Ms. Kayser’s Class: Thankful

Posted on by skayser

This month has been filled with so many amazing experiences! From the visiting firefighters, to our STARlab field trip, and Thanksgiving just last week, it has been non stop excitement. The most amazing part of all this is that your children still had the most beautiful focus and drive within the classroom. Although there were so many other things going on, they still were able to come into our quiet sanctuary and get lost within the works on the shelves. They are continuing to grow each and every day and are proving, now more than ever, that their curiosity and love for learning is able to persevere through the excitement happening around them!

In the classroom this month we have been studying North America in geography! The children absolutely adore learning about the continent that they live on, and are eager to explore everything there is to know about it. We have been learning about the people of North America, the animals that inhabit North America, and even got to weave our own Native American rugs! Mrs. Reid taught the children the history behind rug weaving and then gave the children the opportunity to create their own; it was a beautifully done project that had the children completely absorbed!

On another note, we hope that you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. It is such a blessed time because  it gives us a chance to sit back and really think about the things in our lives that we are thankful for. Ms. Alli and I agree that, aside from being thankful for our families and friends, we are truly so thankful to have each and every one of your children in our lives. We took time in class to talk to the children about what they are thankful for before our Thanksgiving celebration and wrote them on their turkey headbands! We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did, some definitely put a huge smile on our faces!

All the best,

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: A Sea of Rugs

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

The love of ones environment is the secret of social evolution.-Maria Montessori

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!  Your children are skillfully maneuvering themselves throughout the environment, careful not to disturb a friend’s work.  I continue to be amazed at their growing control and respect for both friends and the environment.

Until next week,

Cindy & Sharlene

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: What Makes An Animal A Mammal?

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

Children love learning about animals.  They know that there are many different kinds of animals found all over our planet.  They also know that animals come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They move in many different ways and have many different kinds of coverings on their bodies.

Scientists like to classify things to make them easier to understand and study. There are different animal classes and every animal in the world belongs to one of them. Each class of animal has certain characteristics or traits. The six most well known classes are mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

The first class we are studying this year are mammals.  So what makes an animal a mammal? Mammals are warm blooded, have live births, drink milk from their mother, have a backbone, and have hair or fur. Mammals can live on land or in the water. The largest mammal is the blue whale and the smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat. Learning that people are mammals is always a great source of enjoyment for the children!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Doyle & Mrs. Lyga

 

 

 

Ms. Kayser’s Class: STARLAB Planetarium

Posted on by skayser

 

The primary students got to experience the wonders of our solar system inside a portable planetarium brought to us by The Children’s Museum of West Hartford. Our experience started with one of the staff members sharing stories of old that explained what was in the night sky. He continued to say that the people would look up into the sky and connect the stars in shapes of different animals. To spark the children’s imagination, the presenter brought in a milk snake for the children to feel and examine first hand. They were able to then use that mental image when they went into the STARLAB to try to find the constellation, Serpens.

When the children were ready, the presenter brought the classes into the inflatable STARLAB. This amazing structure allowed the children to sit inside of it as they projected 3D images on the walls around them. We were able to watch the sun set and the constellations appear above our heads! We got to use our own imagination to try to connect the stars in different shapes before he used the technology to map them out right before our eyes. The children were so excited to experience the stars all around them, but the best part of the experience was taking off from Earth and landing on the moon.

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Enter STARLAB

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

The primary students got to experience the wonders of our solar system inside a portable planetarium brought to us by The Children’s Museum of West Hartford. Our experience started with one of the staff members sharing stories of old that explained what was in the night sky. He continued to share that people would look up into the sky and connect the stars in shapes of different animals. To spark the children’s imagination, the presenter brought in a milk snake for the children to feel and examine first hand. They were able to then use that mental image when they went into the STARLAB to try to find the constellation, Serpens.

When the children were ready, the presenter brought the classes into an inflatable STARLAB. This amazing structure allowed the children to sit inside as 3-D images were projected on the walls around them. They watched the sun set and constellations appear above their heads!  The children were so excited to experience the stars all around them, but the best part of the experience was taking off from Earth and landing on the moon.

 

 

 

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: STARLAB Planetarium

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

The primary students got to experience the wonders of our solar system inside a portable planetarium brought to us by The Children’s Museum of West Hartford. Our experience started with one of the staff members sharing stories of old that explained what was in the night sky. He continued to share that people would look up into the sky and connect the stars in shapes of different animals. To spark the children’s imagination, the presenter brought in a milk snake for the children to feel and examine first hand. They were able to then use that mental image when they went into the STARLAB to try to find the constellation, Serpens.

When the children were ready, the presenter brought the classes into an inflatable STARLAB. This amazing structure allowed the children to sit inside as 3-D images were projected on the walls around them. They watched the sun set and constellations appear above their heads!  The children were so excited to experience the stars all around them, but the best part of the experience was taking off from Earth and landing on the moon.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Doyle & Mrs. Lyga

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Joyful Citizens

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

These last few weeks have been a particularly busy and exciting time with your children. We have traveled through space, explored the eight planets, discovered that the sun is a star, rocketed back to the planet Earth, and are now exploring the first of seven continents; the orange continent, our continent, North America. We will continue to explore the plants and animals native to our continent, map North America’s countries, examine topography, and study how a continents’ proximity to the equator impacts its climate.

The Montessori cultural studies curriculum provides children with an opportunity to explore the whole world including the continents, countries, people, animals, terrain, music, and arts. Children use didactic Montessori materials to familiarize themselves with the needs of all humans for such things as food, housing, and clothing. This early cultural awareness helps cultivate independent, joyful citizens of our world.

We were delighted to have the Botsford volunteer fire department visit the school on Wednesday. The children were introduced to basic safety skills, and how firefighters dress for emergencies. Fire safety starts an early age. It is always a good time to speak with your child about fire safety and introduce her to family meeting points, escape routes, and emergency phone numbers.

Enjoy your week!

Cindy & Sharlene

Ms. Kayser’s Class: Fire Safety

Posted on by skayser

It is hard to believe that the month of October is already behind us. It seemed like just yesterday that the children came into the class for the very first time, eager, yet cautious, to see what this new environment would bring for them. In these two short months, your children have been nothing but busy, taking in every experience we have given them and constantly looking toward what they will learn next!

This week we got the privilege of meeting the Botsford volunteer fire department and learned about fire safety. The children were so excited to meet them and hear about the important lessons they had to teach us about how to be safe in case of a fire.  Take some time this weekend to speak to your children about the presentation and what they should do if there is ever an emergency at home; they were so engaged and gave very thoughtful responses to the volunteer firemen, I bet they will really enjoy sharing everything with you!

The whole class got to go outside the school and explore a fire truck and even carry the hose! A few children from the primary classes even got to dress up as firemen and show the classes how to properly stop, drop, and crawl to safety in case of a real fire.

Our class spent time after the presentation writing letters to the fire department for them to display at the station. The children really hope the firefighters enjoy the letters and pictures!

Thank you to the volunteer fire department and all the men and women in the department who dedicate their lives every day to keeping us safe.

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli