The Sensorial area in a Montessori classroom is filled with materials that help the child study his/her environment through their senses. Maria Montessori believed that for every child, sensorial experiences begin at birth and by refining these skills they begin to understand their surroundings. The child is a natural “sensorial explorer.”

The Sensorial materials allow the child to acquire concise information and classify things around them. In turn, the child is creating their own experiences and knowledge. There is also a built in control of error in each material, so that little teacher instruction is needed. The children are able to distinguish, to categorize, and to relate new information to what they already know.

Each of the Sensorial materials isolates one specific quality such as color, weight, shape, texture, size, sound or smell. These materials emphasizes this one particular quality by eliminating or minimizing other differences.

What the hand does, the mind remembers. –Maria Montessori

“Help me to do it myself.”

In our hurried world, it is easier to do it ourselves then to stop and show our children how to do a task, and patiently wait until they complete it. Montessori tells us that everything we do for the child that he can do for himself is an obstacle to his development. That bears thinking about!

Peace education is a basic tenet of the Montessori philosophy.  In the 3-6 environment, studying the seven continents including its people and cultures, provides a global view of our world.  Maria Montessori believed we should think of education as peace, not education for peace.

To celebrate the International Day of Peace, on September 21st, we participated in “Sing Peace Around The World.” Beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii, Montessori schools around the world sang “Light A Candle For Peace” for five minutes and during a specific time slot.  So for 24 hours, this special song was being sung in a different part of the world by Montessori children.

We hope you enjoy the pictures and video of our school taking part in this simple yet beautiful ceremony.

                         Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.

                                                                                                                    ——-Maria Montessori

“Averting war is the work of politicians, establishing peace is the work of educators.”
-Maria Montessori

Peace truly begins in our homes and in our classrooms. The basics of peace include providing day-to-day environments which operate under an umbrella of respect, where our children can freely share concerns, feel safe, be productive and enjoy one another.

Your children celebrated an International Day Of Peace with Montessori children from around the world on September 21st. We participated in a round robin of sorts singing, “Light A Candle For Peace”, during an allotted time slot. The song was sung non-stop for twenty four hours by children from around the world.

On Thursday, October 19th (from 1pm to 9pm) and Friday, October 20th (from 7:30am-11:30am), FWM will be holding Parent & Teacher Conferences.

This is an important time to meet with your child’s teacher about how your child is progressing at the school. Scheduling for Parent & Teacher Conferences will be done on MyFwm.org in the Parent Module.

The sign up will be open Tuesday, October 3rd. Please note, conferences are typically 20 minutes long; however, each slot is 30 minutes in order for teachers to take notes and prepare for the next conference.

Thank you in advance for being punctual to your Parent & Teacher Conference and for adhering to the 20 minute limit.

Though we have been enjoying the warm weather, the official arrival of autumn has brought with it the exploration of the various parts of apples, trees and leaves.  We have begun slicing apples for apple crisp baking this week and have had a wonderful time making our own “binoculars” for a nature walk next week.  Children are hard at work throughout the classroom as they become more acquainted with the environment and acquire new skills.  It is truly a joy to observe!

Our classroom has been humming with the buzz of busy friends at work!  In addition to having new lessons and revisiting previously learned concepts, we have been preparing to join our FWM Community in celebrating Peace Day on Thursday, September 21st.  Children have enjoyed making peace symbol bracelets, Pinwheels for Peace and a peace poster that will be displayed outside our classroom.  Some of our friends’ suggestions for peaceful activities have included sitting on a bench, sleeping, sitting quietly and relaxing on the couch.

The foundation of a Montessori classroom is the Practical Life area.  This area provides a bridge between a child’s home life and school life.  As parents, we often hear children say repeatedly, “I can do it myself.”  How right they are!   Practical Life is teaching daily living skills while helping children to develop focus, concentration, independence, coordination, a sense of order and developing hand strength.  Sshhh, the children don’t know about any of that, they just think it is a fun area to spend time in.

Help me, help myself.

                 —Maria Montessori

 

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