Mrs. Sargeant: Scientific Discovery and Winter Preparations

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

As the cold weather and snow continue, please be sure to send boots, snow pants, and waterproof mittens with your child. Open-top bags, such as the large reusable ones from stores like Marshalls or canvas tote bags, work best, as the bag remains open and children can put their things away with ease. Please LABEL everything so items make their way back home.

Last week, the children became scientists as we conducted an experiment using vinegar and baking soda to blow up a balloon. The children loved this demonstration and cannot wait to do it again. We talked about what it means to be a scientist and the importance of careful observation—a skill that serves children well across all areas of learning.

New Works and Growing Independence

The classroom welcomed exciting new materials last week. We added a Button Sewing work to our Practical Life shelves, which has been drawing great interest from the children as they develop their fine motor skills and concentration. We also introduced a garlic press to the fresh homemade colorful play dough activity, which has been a big hit. The children have enjoyed exploring how the play dough transforms as it passes through the press, creating new shapes and textures.

Celebrating Our Community

We celebrated our friend Remy’s 4th birthday last week. The Montessori birthday walk reminded us all of the sun’s journey around Earth and helped Remy reflect on the special moments from each year of life.

Extending Learning at Home

Practice button sewing at home using old shirts or fabric scraps and large buttons. This practical life skill builds concentration, fine motor skills, and independence. For science exploration, try simple kitchen experiments together—mix baking soda with vinegar, watch ice melt, or observe what happens when you mix colors. These hands-on experiences foster scientific thinking and curiosity.

Upcoming Events & Announcements

This Week

  • Tuesday, January 27
    Kai’s Birthday Celebration
  • Friday, January 30
    Thomas’ Birthday Celebration

Next Week

  • Wednesday, February 4
    Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary at 9 a.m.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, February 12
Valentine’s Day Exchange is a cherished friendship celebration in our Primary classrooms! On Thursday, February 12, the children will exchange valentines with their classmates, marking a special part of their school experience that emphasizes expressing love and gratitude for one another.

We encourage you to involve your child in preparing their Valentine’s Day cards. Please have your child sign their own name on each card—whether that’s their full name, just one letter, or their own special mark, every effort is meaningful and developmentally appropriate! Please allow ample time for this name-writing process, which serves as wonderful practice. (If writing their full name, remember to use uppercase only for the first letter.)

Important! Please leave the “To:” area blank. Do not address envelopes or cards with specific names. This allows children to distribute valentines independently without needing to read each classmate’s name, supporting their sense of capability and confidence. Note: If your child is able to read their classmates’ names, they may write names on the envelopes as additional reading practice—but this is entirely optional.

Ms. Handibode: Discovering Reptiles and the Mathematical Mind

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

The classroom was alive with curiosity last week as we began our study of reptiles. The children learned that reptiles are cold-blooded, have scaly skin, hatch from eggs, are vertebrates, and breathe air through their lungs. This classification work helps the children understand the natural world and recognize patterns across different animal groups.

The Joy of Mathematical Materials

“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.” ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

The Montessori math materials continued to captivate the children last week. These visual and hands-on manipulatives allowed the children to understand mathematical concepts concretely. After many repetitions and when each child was ready, we introduced more complex and abstract concepts. We taught the process first because the goal was to develop true understanding of mathematical concepts, not simply memorization.

Maria Montessori believed that all children have a mathematical mind and an internal drive to understand the environment around them. The Practical Life activities have helped the children develop order, concentration, coordination, and independence, while the Sensorial materials have allowed them to recognize and extend patterns. The real secret behind the success of the Montessori math materials? The children truly enjoyed them.

Special Visitors and Stories

Jasper’s mom, Avery, visited us last week to share about La Befana, the kind old woman from Italian folklore who brings gifts to children all over Italy on the night of January 5th, Epiphany Eve. We enjoyed listening to a story about La Befana, ate delicious Befanini cookies made with a special ingredient—love—and danced to the Italian song “La Befana Di Notte.” The children were enchanted by this cultural tradition.

Our guest reader last week was Remi’s mom, Sam, who shared the wonderful story “Little Comet.” All of the children really enjoyed listening to this delightful tale.

Extending Learning at Home

Look for reptiles in your everyday environment—at pet stores, in books, or even in nature during warmer months. Practice classification by asking your child what makes an animal a reptile versus a mammal or bird. For math practice, count everyday objects together and create patterns using items around your home like buttons, pasta, or toys.

 

Upcoming Events & Announcements

This Week

  • Monday, January 26
    Sharing Box and Flowers – Jasper T.
  • Friday, January 30
    Birthday Walk & Celebration of Life – Jasper T.

