In the Montessori environment celebrating holidays is an important component of our philosophy.  The children are introduced to the traditions and rituals of celebrations around the world.  There is a  gentle focus on how  each holiday is distinct and yet there are similarities as well.  Helping the children to learn about different holidays highlights the Montessori principals of peace and inclusion. Of course, we also use our globe and maps to locate where in the world these celebrations are taking place!

Last Thursday, we celebrated St. Nicholas Day.  St. Nicholas was a  Bishop who had inherited a lot of money from his family.    He was also a very gentle,  kind man who lived by the virtues of personal generosity, charity towards those in need and taking care of the young and the most vulnerable.  We read a story about St. Nicholas and his random acts of kindness and then left a pair of boots outside our classroom door.  To our amazement, the boots were beautifully decorated and filled with candy canes the next morning.

On Tuesday, Jenny Crist spent time in our classroom sharing the story of Hanukkah and leaving on our snack table delicious Latkes and applesauce.  It is also amazing to watch children approach new food with hesitancy and before you know it, be asking for more!

On Wednesday, Kelly Macomber provided our class with a special treat for snack–gingerbread cookies, frosting and toppings.  We read a book about the Gingerbread Boy and then each child had a chance to decorate a cookie!

Today,  we spoke about Christmas.  Maddie and Jordan Rabidou came to spend some time with the children and read “Twas The Night Before Christmas.”  Everyone also had a chance to decorate delicious cookies to eat for snack.

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers for their time and effort whether it be in the classroom or behind the scenes.  It is always appreciated.

Sonja and I wish everyone a Holiday Season filled with peace, love and laughter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our week began with the presentation of our World Passports!  As we have left North America and have ventured on to our study of South America, the children have been excitedly stamping their passports.  We also record the various works we have completed within each continent we study within our passports.  Friends are excited to receive these little treasures, so should you see any of these small booklets coming home, please return them with your child as they do remain in the classroom until the end of the year.  Thank you!

We were treated to a special presentation about Hanukkah this week by Noah’s grandfather, Jeff Ingerman.  Children enjoyed learning about the celebration of Hanukkah, playing with dreidels and sampling potato latkes.  Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

There’s so much going on in a 3-6 classroom that is just below the surface. A knowledgeable observer (teacher, parent) will be able to recognize things like concentration and work diligently not to interrupt a child who is concentrating. It may appear as though they are isolating themselves from the group (or that they are indeed anti-social), but that is not the case. They are developing the ability to concentrate on work, and are actually creating their personhood as they work. This creation is a task suited almost entirely to independent work.

There is definitely socialization in a Montessori classroom, but it takes forms that are different from what people are used to seeing. For instance, there will be a great emphasis on community, and on things that children can do to serve the community. A child may take a work off the shelf, complete it, and put it back neatly without ever speaking to another child or adult – but socialization has taken place! How is this possible? The child, in putting the work back correctly, has shown care for the other members of the classroom. Their needs have been taken into account by the considerate actions of the child.
Montessori classrooms have different kinds of periods throughout the day, just as most schools do. During work-time, the emphasis may not be on child/child interaction, but there are other times when this occurs naturally. For instance, children may take a break from independent work to have a snack with a friend. At line time they will become familiar with group dynamics, and at lunch or recess they will have chances to talk, play games, and otherwise engage with other children.

Children within this age group are still becoming familiar with developing friendships and appropriate social interaction.  Using words to express feelings and frustrations is an ongoing learning process that often requires some adult intervention, but once children have seen appropriate behavior modeled repeatedly (ex. saying excuse me instead of pushing a friend), they will eventually internalize these behaviors and can independently perform them.  Children are soon encouraged to problem-solve with friends without the constant presence of a teacher, as children learn best from one another!
If you have not already done so, please send in appropriate clothing for outdoor winter play: snowsuit/snow pants, winter boots, hats, scarves, mittens/gloves, etc.  Children will bring these items home after outside time, as they may become wet and/or muddy.  Please return these items the following school day, as we often like to play in the snow as long as the temperature is above freezing!  Thank you!

Retrieving a mat, picking it up carefully, finding the ideal space to work, and rolling it out provides an opportunity to practice gross motor skills and body consciousness. Everything that gets placed on the mat thereafter becomes the responsibility (and privilege) of the child working on that mat.

Montessori work mats delineate a work space as the child’s own and sets an intention to “work”.  Not only does the child know that their lesson is exclusive to them (unless they invite someone to join them on their mat), they also have the responsibility to put their materials away when they are finished before they roll up their mat, and signal the end of their work session.

Our floors have been a sea of rugs this week!  Your children have skillfully maneuvered themself throughout the environment, careful not to disturb a friends work.  I continue to be amazed at their growing control, and respect for both friends and the environment.

