“Social grace, inner discipline, and joy. These are the birthright of the human being who has been allowed to develop essential human qualities.” —Maria Montessori

Normalization is a buzzword often used by Montessori teachers everywhere. So, what exactly does it mean, and more importantly, how do we achieve it? When children in a Montessori environment demonstrate deep concentration, self-discipline, social skills, and a true love of work, we describe this as a normalized classroom. Normalization is achieved by consistent and clear ground rules that everyone is familiar with. It is our job to ensure the environment is always well-prepared and designed to meet the needs of the children. As Montessori teachers, we are confident that if we do our job well and the children are free to experience the opportunities provided by the environment and Montessori materials, they will thrive.

After the winter break and upon our return in January, we often see noticeable growth in the children’s social and emotional development. They come back eager to learn and raring to go! In the first half of the year, they have become comfortable and confident with our classroom routines and expectations. They have developed deeper relationships with their peers and teachers. It is always an exciting time and sets the groundwork for the second half of the school year.

Wishing everyone a 2024 filled with much peace and love.

Marissa & Sue

As Montessori teachers, we embrace the knowledge that one way we can promote peace and understanding of cultures around the world is to find age-appropriate ways to introduce the children to different traditions and celebrations.  While doing so in a very introductory way, it still allows us to highlight the similarities and differences of people everywhere.  These past few weeks have provided the opportunity to talk about Hanukkah, St. Nicholas Day, St. Lucia’s Day and Christmas.

We learned about Hanukkah by reading stories, learning about a menorah, the importance of the Shamash (the helper candle) and how to play the dreidel game (which is now a work on our math shelf!).  We even got to make our own dreidels.

We also learned about St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a Bishop who 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 learned that St. Nicholas loved to perform random acts of kindness for those in need. Many people around the world celebrate St. Nicholas Day by leaving a pair of boots outside their door. So, we left boots outside our classroom door, and to our amazement, the boots were beautifully decorated and filled with candy canes the next morning.

We read ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas and then made “reindeer food” to bring home and feed Santa’s reindeers.

We have our very own Lucia in our classroom and learned about St. Lucia’s Day, a Swedish tradition about finding light in the darkness.

We always try to respectfully learn about many different cultures and traditions. We noticed that the thread that connects all of these traditions is light, and we try to harness that connection.

A huge shout-out to parents who always help in any way they can.  There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to afford us these opportunities.  It is so very much appreciated.  As always, if there is anyone who may have different traditions or customs to share with us, please reach out.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with much peace, love and simplicity.

Marissa & Sue

This past week we tried to have as many calm moments as possible with all the excitement happening next week! We really dug into our Montessori roots by creating new activities in the classroom that have extra points of interest and call for concentration from the children.

We have three new sewing works out in Practical Life. We have had many “sewing circles” this week around our large community tables. Even our youngest students have joined in on the fun! We have learned how to embroider, sew a button onto fabric, and make button-closed bracelets. All these activities include cutting, threading needles, and tying knots! Although many children will not master all of these skills, we create as many opportunities for everyone to complete at least part of the work. You may start getting many button bracelets at home this week!

We also enjoyed “apple juice spritzers” as our Food Preparation this week. If you ever want to get a child to focus on their work, include making their own snack as part of it! Our Food Prep table was ALWAYS busy, and the children really enjoyed mixing apple juice and seltzer water for a nice refreshing drink.

We also starting one of three books focusing on “social thinking” or social/emotional learning. This week’s book is titled “Thoughts and Feelings,” where we learned that we all have brains (our thought makers) that are connected to our hearts (our feelings keepers). We learned that the thoughts inside of our brains affect the feelings inside of our hearts. This helps children realize how their actions can affect others.

Next week we have such a fun-filled and busy week with Christmas reading and crafts, Hanukkah reading and crafts, our bi-weekly parent reader, our holiday concert, and a birthday celebration!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Marissa & Sue