Children are fascinated by nature and living things. Inspiring wonder and connecting to nature are an important part of Montessori education. Maria Montessori strongly believed that nature presented an inspiration and strong opportunity for learning. Knowing this, we introduce the children to the topics of botany and zoology on an age-appropriate level.

We first introduce the concept of living and non-living. The children loved observing and comparing Hank, our fish and a Pepperidge Farm goldfish cracker.  It was determined that Hank, like all living things, needs food and water, is born, not made, moves, “makes more” or reproduces, and eventually dies. Conversely, non-living things are not born, do not need food or water, do not move, and do not reproduce.  Next, we categorize living things into either a plant or an animal.

Although many of our science topics are introduced in a large group setting.  The materials are available on the shelves for the children to work with independently.

~Parent & Teacher Conferences are coming up!

Parent & Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, October 25^th.

This is to a wonderful time to learn about your child’s progress; it is strongly encouraged that parents attend.  The online Parent & Teacher sign-up will be live on Monday, October 8^th – please look for more information in Monday’s School News about scheduling your Parent & Teacher Conference online.  If you are unavailable to meet with your child’s teacher on October 25^th, please email your child’s teacher directly about scheduling another day or time that week for a conference.

We are beginning to introduce the geography materials to the children. Simply put, geography at this age is about sharing our world with children.  The Montessori approach to teaching geography is unique and is comprised of two components, physical geography and political geography, also known as Culture. From the beginning of the school year, we weave geography lessons and terminology into our day as we learn about our physical world.

We start by teaching that the Earth is composed of land, water, and air.  Next, we introduce the Earth by learning about globes. Moving from this three dimensional representation of the Earth, we segway into maps.

Early in our school year, we categorized the planet Earth into air, land, and water. We then sorted what we would find in each of these different components of our world. Next, we introduced the geometric solid known as a sphere to the children and compared it to the shape of the globe. We start with a sandpaper globe that helps to distinguish land and water. The colored globe comes next and we begin to teach the continent names. We make a playdough sphere and cut it into half to help them visualize the concept of a hemisphere. Simultaneously, the children are learning about land forms that introduce the concept of lake, island, bay, cape, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, strait, archipelago, and a system of lakes.  These sensory experiences help the children learn about their physical world.

After learning the continent names, we introduce the puzzle maps for each continent, starting with North America in November. We learn that there are many countries in North America. The older children will trace and paint each of the puzzle maps. We will learn about the animals, people, and climate often associated with each of the continents. Our goal is to encourage the children to appreciate the beauty and wonder found in the similarities and differences around the world.

In our classroom, we have a cultural shelf with artifacts from each continent. If anyone is ever traveling and has the opportunity to add to our treasured class collection, we would be ever so grateful.

Listen carefully and you may just hear your child singing, “Do You Know The Continents?”

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Doyle & Mrs. Lyga

“We have to remember as adults, that we want things done, and as quickly as possible, so that they are finished and out of the way; whereas the child is interested and content in the doing, not the done.” –Margaret Stephenson The Art of Montessori in the Home

Sometimes it can be difficult to accept the idea of focusing on the process, not the product.  What exactly does that mean anyway?  Many of the works in the Montessori classroom do not end with a physical product the children will bring home to share with everyone. There is often no way to assess what a child is  learning. Overall, as a society, we are product driven and often times base our success on this factor. The experience a child has when working with the materials is truly what is most important. However, when you hear they did “nothing” day after day, it can often be unsettling.

Research shows that children from 3-6 learn best through their hands. In order to truly understand a concept they need to explore it through touch.  It is why so many of the lessons found in the Montessori environment are not based on memorization alone. Most concepts we are trying to teach involve  tracing, manipulating, and exploring with their hands.

Perhaps most importantly, focusing on the process protects the child’s intrinsic motivation to learn and understand. It is not influenced by external factors such as recognition, praise, or reward. The time and experience with the materials is what we truly value and encourage.

Warmly,

Mrs. Doyle & Mrs. Lyga