and explorations of the season. The children could not get enough of their new favorite song, “I’ve Got a Skeleton Inside Me”—perfect timing as we approach Halloween! We read about planets, sang songs about pumpkins and autumn leaves, and in the afternoon, our 4 and 5-year-olds were captivated by The Magic Tree House series. We began book number 4 this week, “Pirates Past Noon,” which sparked wonderful conversations about adventure and history.

Caring for Our Environment
Last week, when making our applesauce, we filled our compost bucket with apple scraps. The children were thrilled to participate in this care-of-the-environment work! Each day this week, they eagerly watched as the Upper Elementary students came to collect our fruit and vegetable waste. This simple routine helped children understand their role in caring for the earth and connected them to the larger school community.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Practice Independence
    Let your child open their own containers, zip their own jackets, and put on their own shoes. The pride they feel from these accomplishments is priceless!
  • Autumn Exploration
    Take a nature walk and collect interesting leaves, acorns, or seeds. Talk about the changes you notice as the season shifts.
  • Bucket Filling
    Continue conversations about kindness and how we can “fill buckets” by using kind words and helpful actions with family members.

Your children’s growth, kindness, and joy continued to fill our classroom with warmth!

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
Monday, October 20 through Friday, October 24: Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent Teacher Conferences

Next Week
Tuesday, October 28: Pumpkin Patch on the Playground
Wednesday, October 29: Classroom Pumpkin Carving
Thursday, October 30: Primary Pajama Day, Classroom Harvest Celebration & Kindergarten Veggie Skeleton
Primary students are invited to wear their favorite pajamas to school on Thursday, October 30! Please help us keep the day fun and focused by leaving stuffed animals, toys, and other special items at home, as these can be difficult to keep track of and may be distracting during our learning activities.
Friday, October 31: No School – MSC Conference

Mrs. Lopes: Dinosaurs & Fall Celebrations

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

This week, we embarked on an exciting journey back in time to explore the world of dinosaurs! The children have been captivated by these ancient creatures, and their curiosity has sparked rich conversations about what “extinct” means and the scientific theories about why dinosaurs disappeared from Earth.

Our culture shelf has transformed into a paleontology station with new dinosaur-focused works. The children are matching dinosaurs to their fossils, excavating “dinosaur bones” from kinetic sand, and creating their own fossil imprints in the sensory bin. On the art shelf, they’re making dinosaur rubbings and drawings, developing fine motor skills while expressing their fascination with these prehistoric animals.

The dinosaur study naturally connects across our curriculum. As children learn dinosaur names, they practice phonetic sounds and build vocabulary. The fossil matching work supports visual discrimination and classification skills. Even our practical life area reflects the season, with pumpkin-themed activities preparing the children for our upcoming harvest celebrations.

The mixed-age dynamics have been wonderful to observe. Older children are helping younger friends identify different dinosaur species, and everyone is learning together about concepts like herbivores, carnivores, and what it means for something to become extinct.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Nature Walk Connections
    Look for fossils or interesting rocks during walks. Talk about how old they might be and what they can tell us about the past.
  • Kitchen Paleontology
    Press small toys or objects into playdough or clay to create “fossils” together.
  • Library Visit
    Check out dinosaur books and field guides to explore different species and their characteristics.

We’re looking forward to our harvest celebrations next week, where we’ll continue building our classroom community through shared experiences and traditions.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
Monday, October 20 through Friday, October 24: Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent Teacher Conferences

Next Week
Tuesday, October 28: Nicolas’ Birthday Walk
Tuesday, October 28: Pumpkin Patch on the Playground
Wednesday, October 29: Classroom Pumpkin Carving
Thursday, October 30: Primary Pajama Day, Classroom Harvest Celebration & Kindergarten Veggie Skeleton
Primary students are invited to wear their favorite pajamas to school on Thursday, October 30! Please help us keep the day fun and focused by leaving stuffed animals, toys, and other special items at home, as these can be difficult to keep track of and may be distracting during our learning activities.
Friday, October 31: No School – MSC Conference

Ms. Rhodora: Celebrating Fall and Scientific Discoveries

Posted on by Rhodora Santayana

Last week, our classroom was buzzing with autumn excitement! The children immersed themselves in all things pumpkin—from seed to harvest—while also exploring fascinating scientific concepts that connected to their natural curiosity about the world around them.

Our pumpkin study brought together multiple areas of learning. The children discovered the life cycle of pumpkins and explored the many ways we use them in cooking. They created beautiful pumpkin artwork using tissue paper, developing their fine motor skills and artistic expression. On the math shelf, the children practiced counting small pumpkins using golden beads, making concrete connections between quantity and number symbols.

We also explored land and water forms, specifically straits and isthmuses. The children traced these formations and learned how water and land interact to create the geography of our planet. This naturally led to an exciting science experiment about states of matter—solid, liquid, and gas. Watching water transform from ice to liquid to vapor captivated the children and sparked wonderful questions about how matter changes in our everyday lives!

The sensorial area was especially popular this past week, with children using the geometric solids while blindfolded. This work helped refine their tactile sense and built concentration as they identified three-dimensional shapes through touch alone.

The kindergarten field trip was a wonderful adventure, and the children came back full of stories and observations from their experience!

We also celebrated a special birthday walk this week. Thank you to the parents who joined us for this meaningful Montessori tradition. The children loved watching the birthday child walk around our “sun” to represent each year of their life.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Continue the pumpkin exploration by cooking together! Making pumpkin bread, soup, or roasted pumpkin seeds gives your child hands-on experience with measuring, following steps in sequence, and discovering how heat transforms food—all wonderful practical life skills.
  • Take nature walks to observe the changes of fall. Can your child identify different land and water forms in your neighborhood? Look for puddles, streams, ponds, or where land meets water.
  • Explore states of matter in your kitchen. Let your child observe ice melting in a glass, water boiling for pasta, or steam from hot cocoa. Talk about how the same substance can take different forms.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
Monday, October 20 through Friday, October 24: Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent Teacher Conferences

Next Week
Tuesday, October 28: Pumpkin Patch on the Playground
Wednesday, October 29: Classroom Pumpkin Carving
Thursday, October 30: Primary Pajama Day, Classroom Harvest Celebration & Kindergarten Veggie Skeleton
Primary students are invited to wear their favorite pajamas to school on Thursday, October 30! Please help us keep the day fun and focused by leaving stuffed animals, toys, and other special items at home, as these can be difficult to keep track of and may be distracting during our learning activities.
Friday, October 31: No School – MSC Conference

Ms. Handibode Exploring Our World

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

Geography and Peace

This week, we’ve been busy exploring two important aspects of our classroom community – understanding our physical world through geography and learning to resolve conflicts peacefully.

We introduced the Peace Table to help children navigate disagreements with calm and respect. Being able to calmly resolve disagreements is an important life skill, and the Peace Table gives our children a concrete tool to practice this essential capability. When we asked the children what peace means to them, their responses were thoughtful and wise.  

“It means being calm and taking deep breaths.”
“It means going to my room alone sometimes.”
“I do a reset when I need to.”
“It means not getting angry at my brother when he pranks me.” 

Our Geography study has captivated the children’s attention! We began by categorizing Earth into air, land, and water, then introduced the sandpaper globe to help distinguish between land and water through touch. The colored globe came next, where we learned the names of all seven continents. The children have been delighting in our new song, “Do You Know The Continents,” which we often hear them singing quietly as they work.

This week, we introduced Montessori landforms, starting with island and lake. These beautiful sensory materials allow children to see and feel the difference between a body of water surrounded by land (lake) and a body of land surrounded by water (island). Throughout the year, we’ll explore more landforms, including bay, cape, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, and strait.

One child told another this week: “When we are older, maybe we can be scientists who figure out things because we are really, really smart.” These moments remind us of the confidence and curiosity that bloom in a Montessori environment!

We’re also witnessing beautiful mixed-age dynamics as our kindergartners give lessons in Practical Life and Sensorial to our younger friends, demonstrating the leadership and compassion that grow naturally in our community.

Extending Geography Learning at Home

  • Sing along! Ask your child to teach you the “Do You Know The Continents” song
  • Point out geography: When reading books or watching shows together, ask, “What continent do you think this is?”
  • Nature observations: On walks, notice bodies of water and land. Is that a lake or a pond? An island in a stream?

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Tuesday, October 14: Zaki Koteiche’s Sharing Box & Flowers
October 14–17: Playground Volunteers – Maycie & Sam Ralbovsky
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference 

Sign-ups for Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 24 are now open! Please register as soon as possible through the Parent Sign Ups module at myfwm.org. Forms will close on Friday, October 17.

 

Mrs. Lopes: An Apple Adventure

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

Autumn’s Harvest: An Apple Adventure

This week, our classroom was filled with the delicious aroma of autumn as we explored apples through taste, touch, and preparation.

On Wednesday, the children participated in an apple tasting featuring five different varieties: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, and Honeycrisp. Before tasting, we observed each apple’s appearance, noting differences in color and shape. As the children sampled each variety, they discovered rich vocabulary to describe their sensory experiences: juicy, sweet, sour, crunchy, smooth, and tart. At the end, we took a vote to determine the class favorite. Honeycrisp was the clear winner!

After our tasting, the children rolled up their sleeves to make homemade applesauce. This practical life activity engaged multiple skills as children carefully peeled and cut the apples using real tools. Together, we added cinnamon, sugar, and water to the pot. The applesauce simmered in our crockpot all day Wednesday, and the children delighted in checking its progress throughout the work cycle, watching the apple pieces transform into smooth sauce.

Thursday brought the moment everyone had been waiting for – tasting our creation! The children were thrilled with the results, and many asked for second (and third!) helpings. The pride on their faces as they enjoyed something they had made themselves was truly beautiful to witness.

Extending Apple Learning at Home

  • Continue the Exploration: Visit a farmers’ market or orchard and let your child choose a new apple variety to try together
  • Practice Kitchen Skills: Let your child help prepare apples for snacks, practicing peeling, coring, or slicing (with appropriate supervision)
  • Describe and Compare: Use rich sensory language when eating together—what does it taste like? Feel like? Smell like?

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Thursday, October 16: Shiloh’s Birthday Walk
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Weather Reminder: As the weather turns rainy, please be sure your child has an extra pair of shoes at school in case they get wet or muddy on the playground.

Ms. Rhodora: Growing Together

Posted on by Rhodora Santayana

Apples, Geography, and Growing Together

This week brought wonderful opportunities for the children to explore science, geography, and community care through hands-on learning.

Our apple study deepened as we explored the parts of an apple and the life cycle of an apple tree. The children followed an apple sequence story that showed the journey from seed to tree to fruit. During food preparation, they practiced slicing and serving apples, carefully using real tools to prepare snacks for their classmates. We also worked on manipulating scissors, an important fine motor skill that strengthens hand muscles and builds coordination.

We began exploring our home state of Connecticut, helping children understand their place in the world, starting with where they live. This connected beautifully to our geography work on landforms, where we introduced bay and cape. These sensorial materials allow children to see and feel the difference between these coastal formations, building a concrete understanding of abstract geographic concepts.

The grace and courtesy we’re witnessing in our classroom warms our hearts! The children are thoughtfully using phrases like “please,” “no, thank you,” and “you are welcome” throughout their day. These simple words create a culture of respect and kindness that ripples through our entire community.

We’re also seeing beautiful examples of mixed-age learning as older children help younger friends with their raincoats and rain boots. These moments of mentorship build confidence in our older students while giving younger children patient, caring role models. This is the Montessori classroom at its best—children naturally caring for one another.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Practice Independence: Give your child time to put on and zip their own jacket, even if it takes longer
  • Model Grace and Courtesy 
  • Explore Connecticut: Talk about your town, nearby cities, or places you’ve visited in our state

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Wednesday, October 15: Picture Day
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Weather & Clothing Reminder: Please send extra clothes appropriate for the weather in your child’s backpack. Please label all clothing items! 

Ms. Sargeant: Cosmic Connections

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Cosmic Connections

This week brought wonderful opportunities for hands-on learning and community building in our classroom.

The children have been captivated by our new solar system activities. They’re working together to complete the solar system floor puzzle, collaborating to place each planet in its proper orbit around the sun. These materials spark fascinating conversations about space, distance, and our place in the universe.

We’ve also welcomed a special addition to our classroom community! Middle School students have been joining us on Wednesdays as part of their community service. A group plays with our children at recess, and then one or two students join us during the afternoon work cycle. Our children eagerly anticipate their arrival and love showing off their work to their older friends. This week, Henry read a story to a captivated group of listeners in the afternoon. These cross-age interactions beautifully demonstrate how learning and mentorship happen naturally across our school community.

Our apple study was a delicious success! We conducted a taste test comparing red (Macintosh), yellow (Ginger Gold), and green (Granny Smith) apples. Macintosh won decisively with 10 votes, followed by Ginger Gold with six and Granny Smith with five. The children came up with wonderful adjectives to describe each variety: sweet, crunchy, juicy, tart, and sour.

Later in the week, we made applesauce from scratch. The children used a hand-crank apple peeler to remove the skin and were amazed to discover that the peel from just one apple was even longer (taller!) than most of the children in our class. They practiced their fine motor skills using peelers, corers, and knives to prepare the apples. We added cinnamon and water, and then enjoyed the delicious aroma that filled our classroom all day. When it was time to taste our creation, most children loved it!

Extending Apple Learning at Home

  • Compare Apples: Visit an orchard or grocery store and let your child choose different varieties to taste and compare
  • Practice Peeling: Let your child help peel apples or potatoes for family meals (with supervision)
  • Measure with Apple Peels: Peel an apple in one long strip and see how many objects at home it’s longer than

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Parent/Teacher Conference sign-ups are now posted! Times are available beginning October 20. Please arrange for childcare, as conferences are held without children present.
Important Reminder: Please send your child’s “Take Home” folder back to school every Monday. Without these folders, children are unsure where to place their completed work throughout the week.