Mrs. Doyle: It’s Off To Work I Go!

Posted on by Michelle Doyle

 

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

One of Maria Montessori’s most noted quotes is “play is the child’s work.”  We’re sure by now you have heard your child talk about their work at school. Dr. Montessori preferred the word work rather than the word 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, our definition of work has a very different meaning.

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 is also building independence, coordination, self-discipline, and concentration.

Enjoy your work!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: It’s Off to Work I Go!

Posted on by Amanda Lopes


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

One of Maria Montessori’s most noted quotes is “play is the child’s work.”  We’re sure by now you have heard your child talk about their work at school. Dr. Montessori preferred the word work rather than the word 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, our definition of work has a very different meaning.

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 is also building independence, coordination, self-discipline, and concentration.

Enjoy your work!

Amanda & Hema

Ms. Marissa: It’s Off to Work I Go!

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

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

One of Maria Montessori’s most noted quotes is “play is the child’s work.”  We’re sure by now you have heard your child talk about their work at school. Dr. Montessori preferred the word work rather than the word 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, our definition of work has a very different meaning.

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 is also building independence, coordination, self-discipline, and concentration.

Enjoy your work!

Marissa & Sue

Mrs. Lopes: Giving Thanks

Posted on by Amanda Lopes


The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life.

–Maria Montessori

For many, the holiday season is a time for giving. Perhaps more than ever, it is so important for our children to understand that giving does not have to be a materialistic gift. Simple and heartfelt words of love and friendship will last much longer than most anything that can be bought from a shelf. It can be an amazing and powerful gift to our children if, in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we take time to slow down and model being grateful.

This week we asked each child to share what they are thankful for. While their messages will make you smile and warm your heart, there is beauty in their simplicity.

Amelia–   is thankful for her pig stuffy because it’s so cute.

Annie– is thankful for her family because they love her and take care of her.

Arian— is thankful for pasta because it is his favorite food.

Arjuna– is thankful for flowers because they smell good and are pretty.

Ben– is thankful for his bunnies because they are soft.

Brisa– is thankful for her Mom and Dad because they give her hugs and kisses.

Casey–is thankful for Long Island because he loves to go there.

Daniel– is thankful for his friends because he likes to play with them.

David–is thankful for his dogs because they lick him when he wakes up in the morning.

Elanour– is thankful for her Ariel stuffy because she likes to sleep with it at night.

Elizabeth– is thankful for her dog, Bell Bell, because she is a good pillow.

Enzo– is thankful for his Mom and Dad because they always help him.

Evie– is thankful for her brothers, Ruscher and Rory, because she likes to play with them.

Fiona– is thankful for her Gigi and Pop Pop because they love her a lot.

Harlan–is thankful for his iPad because he likes to play Lego Star Wars on it.

Kian– is thankful for hiking with his family.

Kimberlin– is thankful for her brother and sister because they make her laugh.

Levi– is thankful for his Mommy and Daddy because they play cars with him.

Nicolas–is thankful for apples and the animal work at school.

Noelle–  is thankful for the ice cream place because she loves the chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

Parker– is thankful for her Nintendo Switch because she loves playing games.

Ryder–  is thankful for the claw machine at Bill’s Drive-In because he likes to try to get a stuffy from the machine.

On Wednesday, the children were treated to a presentation honoring the meaning of Diwali.  Diwali represents new beginnings and the victory of light over darkness, good over evil.  This five-day festival is observed around the world, and its rituals vary by region. Homes are brightly illuminated with diyas (candles) and oil lamps, and people decorate their homes with rangoli.  While gathering with family and friends, people often wear fine clothes and jewelry.  We are grateful for the time and effort that Paromita Dutt Kunzweiler, Punam Patel, Supreeti Saika, Mithu Talukdar, Chamaini Niyangoda, Radha Priya Gupta, and Hema Ganesan volunteered in order to share with the children this beautiful and meaningful tradition.

Hema and I are grateful for the time we spend with the children each day, and for the relationships we develop with each of you.  Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love.

Amanda & Hema

Mrs. Doyle: Giving Thanks

Posted on by Michelle Doyle

 

The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life.

      –Maria Montessori

For many, the holiday season is a time for giving. Perhaps more than ever, it is so important for our children to understand that giving does not have to be a materialistic gift. Simple and heartfelt words of love and friendship will last much longer than most anything that can be bought from a shelf. It can be an amazing and powerful gift to our children if, in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we take time to slow down and model being grateful.

This week we asked each child to share what they are thankful for. While their messages will make you smile and warm your heart, there is beauty in their simplicity.

Ainsley– is thankful for rainbows because they are so colorful and pretty.

Arya– is thankful for her Mommy and Daddy.

Bodie— is thankful for his Nana because she likes to play puppies with him.

Ella– is thankful for her sister Livie because they read books together.

EmmaJo– is thankful for her friends because she loves them.

Hannah– is thankful she gets to take walks with her Mommy.

Harper–is thankful for going to the park with her Mommy, Daddy, and Spencer.

Isla– is thankful for her dog Frieda because she is the best dog ever.

Jacob–is thankful for his friends at school because they can play outside together.

Jonathan– is thankful he gets to go outside with his Mommy and play in the leaves.

Joseph– is thankful he goes to get pizza with his Mommy and Daddy.

Leo– is thankful for the medal he got at his camp for being such a well-behaved kid.

Maayan– is thankful she gets to play everything with her sister Noya.

Melina– is thankful she counts numbers with Mommy and Daddy.

Oliver–is thankful for his whole family because he loves them so much.

River– is thankful when her mom takes her for ice cream, and they get to see a rainbow.

Ryan– is thankful for her sister Poppy because she loves to play with her.

Saanvi– is thankful she gets to go skiing with her family.  Sometimes she goes on the bunny hill and sometimes the big hill.

Tommy–is thankful for his dogs because they like to play with him.

Zara–  is thankful for her Daddy because he is her best friend.

Zion–is thankful that he can paint rainbows with his Mommy.

On Wednesday, the children were treated to a presentation honoring the meaning of Diwali.  Diwali represents new beginnings and the victory of light over darkness, good over evil.  This five-day festival is observed around the world, and its rituals vary by region. Homes are brightly illuminated with diyas (candles) and oil lamps, and people decorate their homes with rangoli.  While gathering with family and friends, people often wear fine clothes and jewelry.  We are grateful for the time and effort that Paromita Dutt Kunzweiler, Punam Patel, Supreeti Saika, Mithu Talukdar, Chamaini Niyangoda, Radha Priya Gupta, and Hema Ganesan volunteered in order to share with the children this beautiful and meaningful tradition.

Maria and I are grateful for the time we spend with the children each day and for the relationships we develop with each of you.  Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love.

Michelle & Maria

Ms. Marissa: In November’s Gusty Gale

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

You may have heard your child recite one of our silly monthly poems at home! This month we are practicing our November Poem from Maurice Sendak’s book Chicken Soup with Rice.

“In November’s
gusty gale
I will flop
my flippy tail
and spout hot soup.
I’ll be a whale!
Spouting once
spouting twice
spouting chicken soup
with rice.”

The children enjoy learning poems from this book in particular. This month’s has a tricky tempo, and we are learning how to read poetry in different ways. As we get through the month, volunteers recite the poem for the class. It is challenging to remember all the words! We usually practice as a group each morning after we sing our morning song, the days of the week and months of the year, and do our calendar.

Circle time is a wonderful part of our day. It brings the class together; we sing, practice different movements, open up with questions and comments, and have a group lesson. Integrating poetry into circle time brings so many benefits like public speaking, rhyming, storytelling, comprehension, and of course – silliness! We reinforce the poem each month with paper booklets – maybe you’ve seen them come home in Friday folders! Try asking your child if they remember their chicken soup poem for November.

On Wednesday, the children were treated to a presentation honoring the meaning of Diwali.  Diwali represents new beginnings and the victory of light over darkness, good over evil.  This five-day festival is observed around the world, and its rituals vary by region. Homes are brightly illuminated with diyas (candles) and oil lamps, and people decorate their homes with rangoli.  While gathering with family and friends, people often wear fine clothes and jewelry.  We are grateful for the time and effort that Paromita Dutt Kunzweiler, Punam Patel, Supreeti Saika, Mithu Talukdar, Chamaini Niyangoda, Radha Priya Gupta, and Hema Ganesan volunteered in order to share with the children this beautiful and meaningful tradition.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Warmly,

Marissa & Sue

Mrs. Doyle: First Stop, North America!

Posted on by Michelle Doyle

These last few weeks have been a particularly busy and exciting time with your children. We have traveled through space, explored the eight planets, discovered that the sun is a star, and rocketed back to planet Earth. We are now exploring the first of seven continents, North America.  You may hear your children call it the orange continent. This is because, on the Montessori globe and map, North America is indeed orange. We will continue to explore the animals native to our continent, map North America’s countries, examine topography, and study how a continent’s proximity to the equator impacts its climate.

The Montessori cultural studies curriculum provides children with an opportunity to explore the whole world, including the continents, countries, people, animals, terrain, music, and arts. Children use didactic Montessori materials to familiarize themselves with the needs of all humans for such things as food, housing, and clothing. This early cultural awareness helps cultivate independent, joyful citizens of our world.

On Wednesday, we were so excited to have the Botsford Fire Department return to FWM to teach us all about fire safety.  The children asked very thoughtful and intelligent questions and had a great time learning about what to do in a fire, the equipment firefighters use, and even got to spend some time on a fire truck.

Wishing everyone a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: First Stop, North America!

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

These last few weeks have been a particularly busy and exciting time with your children. We have traveled through space, explored the eight planets, discovered that the sun is a star, and rocketed back to planet Earth. We are now exploring the first of seven continents, North America.  You may hear your children call it the orange continent. This is because, on the Montessori globe and map, North America is indeed orange. We will continue to explore the animals native to our continent, map North America’s countries, examine topography, and study how a continent’s proximity to the equator impacts its climate.

The Montessori cultural studies curriculum provides children with an opportunity to explore the whole world, including the continents, countries, people, animals, terrain, music, and arts. Children use didactic Montessori materials to familiarize themselves with the needs of all humans for such things as food, housing, and clothing. This early cultural awareness helps cultivate independent, joyful citizens of our world.

On Wednesday, the local fire department visited our school.  We each had the opportunity to take a tour of the fire truck, and the visiting firefighter gave a special presentation on the importance of fire safety.

Wishing everyone a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema