Welcome, Spring! Although snowflakes surprised us Thursday night, they left no trace by morning—just a chilly breeze and some puddles beneath our boots. Still, the lengthening days, cheerful birdsong, and gentle shifts in nature signal that spring is quietly and finally making its entrance.

In our Montessori environment, we guide the children to slow down and notice these changes with curiosity and care. Tiny buds on branches, soft sprouts emerging from the earth, and even the way sunlight lingers a bit longer in the afternoon are all invitations to observe, wonder, and connect with the natural world.

This week, we’ve been focusing on recognizing signs of spring. Whether it’s watching birds hopping across the playground, discovering early blooms, or feeling the cool air after an unexpected snow, the children are learning that change happens in small, beautiful ways.

Spring also gives us a perfect segue into one of our favorite topics: life cycles. Toddlers are naturally curious about the world, and the life cycle of living things sparks their imagination in such a special way. It helps them build early scientific knowledge, explore language through new vocabulary, and fosters a deeper sense of empathy and respect for nature.

This week, we kicked off our study of the life cycle of a chicken! From interesting eggs to fluffy chicks to full-grown hens, the journey from egg to adult is something toddlers truly enjoy exploring. So far, we’ve focused on two main ideas: chickens come from eggs, and a baby chicken is called a chick. The children watched a short, engaging video that showed the hatching process—it was magical to see their faces light up with curiosity and amazement.

We also learned that not all eggs have baby chicks inside. Some are meant to be eaten—and we did just that. As part of our food-tasting lesson, we explored the parts of an egg and introduced words like shell, egg white, and yolk. The children tasted scrambled eggs, and as an extension of the lesson, we practiced peeling boiled eggs, which turned into a wonderful hands-on activity. Peeling eggs helps toddlers develop fine motor skills and strengthens hand-eye coordination. It also teaches patience and focus—two beautiful qualities we see blossoming every day.

To bring in a little cultural fun, we also introduced a classic Spanish children’s song: Los Poll tos. In Spanish, the chicks say, “pio, pio,” instead of “chirp, chirp.” Just an interesting cultural bonus sent your way. 🙂 The children loved singing along and mimicking the sweet sounds of the chicks! You’ll find a link to the song at the bottom of this note if you’d like to enjoy it at home with your child!

Building on our recent color studies, we introduced the color purple and discovered how it can be made by mixing red and blue. The children were delighted to see the transformation happen before their eyes—yet another example of how wonder and learning go hand in hand.

Lastly, the children poured their hearts into a beautiful collaborative masterpiece with Jen Reid, our amazing art teacher—and we’re thrilled to announce it will be featured in the live auction at Springfest on May 3rd! This one-of-a-kind creation is a true reflection of their creativity, teamwork, and joy. We can’t wait for you to see it! Your participation not only supports our school but also celebrates the incredible spirit of our community. Let’s come together and make this event unforgettable! We hope to see you there! 🎉

Have a great weekend,

Ms. Hood and Ms. Patty

This week, we continued our exploration of the colors of the rainbow, diving into the magical world of color mixing! Our focus was on the color orange, and the children were amazed to discover that combining red and yellow creates this warm, cheerful hue. At the easel, they observed this transformation firsthand, blending the colors and watching different shades of orange emerge on their paper. It was a joyful experience filled with curiosity and creativity!

To extend this learning, we tied our color studies into nutrition by recognizing fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy foods by their colors. During snack and lunchtime, the children were excited to share the colors of the rainbow they found in their food containers. This activity not only reinforces color recognition but also highlights the importance of a balanced diet. You can try this at home by encouraging your child to identify the colors on their plate and talk about the benefits of eating a variety of colorful foods!

In addition to colors, the children have been fascinated by zoo animals! We’ve talked about the difference between pets and wild animals, and some of the class favorites include the lion, elephant, zebra, cheetah, and giraffe. The children have enjoyed learning about their habitats, characteristics, and unique features.

As we soak up the last cool days before spring is in full bloom, we’ve been spending extra time outdoors exploring nature. Watching them run, jump, and observe the changing environment has been a delight, and we look forward to fully embracing the beauty of springtime in the coming weeks!

This week, our food-tasting lesson introduced the children to plantains. The children were definitely intrigued by this fruit, which looks like a banana but tastes quite different. They sampled both soft and chip-style plantains, discovering a new flavor that many of them enjoyed.

To wrap up our week, we engaged in a magical Sensorial art project using food coloring, cotton swabs, dish soap, and milk. The children watched in awe as the dish soap reacted with the fat in the milk, causing the food coloring to swirl and dance. Their expressions of wonder were priceless! To preserve this moment, we placed watercolor paper onto the surface, capturing beautiful and unique prints of their milk art.

Thank you for sharing in our adventures… we can’t wait for more fun ahead!

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Patty

Colors are everywhere, and recognizing them is an important milestone in a child’s cognitive development. Beyond just naming colors, children use them to sort, categorize, compare, and organize, which are key skills for early math and communication development. While colors are always part of our classroom experience through materials, books, songs, and activities, this week, we took a deeper dive into the magical world of colors, focusing on the colors of the rainbow!

We kicked things off with a fascinating walking rainbow experiment. Using cups of water, paper towels, and red, blue, and yellow food coloring, the children watched in amazement as the water traveled through the paper towels, mixing to create new colors like orange, green, and purple. Through this experiment, we explored capillary action, the same process that helps water travel from a plant’s roots to its leaves. The children were captivated by the transformation, with plenty of “Wows!” and giggles as they checked on the progress throughout the week. For our older toddlers who have already mastered primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, we also introduced the concept of different shades and tones, adding an extra layer of discovery to our rainbow exploration.

Our color celebrations continued with a vibrant introduction to the Indian festival of Holi! Holi marks the arrival of spring and is known as the festival of colors, symbolizing joy, love, and new beginnings. We read the beautifully illustrated book Festival of Colors by Kabir and Surishtha Sehgal, which helped the children understand the meaning and traditions of this special celebration. Then, the real fun began! We took to the field for our very own Holi celebration, where the children joyfully threw colorful powder into the air—and at each other! Laughter, excitement, and bursts of color filled the space. It was truly a sight to behold!

A huge thank you to Keerti Murari for introducing this beautiful cultural tradition to our class and for providing the colorful powder that made our celebration so special. And a big shout-out to Shannon Turkett for her generous donations that helped make our Holi festivities extra fun! We are so grateful for your support!

We also had the joy of celebrating a special birthday in our class this week! Our little friend proudly walked around the sun while we all sang and celebrated her special day. Afterward, we shared a delicious treat together, making it a simple yet joyful moment for everyone.

To top off our colorful week, we explored pineapple as our featured food tasting of the week. The children enjoyed observing, touching, and tasting this yummy fruit.

From science and culture to celebrations and food, this week was a perfect blend of hands-on learning and joyful experiences.

Enjoy the pictures of your happy children,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Patty

Read the March 8 blog post here.