Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Welcome back! It was exciting for all of us to reunite this week. The children quickly settled right back into our classroom routines. We celebrated Margot’s 2nd birthday this week. She counted two votive candles, and we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her as we played our music box. She shared one of her favorite books, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear, which captivated the whole group! Then we had a special snack of blueberry scones. The children especially loved looking at Margot’s baby pictures. It was a lovely celebration! We’re looking forward to celebrating a few more birthdays soon!

Just before break, we tasted Irish soda bread. The children were given a lesson on spreading butter. They loved the bread, and they loved being able to spread their own butter! An activity such as spreading butter requires a unique rotation of the wrist, which is necessary for learning to write. Spreading requires strength, coordination, and the use of the support hand. It is also very satisfying for young children to participate in preparing their own snacks. The next time you are preparing a snack for your child at home, think about how they can participate. They are so capable! Some ideas for spreading are spreading avocado onto toast, jam or cream cheese on a bagel or rice cake, hummus onto pita, and sun butter onto apple slices or celery. 

This week, we tasted Brussels sprouts. I’d say it was a 50/50 split. Definitely worth trying again at home. There are so many interesting and delicious recipes that surely did not exist when I was a child!

I wholeheartedly thank you all for all that you do for us. Thank you for showing up each week with food for our food-tasting experience and flowers for the children to arrange. Thank you for sharing in the task of doing laundry. I appreciate all of you!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Warmly,

Christine & Lizette

Mrs. Wilson: Hard Working Toddlers

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week was brimming with creativity and delightful activities for our toddlers! We kicked things off by collaboratively painting our class gift—a vibrant see-saw/balance beam. Guided by Mrs. Reid and Miss Eryn, the children explored various paint tools, creating a masterpiece in a kaleidoscope of colors. We didn’t stop there; another class gift emerged: a stunning garden ball adorned in shades of green and blue. The anticipation of discovering the lucky recipient adds an extra layer of excitement.

On Thursday, culinary exploration took center stage as the children actively participated in crafting Irish Soda Bread Muffins. Each little chef contributed to mixing and adding ingredients, turning baking time into a captivating experience. As the muffins baked, a magical moment unfolded with leprechaun rocks (baking soda) meeting vinegar, resulting in fizzing excitement. The finale? Golden coins for all, making this week truly enchanting!

Mrs. Hood: Exploring the Rainbow!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Color recognition can provide children with essential learning tools in life. For example, color recognition is used in mathematics to categorize, sort, compare, and organize. Additionally, as children learn to identify colors and use color as a language tool to describe things, it develops and strengthens their ability to communicate effectively. Recognizing and identifying the color names is important to a child’s development. It is considered a marker and milestone in a child’s cognitive process.

Colors are part of our daily lessons throughout the school year when using the different materials, games, books, songs, and activities in our environment. However, during the next weeks, we will purposely focus on studying the colors of the rainbow.

As an introductory activity,  we started this week  by observing a walking rainbow experiment.  Using cups with water, paper towels and red, blue and yellow food coloring, the children got to observe how the water traveled through the paper towel and mixed in the empty cups creating new colors like orange, green and purple.

How does this experiment work? The water moves up the paper towels through a process called capillary action. The paper towel is made from fibers, and the water is able to travel through the gaps in the fibers. The gaps in the paper towel act like capillary tubes and pull the water upward. This is what helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the plant or tree. The water is able to move upward against gravity because of the attractive forces between the water and the fibers in the paper towel.

Children observed in awe the different stages of this experiment throughout the week. The main expression used was: Wow! Followed by giggles and little dances.

On another note, children worked happily in our class gift for our FWM Annual Gala & Auction. A big shout out to our amazing class moms, Shannon Turkett and Regine Hooper-Campbell, for coordinating and to Roberth VanEgghen, Megan Lang, and Neetha Desai for volunteering their time to come and work with the toddlers on this project! We SO appreciate you! They also had some fun with Miss Sara Hunsucker, our school art teacher, preparing another great project for the auction!