Next Week

  • Wednesday, February 4
    Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary at 9 a.m.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, February 12
Valentine’s Day Exchange is a cherished friendship celebration in our Primary classrooms! On Thursday, February 12, the children will exchange valentines with their classmates, marking a special part of their school experience that emphasizes expressing love and gratitude for one another.

We encourage you to involve your child in preparing their Valentine’s Day cards. Please have your child sign their own name on each card—whether that’s their full name, just one letter, or their own special mark, every effort is meaningful and developmentally appropriate! Please allow ample time for this name-writing process, which serves as wonderful practice. (If writing their full name, remember to use uppercase only for the first letter.)

Important! Please leave the “To:” area blank. Do not address envelopes or cards with specific names. This allows children to distribute valentines independently without needing to read each classmate’s name, supporting their sense of capability and confidence. Note: If your child is able to read their classmates’ names, they may write names on the envelopes as additional reading practice—but this is entirely optional.

Mrs. Lopes: Exploring the States of Matter

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

Last week, the classroom was filled with excitement as we continued our exploration of the three states of matter—solid, liquid, and gas. The children engaged in several experiments that brought these abstract concepts to life in tangible, memorable ways.

Our first experiment combined corn kernels, a solid, with seltzer water, a liquid. The children watched in delight as the bubbles from the seltzer water attached to the corn kernels, making them “dance” up and down inside the jar. This simple demonstration sparked conversations about what makes something a solid versus a liquid, and how gases can interact with other states of matter.

Next, we combined vinegar, a liquid, with baking soda, a solid, and observed the chemical reaction that created a gas powerful enough to blow up a balloon. The children’s faces lit up with wonder as they saw the balloon inflate, and many expressed eagerness to try this experiment again.

Finally, we took advantage of the winter weather by building a snowman outside—a solid. We brought our frozen friend into the classroom and watched as it slowly transformed into a liquid puddle, and eventually into a gas as the water evaporated into the air. This observation helped the children understand that matter can change forms depending on temperature and environmental conditions.

These hands-on experiments allowed the children to observe scientific principles in action, fostering their natural curiosity and building the foundation for deeper scientific understanding.

Extending Learning at Home

Take advantage of everyday moments to explore states of matter with your child. Notice ice cubes melting in a drink (solid to liquid), watch steam rise from a hot bath (liquid to gas), or observe frost forming on windows (gas to solid). Ask your child to identify which state of matter different items around the house represent, and discuss what might make them change forms.

 

Upcoming Events & Announcements

This Week

  • Wednesday, January 28
    Olivia’s Half Birthday Walk
  • Thursday, January 29
    Zion’s Birthday Walk

Next Week

  • Wednesday, February 4
    Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary at 9 a.m.
  • Thursday, February 5
    Arhan’s Half Birthday Walk

Looking Ahead

Thursday, February 12

Valentine’s Day at Fraser Woods is a cherished friendship celebration in our Primary classrooms! On Thursday, February 12, the children will exchange valentines with their classmates, marking a special part of their school experience that emphasizes expressing love and gratitude for one another. This celebration beautifully combines the joy and excitement children naturally feel about Valentine’s Day with important developmental skills like writing, independence, and expressing kindness toward others.

Preparing Valentines at Home: We encourage you to involve your child in preparing their valentines. Please have your child sign their own name on each card—whether that’s their full name, just one letter, or their own special mark, every effort is meaningful and developmentally appropriate! Please allow ample time for this name-writing process, which serves as wonderful practice. (If writing their full name, remember to use uppercase only for the first letter.)

Important: Please leave the “To:” area blank. Do not address envelopes or cards with specific names. This allows children to distribute valentines independently without needing to read each classmate’s name, supporting their sense of capability and confidence. Note: If your child is able to read their classmates’ names, they may write names on the envelopes as additional reading practice—but this is entirely optional.

Ms. Marissa: Building Independence Through Purposeful Work

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

Last week, the classroom was filled with multi-step practical life activities. Baby washing emerged as the biggest hit, capturing the children’s attention with its sequence of careful steps. This work involves so much more than it appears—children must follow a precise order, maintain focus throughout the process, and leave the materials ready for the next friend. Next week we will introduce table scrubbing, always a fan favorite in our classroom!

We have witnessed remarkable growth in the children’s ability to care for their belongings and prepare themselves for outdoor time. At drop-off, we encourage you to step back and allow your child to unpack their own things, change their shoes, hang up their coat, and decide what to bring into the classroom. Even if they make mistakes along the way, this is essential work for their independence journey. As Maria Montessori reminds us, “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” The classroom is the child’s world, and bringing what they need into it builds confidence and self-reliance.

Kindergarten Adventures

Our Kindergarten students began reading their first chapter book together: My Father’s Dragon. Each Friday, a kindergarten child takes home a stuffed dragon and a journal to record their adventures—a treasured rite of passage in this pinnacle year!

The whole class has been practicing syllable work, clapping out each child’s name to discover how many syllables we all have. This playful activity serves as a wonderful transition tool as we prepare for line time or head to recess. Letter sound recognition continues to be a focus across many levels, and our embedded mnemonics approach has proven extremely beneficial. If you hear your child saying “a apple /a/” or “z zebra /z/” at home, now you know where it comes from!

Extending Learning at Home

Support your child’s growing independence by creating opportunities for multi-step tasks at home. Let them help wash vegetables for dinner, set the table following a specific sequence, or care for a special toy or plant. The key is allowing them to complete the entire process and leave materials ready for next time.

For kindergarten families with the dragon journal, embrace this special ritual! Help your child document their weekend adventures together, but let them lead the storytelling and illustration.

Upcoming Events & Announcements

Next Week

  • Wednesday, February 4
    Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary at 9 a.m.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, February 12
Valentine’s Day at Fraser Woods is a cherished friendship celebration in our Primary classrooms! On Thursday, February 12, the children will exchange valentines with their classmates, marking a special part of their school experience that emphasizes expressing love and gratitude for one another. This celebration beautifully combines the joy and excitement children naturally feel about Valentine’s Day with important developmental skills like writing, independence, and expressing kindness toward others.

Preparing Valentines at Home: We encourage you to involve your child in preparing their valentines. Please have your child sign their own name on each card—whether that’s their full name, just one letter, or their own special mark, every effort is meaningful and developmentally appropriate! Please allow ample time for this name-writing process, which serves as wonderful practice. (If writing their full name, remember to use uppercase only for the first letter.)

Important: Please leave the “To:” area blank. Do not address envelopes or cards with specific names. This allows children to distribute valentines independently without needing to read each classmate’s name, supporting their sense of capability and confidence. Note: If your child is able to read their classmates’ names, they may write names on the envelopes as additional reading practice—but this is entirely optional.

Mrs. Lopes: Discovering the States of Matter

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

Last week, our classroom embarked on an exciting journey into the world of science as we began our unit on the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. The children were captivated as we explored how matter exists all around us in different forms.

We started by learning the unique properties of each state. Solids hold their shape because their molecules are packed tightly together. Liquids flow and take the shape of their container because their molecules move more freely. Gases spread out to fill any space because their molecules move the fastest and are far apart.

To bring these abstract concepts to life, we used Cheerios to represent molecules! The children carefully arranged the Cheerios close together for solids, spread them out a bit for liquids, and scattered them far apart for gases. This hands-on representation helped them visualize something invisible to the naked eye.

The most memorable moment came when we acted out the molecule movements ourselves. The children loved moving slowly and staying close together as “solid molecules,” then moving more freely as “liquid molecules,” and finally zooming around the classroom as “gas molecules.” The laughter and energy in the room made it clear that learning through movement creates lasting understanding.

Extending Learning at Home

Explore states of matter in your everyday life! Point out solids (furniture, books, toys), liquids (water, juice, milk), and gases (the air we breathe, steam from a pot). You can even recreate our Cheerios activity using small objects like buttons or dried beans to show how molecules behave differently in each state.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
  • Monday, January 19
    No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Next Week
  • Thursday, January 29
    Zion’s Birthday Walk
  • Friday, January 30
    Olivia’s Half Birthday Walk

Ms. Marissa: Language Play and Purposeful Care

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

 

Our classroom baby, Frances, received lots of loving attention last week! Multi-step water activities like washing the baby naturally draw interest from the children, as they practice sequencing, care of others, and develop their concentration through this meaningful, practical life work. The children carefully gather their materials, prepare the water, gently wash Frances, dry her, and clean up their workspace—all while developing independence and fine motor coordination.

Another highlight from the week was the concept of rhyming! The children have been engaged in rhyming games as we explore the musical patterns in our language. We’ve been discovering that for words to rhyme, they need to share the same middle and ending sounds—a foundational skill that supports phonemic awareness and future reading development.

The children have embraced reciting our January poem with enthusiasm:

In January, it’s so nice,
While slipping on the sliding ice,
To sip hot chicken soup with rice.
Sipping once, sipping twice,
Sipping chicken soup with rice.
–Maurice Sendak

The rhythm and repetition of this poem have captured their imaginations, and many children are beginning to recite it from memory.