We joyfully continue our study of Antarctica better known as the South Pole, and the Arctic or North Pole, where we have explored the climate, terrain and animals living in this harsh land.  Our study of hibernation, it’s definition and the who/why/how,  has offered comfort to those children worried about animals living in harsh winter conditions, and inspired many well thought out questions. The children have enjoyed singing hibernation songs, lessons and  even hibernating in a sleeping bag.

During this busy season, put away your mats (work) and take some time to hibernate, if only for an hour or two!

Until next time,

Cindy & Samantha

A gentle reminder to mark your calendar for the December 19th holiday concert.  We hope that you can join us for this remarkable performance!

 

This weeks lessons have been out of this world. We continue to explore the mysteries of the solar system and have become quite knowledgeable on the characteristics and key information of the first three planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus and Earth. Did you know that you can not sing on Mercury or fly a kite on Venus? Ask your children why.

This Thursday a presenter from The Discovery Center Of Bridgeport came to present the program, “I Want To Be An Astronaut.”  Among the numerous areas of interest he shared, the children really enjoyed learning how astronauts live and work in space and how rockets launch astronauts and their cargo into space. The morning ended with a mini rocket launch! It was a successful mission.

We appreciate the children arriving on time to school.   Just a gentle reminder that arriving on time allows the children to peacefully enter the classroom and  smoothly transition  from home to school.  Morning arrival for the lower school children is from 8:30-8:45.  Our morning meeting begins at 9:00.

Take some time this week to star gaze!

 

This week we enjoyed a visit from a dental hygienist.  She explained why a dentist wears a mask and gloves when caring for our teeth. We learned the importance of keeping our teeth and gums clean and healthy.  Your children were excited to take home a tooth care kit. What a great opportunity to spend time with your child while reinforcing the importance of self care. Ask your child to share what sugar bugs are and how to take care of them.

It was very eye opening to see how many teaspoons of sugar there are in some of our favorite foods

Just a few gentle reminders as we enter into the Winter season.

–Now is a great time to check your child’s locker and make sure their extra change of clothes is weather appropriate.   

–We do go outside most days so dress accordingly to the weather; hats, gloves, warm coats etc.

–Some of the children are bringing home book bags with books they are reading at school. Please return these bags the following school day.

–Kindergarten children have been working hard each week on a different class book.  They go home in a canvas FWM bag.  Don’t forget to add a comment on the back of the book and return them the next day.  This way each child gets a chance to share the book with their family.

–Thank you so much for all of your help with cleaning the linens each week.  Please remember to return them on the next school day, with a bouquet of fresh flowers.  For those children who only come to school on Tuesday-Thursday, we understand this isn’t possible so just bring the flowers and linens in with you on Tuesday morning.

We are thankful for the gift of your children each and every day. Hope

 

 

 

 

 

We are beginning our study of Antarctica and the Arctic region.  First, we located the Arctic area on the globe known as the North Pole.  The Arctic is frozen water surrounded by snowy land.   There are many animals that live in the arctic and we learned fun facts about some of them.  Did you know that a polar bears skin is actually black?  Their white fur allows the sun to shine through and their black skin can then absorb the warmth.  We also learned about the Caribou, the Arctic Fox, the Snowy Owl, Narwhals and Harp Seals.

Antarctica is found on the bottom of the Earth and is also called the South Pole.  Antarctica is frozen land surrounded by frigid water.  The temperature in the winter months are too cold for most animals and only the Emperor Penguin lives in Antarctica year round. Other animals that will spend some time in the South Pole are the Macaroni Penguin, the Weddell Seal and Orca Whales.

Learning about all of the amazing animals is a wonderful time to dive further into our study of Zoology.  This week we also drew on the children’s previous lessons with  categorizing living and non living things, plants and animals.  We introduced that all animals can be classified as either vertebrates or invertebrates. One of the more difficult concepts to grasp is that most common animals we see are vertebrates but there are actually more invertebrates living on our planet.

The best part of all these Geography and Science lessons is how much the children enjoy them.

 

 

 

 

The anticipation of the upcoming Holidays can be felt in our classroom as the children are busily creating gifts for their families and have begun rehearsing for our Holiday Concert on December 19th.  We hope you can join us for this special performance!

Amidst all of the excitement, it is a joy to see the children still so hard at work and focusing so intently on new lessons.  This week’s pictures are just a sample of all of the amazing learning that has been taking place.

The Montessori environment is carefully prepared to offer children of mixed ages various materials that are appropriate for their sensitive periods of learning.  Teachers are present to provide guidance and instruction, but learning is primarily student-driven.  Children choose the materials that interest them and decide how long they will work with them.  This environment fosters a positive sense of self-esteem, independence and an inherent love of learning, as the children achieve mastery of various concepts at their own pace.  Children learn best when they are allowed to discover and pursue the things they are interested in.

Gentle Reminder:

Should your child bring home wet or soiled clothing, please replace these items as soon possible to ensure that your child will always have clean, spare clothing.  Thank you!