Lastly, a new popular piece of equipment was introduced in the movement area: A sensory spinning chair. Spinning on a chair provides intense vestibular input, which helps toddlers develop their sense of balance and spatial orientation. This stimulation can be calming for some children and can improve their ability to focus and attend to tasks.  Spinning on a chair requires coordination and motor planning, which can help toddlers develop their gross motor skills. It can also improve their core strength and stability, which is important for posture and overall physical development. The repetitive motion of spinning can have a calming effect on toddlers, helping them regulate their emotions and reduce feelings of anxiety or frustration. To say children LOVE this chair is an understatement!

We hope you all have the most wonderful Spring break! See you in two weeks!

Adios!

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

We have spent the first week of March listening to Irish music. The children have learned a bit about bagpipes, and many of them start to dance as soon as the music begins to play.  We’ve listened to the music from Riverdance and talked about Irish dancing. In some of the music, we listened for drums being played along with the bagpipes. The children have also enjoyed learning the names of other musical instruments such as flute, clarinet, French horn, trombone, and guitar. They have seen photos of people playing these instruments and enjoyed matching miniature replicas of these instruments to the photos. 

This week, we tasted asparagus: raw and cooked. Many of the children enjoyed the cooked asparagus. They noticed the difference in taste between the two, as well as the distinct crunch of the raw. 

We are so grateful to Angela and Michael Huttemann for working with our children to create a gorgeous collaborative handprint masterpiece, which will be available for purchase at the gala. 

Our children also had the opportunity to work with Ms. Sarah, our art teacher, to complete another project for the gala. They each pressed their fingerprints onto a ceramic vase. Upon completion, their fingerprints will look like insects crawling on its surface. We are eager to see the finished product!

We hope you enjoy some quality time with your families over the spring break, and look forward to seeing everyone back at school on March 25th.

Warmly, Christine & Lizette

Mrs. Hood: The Process of Normalization

Posted on by Andrea Hood

In Montessori education, the concept of “normalization” holds a profound significance, quite different from its conventional meaning. Maria Montessori used this term to describe a remarkable process she observed in children’s development—a process that unfolds when children are given the freedom to work in an environment that aligns with their developmental needs.

“Normalization” in Montessori does not imply conforming to a standard or being forced into a mold. Instead, it signifies a state of being where children exhibit a deep sense of inner peace and discipline. Montessori observed that when children engage in activities that captivate their interest and require their full concentration, they experience a profound sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. This focused, purposeful work leads to a state of normalization characterized by a calm, content demeanor.

In our Montessori environment, we witness the signs of normalization every day. Children are deeply engaged in their chosen activities, demonstrating sustained concentration and a sense of joy in their work. As a result, they become more independent and self-disciplined, fostering an environment of peaceful, harmonious interactions.

On another note, this week, we introduced the art skill of gluing, which has become a favorite among the children. Learning to use glue may seem like a simple activity, but it offers numerous benefits. It enhances hand-eye coordination, refines fine motor skills, and helps children understand the sensory concept of stickiness, adding a tactile dimension to their learning experience.

In our most recent food-tasting lesson, we explored celery. Although most of the children were not too excited about this vegetable at the time of tasting, they were in awe of how cool-looking and heavy the whole stalk of celery was.

As we continue to nurture the process of normalization in our environment, we celebrate the remarkable growth and development taking place in your child.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Hood and Mrs. Mollie

Mrs. Wilson: Little Bodies with BIG Feelings!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week marked the conclusion of our month, during which we focused on enriching our emotional vocabulary. Recognizing that toddlers experience intense emotions and are in the process of learning how to articulate and manage them, we embarked on a journey to teach them the language of both positive and negative emotions. By familiarizing them with these emotional terms, we empower them to comprehend and navigate the complex landscape of their bodies, hearts, and minds.