Extending Learning at Home

Practice the January poem together at home! The repetition and rhyming patterns help children develop phonological awareness while having fun with language. You can also play simple rhyming games during car rides or at the dinner table—choose a word and take turns finding words that rhyme with it.

Your child can practice similar care activities at home by helping to wash dishes, wipe tables, or care for stuffed animals. These everyday tasks build the same sequencing skills and sense of responsibility we’re cultivating in the classroom.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
  • Monday, January 19
    No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please review the birthday celebration schedule, as we have many birthdays and half birthdays coming up in the next few weeks!

Ms. Handibode: Math Carnival Magic and Matter Explorations

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

What a wonderful week of discovery and excitement! We ventured to the Middle School Math Carnival and dove deeper into our science explorations.

The Math Carnival was an absolute highlight. The Middle School students created engaging games based on mathematical concepts, and our children were thrilled to participate. One excited student declared it “the best day ever!” This experience gave our Primary students a glimpse into their future at Fraser Woods—seeing the mathematical thinking and creativity they’ll develop as they continue their Montessori journey through Elementary and Middle School. Watching our younger learners engage with the work of older students reinforced the beauty of our school’s continuum and the rich learning opportunities that await them.

Back in the classroom, we launched our science unit on states of matter. Matter is everywhere—everything we can touch, taste, smell, and see is made of matter. We learned that solids have a definite shape because their molecules are tightly packed and barely move. Liquids take the shape of their container because their molecules move around more freely. Gases spread out to fill any space because their molecules are far apart and move constantly.

Our experiments brought these concepts to life in spectacular ways. In the “dancing raisins” experiment, we watched raisins bob up and down in carbonated water as gas bubbles attached to them and carried them on a buoyant dance. We also inflated a balloon using a chemical reaction—mixing vinegar and baking soda in a bottle created carbon dioxide gas that filled the balloon without us even blowing into it!

Now we’re eagerly watching the weather forecast, hoping for snow. Our plan is to build a snowman, bring him inside, and observe as he transforms from a solid to a liquid and eventually evaporates into a gas. The children can hardly wait for this real-world demonstration of state changes.

Extending Learning at Home

Ask your child to show you how molecules move in each state of matter—they’ll love demonstrating their “solid,” “liquid,” and “gas” movements! You can also explore states of matter in your kitchen by observing ice cubes melting (solid to liquid) or watching steam rise from hot soup (liquid to gas).

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
  • Monday, January 19
    No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Tuesday, January 20
    Sharing Box and Flowers—Jaxxon S.

 

Mrs. Sargeant: Settling Into New Routines and Frozen Discoveries

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Our classroom continued to bloom with independence and curiosity last week as the children settled into their beautiful new lockers and explored fascinating new materials.

The children are adjusting wonderfully to their new lockers, taking pride in organizing their belongings and developing important self-care skills. We’re watching them grow more confident each day as they independently hang their coats, store their shoes, and manage their personal items. This growing independence is central to the Montessori philosophy of helping children become capable and self-reliant.

New materials appeared on our shelves this week, sparking curiosity and engagement. A flashlight with batteries invited the children to practice fine motor skills as they carefully assembled and disassembled it, learning how simple tools work. A matching game featuring flags from around the world opened conversations about different countries and cultures, expanding the children’s global awareness.

Our science explorations continued as we prepared for upcoming experiments with solids, liquids, and gases. The most popular work this week was our sensory bin filled with arctic animals and different types of penguins frozen inside ice. The children used pipettes to drip warm water onto the ice, carefully observing how much water it took to free each animal. The concentration on their faces as they worked to melt the ice and “rescue” the penguins was a beautiful example of purposeful, engaged learning.

Flower arranging made a delightful comeback in our classroom. By simply changing its location and adding a new dish to hold the vases, we reignited the children’s interest in this practical life work. They practiced careful cutting, arranging, and caring for living things—all while creating beauty in our shared space.

Our Kindergarten students embarked on a new writing project, creating “How-to” books. They’re learning to break down everyday tasks into clear, sequential steps—an important skill that combines literacy with logical thinking.

Extending Learning at Home

Support your child’s growing independence by creating a designated spot at home for their belongings. Have them practice hanging their own coat and placing shoes, hats, and backpacks in consistent locations. Involving children in these daily routines builds responsibility and self-confidence. You can also explore states of matter together—freeze small toys in ice cube trays or containers, then let your child work to melt the ice using warm water, just like our penguin rescue activity!

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week
  • Monday, January 19
    No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Tuesday, January 20
    Remy’s Birthday Celebration