“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature,”- Maria Montessori 

Every day, your children spend time learning, working together, and exploring our natural playground. Daily outdoor learning helps to develop healthy, active lifestyles and routines for the children, while providing them with hands-on experiences in our natural world. Our beautiful natural playground provides unique experiences to stimulate the children’s creativity and contribute to their appreciation of nature.

Helping children develop an appreciation for the outdoors is one of the significant benefits of regular outdoor play. The outside world is full of beautiful sounds, sights, textures, and life. Exposing children early on to the beauty of the world around them can be the perfect way to boost the aesthetic development of a child, allowing them to be more aware of all the beauty around them.

Here’s to rising temperatures, longer days, and the opportunity to spend extra time exploring the outdoors!

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Christine & Hailey

On Monday, the Kindergarten children spent time at Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury. We took a short hike through the woods to the Botany Pond. The children then had the opportunity to catch and identify amphibians, reptiles, and insects. We found tadpoles, beetles, newts, giant water bugs, leeches and salamanders. We observed turtles resting on a rock and fish swimming but this year we searched in vain for those elusive frogs. When we were done, we released any living thing we had collected back to the pond. We also climbed aboard a tractor for a leisurely ride. We were able to catch a peek of a beaver lodge and observe a hawk flying back and forth to its nest.  It was informative and impressive to speak with a Flanders volunteer, who explained how and why the beavers dam up a culvert each night. Walking back, several children shared what a great day it was! Flanders is open to the public, and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazingly beautiful nature center.

In the classroom, we have caterpillars which we have been observing all week. Today, one has formed a chrysalis! Our young scientists are eager to see what will happen next.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week, Christine & Hailey

It’s always a little startling to realize that the end of the school year is quickly approaching. May is an amazing month because we look back to see all we have accomplished and take stock of what we have left to do. Each child’s learning at this point is very much cumulative and continues to build upon all of the skills that have been mastered since August. A perfect example of this is the kindergarten animal research project the children have been working on for several weeks. We start this project in late spring because we need a foundation of reading, writing, geography, science, and even math to be successful. I was ‘interviewing’ the kindergartners for the About The Author section of their books, and, as typically happens, several other children quickly wanted to be interviewed and share their future career aspirations. Their answers are sure to brighten everyone’s day.

When I am older, I want to be…….

• Anaya–       I just want to drive a car.
• Arsalan–    a police officer
• Ava–            a spy ninja
• Cameron– a superhero with Matteo, or work at a school and make sure people are being good
• Eliot–          an artist
• Ethan–       a worker at a construction site
• Luke—        working with my Mom and helping her to make her recipes
• Katie–        an animal trainer
• Matteo–     a scientist
• Olive–         I don’t know; maybe a dancer.
• Olson–       a chef at home
• Hayes—      I don’t know yet–doing work
• Rayna–      I want to go outside.
• Emma—     a vet
• Divya–        a princess
• William–   I want to read.
• Ivy–            a builder of castles and houses, and a Mommy
• Oscar–       a dentist doctor
• Eliana–      a ballerina
• Otto–          a kidney doctor
• Lucia-          a Mom

“Thank you” seems so little to say for the outpouring of love and kindness during Teacher Appreciation Week. We felt the love all week long and count ourselves truly blessed to have the relationships we do with each of you.

Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love!

Christine & Hailey

This week was full of excitement, hands-on learning, and joyful moments. Here are some of the highlights:

Bug Hunt Adventure
We kicked off the week with a bug hunt, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm as the children explored the outdoors and discovered tiny creatures in their natural habitats.

Tasty Activities
The children practiced their fine motor skills by slicing strawberries and spreading butter or cream cheese on bagels—delicious and fun!

A Trip to the “Theater”
We had the pleasure of attending the Upper School’s truly phenomenal production of Finding Nemo. The children were an amazing audience and all enjoyed the performance.

Chick Hatching News!
Our much-anticipated chicks have finally hatched! We welcomed five fluffy friends—one more than we expected after candling. Next week, they’ll be heading to Palmieri Farm in Easton, where their journey began.

Grandparents & Special Visitors Day
To finish the week on a high note, the children proudly welcomed their grandparents and special visitors into our classroom. Thank you to everyone who came to visit with us!

Enjoy the week, Happy May!

Christine & Hailey

“So in the child, besides the vital impulse to create himself, and to become perfect, there must be yet another purpose, a duty to fulfill in harmony, something he has to do in the service of a united whole.” ~ Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Maria Montessori believed that children are the key to peace and empathy among humanity. This important belief is a foundation in our Montessori classrooms, beginning with practical life lessons and continuing throughout childhood and beyond. I’d like to share how a “simple” lesson can provide the mechanism from which children in the classroom learn, practice, and express their empathy and love for their community.

Flower arranging is a work in the Practical Life area of our classroom. It not only fosters fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination but also gives the children a sense of ownership of their environment.

“Flower arranging work has a more important indirect aim than simply admiring nature’s work of art. It is an opportunity for little hands to contribute to the beautification of the environment. It is a tender moment when a young heart lays down a symbol of friendship, love, and peace on a table for someone else to enjoy. It is a brief yet integral step outside of oneself and one’s own needs. -The CHILD Centered Blog

Flower arranging is only one of many classroom works and activities sowing the seeds of compassion and empathy in your children. Please remember that compassion in your home helps your children do the same.

We are so excited to share that we are incubating eight chicken eggs in our classroom. Incubating the eggs provides an amazing learning opportunity for the children to learn not only about the responsibility of taking care of the eggs but also the life cycle of a chicken. The eggs should hatch in 21 days. Each day, we are learning about the development taking place inside the eggs.

I wish you a week filled with peace and love.

Christine & Hailey

Happy spring, and welcome back! The children were very excited to be reunited this week. We made the most of the beautiful weather, spending as much time as possible outdoors.

The children did not waste any time getting right back into the routine, and they were eager to make independent work choices and learn new things. We were all excited to welcome Ms. Hailey to our classroom and to sing our ‘Hickety Pickety Bumblebee’ song to introduce ourselves.

This week, the children enjoyed cutting pears and peeling clementines. The food preparation activities are so valuable. Incorporating food preparation equips children with essential life skills such as washing, cutting, peeling the fruit, and washing and drying the dishes. It also promotes social interaction and communication, as the children offer their peers a piece of fruit. The multi-step processes involved in food preparation require attention to detail and sequential thinking, which enhances children’s concentration and ability to focus, which is imperative for being successful with later academic challenges. The hands-on experience of food preparation often leads to a willingness to try new foods, in addition to fostering a sense of autonomy and self-confidence.

A favorite book this week has been Come Over to my House, co-written by Eliza Hull and Sally Rippin. This book explores the home lives of children and parents with various disabilities. It’s a great book that builds awareness, fosters inclusivity, and promotes empathy. The children asked thoughtful questions and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the different characters.

Wishing you a peaceful week,

Christine & Hailey

Read the March 8 blog post here.