As adults, we must reassure toddlers that their emotions are valid and acceptable. What truly matters is how they learn to handle and express these feelings. Equipping them with the necessary tools for emotional expression and coping not only allows them to navigate their current emotions but also lays the foundation for self-regulation as they grow older. Granting them the space to experience and process these emotions is a valuable step in their developmental journey. Remember, this takes time and practice for our little ones.

This week, for food tasting, the children tasted a juicy and super sour lemon. It was interesting to observe the varied reactions of the children after taking their first bite. Some approached the citrusy challenge with ease, showing little to no reaction, while others couldn’t help but make the most amusing puckering faces.

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

The children enjoyed the sunshine and warmer weather this week. They ended last week tasting lemons, and this week, they gave plantains a try. We discussed the differences between plantains and bananas. Plantains tend to be larger, with thicker skin. They are also a bit starchy, whereas bananas are sweeter. We had the opportunity to taste mangu, which is a Dominican dish consisting of cooked, mashed plantains. We’ll end the week trying plantain chips. 

Stay healthy, and enjoy the first weekend of March! 

Mrs. Hood’s: Amigos!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

“Of all things, love is the most potent.” – Maria Montessori

Humans have an innate desire to connect, to experience dynamic relationships with one another. At around 18 months, there are notable changes in cognitive skills that help real friendships blossom. The toddler becomes more consciously aware of themselves and others. Watching toddlers making friends for the first time is truly a delight! In our environment, children show excitement every morning when they see their amigos and love practicing their names. Younger toddlers, still working on their expressive language, like to point to their friends with big smiles and do a little dance of happiness.

Grace and courtesy is one of the most critical areas in our Montessori curriculum. Grace is the outer expression of our inner selves as observed in body language and movements: facial expressions such as smiles, eye contact, tone of voice, inflection, body movements, and the actual words used to express ourselves. Courtesy is the manners given for human interaction. As we all know, neither grace nor courtesy are instinctive but acquired. This is why in our Toddler environment, we use constant, daily lessons in this area through intentional modeling rather than specific lessons presented, as children will encounter at our Primary levels. It’s truly amazing to observe how your children continue to grow in gentleness, respect for each other, care and expressions of kindness, etc.,  despite their young age. It’s SO wonderful!

Based on our Emotional intelligence studies, this week, children also had the opportunity to use the emotion cards as individual work using a table mirror. The children seem to love to observe the picture cards and copy the facial expressions in the mirror. With the older toddlers, we also use this work as an enrichment of vocabulary activity by establishing conversations with the child and wondering together what they think happened to the children in the picture. Why are they feeling that way? Oh! The stories they come up with are just so great!

Some of the most beloved books by your children  lately  has been: In My Heart by Jo Witek, The Feelings Book by Todd Parr, and especially Calm Down Time by Elizabeth Vedick. With the help of this book, children practiced the importance of breathing deeply when encountering difficult emotions. We practice by encouraging the toddlers to “Smell the flowers” (inhale) and “blow the candles” (exhale). We also encourage our students to use the teepee as our calm-down area to get some space and learn to regulate themselves.In this area children have a faux sheepskin rug, cushy pillows and often they will have a variety of calming items like sensory bottles, stretchy string fidgets or  liquid motion bubblers to support this process.  For your children, this is one of their favorite places in our classroom. A place to decompress when needed or just have some space!  I highly recommend you creating a calm-down area at your home, especially if your child struggles with tantrums.

On another note, children had a blast celebrating friendship on Valentine’s day and they were so focused on perfecting their spreading skills while creating “donuts” using apple rings, sunflower butter and delicious sprinkles! They also enjoyed sharing their valentine’s with their friends and having fun in an epic balloon dance party! During circle time that day, we talked about how hugs make our brain happy and it was just so amazing to see how each child chose a friend to offer a hug!

For food tasting lesson we explored  Cauliflower and tangy lemons! Sour is definitely a new word in their vocabulary!

Lastly, we finished this busy week with a little 100 day of school celebration where children baked  delicious lemon blueberry scones! Children loved them so much that we wanted to send you all the recipe. Click here to get it!

Enjoy the pics!

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie