At FWM, one of our goals is to nurture caring, empathetic students who are capable of thinking beyond themselves. Dr. Montessori envisioned a more peaceful world, starting with children, and it is through them that we believe the world can become a better place. Community service plays a key role in our Montessori approach, helping to develop the whole child. Through meaningful, real-life volunteer experiences, students discover the joy of giving and learn to cultivate compassion.

A couple of times each month, our Middle School students visit our environment to work with our toddlers. In the past, they’ve read stories, explored materials on our shelves, and offered gentle guidance—helping with tasks like putting on shoes and jackets and washing hands. They have a wonderful way of comforting their younger peers when needed, and they always join in the fun when we sing, dance, and play together. These older students are incredible role models, and the toddlers truly love spending time with them! This year, the Middle Schoolers will join us sometimes during mid-morning transitions and accompany your children on the playground for gross motor activities and bonding time. It’s going to be so much fun!

This week, we had an extra special event thanks to your generous support and donations. Our toddlers enjoyed a delightful wagon ride through the school, filled with excitement as they searched for pumpkins at our very own Toddler Pumpkin Patch! Their eyes lit up as they eagerly spotted pumpkins during the ride, and everyone around couldn’t help but pause to admire the beauty of innocence and grace your children bring to our community. We were especially grateful to our Middle School helpers, who pulled the wagons and guided those who preferred to walk.

When we arrived at the zen garden, the children were thrilled to see the pumpkins! They ran to touch, carry, and play with them, surrounded by the wonderful fall decor set up by parents for the children to enjoy. Each toddler proudly carried their own pumpkin back to the wagon for another fun ride, and upon returning to the classroom, they were met with a sweet surprise—treats and delicious apple cider! The joy on their faces was priceless. To top it off, the children had a blast decorating their pumpkins with vibrant colors at the end of the week.

It’s such an honor to witness your children grow within our community!

On a side note, we explored spaghetti squash during our food-tasting lesson. While it wasn’t a favorite for all, we were excited to see some of the toddlers enjoy it and even ask for more!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Warmly,
Mrs. Hood & Mrs. Noelle

Reminder: Please ensure your child brings a rain jacket and rain boots on rainy days. Rainsuits are also welcome! We aim to make the most of every type of weather and enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.

 

What a wonderful week we’ve had in our toddler classroom! One of the main highlights was a fun sensorial experience that wrapped up our apple studies. Your children dissected an apple, and oh boy, did they enjoy it! With their senses full of curiosity, they touched, observed, smelled, peeled, and cored a delicious apple. Using the handle of the peeler was fun, but the real magic happened when they saw the apple skin peel off and fall onto the napkin—it was like watching their eyes light up with excitement!

They also helped break the apple into pieces, which we placed in our crockpot to cook down into a delicious applesauce. The next morning, we gathered as a class to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They were so proud to share in the result of their hard work!

Food preparation is such a central part of our Practical Life curriculum. The benefits of including children in these tasks are countless. Not only does it help develop fine motor skills and build coordination, but it also encourages picky eaters to try new things. There’s something so special about tasting food you helped prepare! These activities also foster a sense of community and support learning in areas like nutrition, science, and math.

This week, we also started our study of pumpkins! The children were fascinated by the food-tasting lesson, where they got to try pumpkin, and they explored the outside and inside of a pumpkin in our classroom sensory bin. The new vocabulary—skin, pulp, strands, and seeds—was used to describe the different parts. We also talked about how pumpkins feel: cold, bumpy, and soft were words we repeated a lot, and of course, we talked about the color orange. Some children were excited to dig their hands into the pumpkin’s gooey insides, while others were more cautious, preferring to gently touch the seeds or skin. It was amazing to watch their individual reactions, from wonder and curiosity to skepticism and even a little bit of disgust!

In our Practical Life area, we introduced a new water transfer activity using a sea wool sponge. As simple as it sounds, this was one of the most popular activities of the week! The children were fascinated by the “magic” of watching the water disappear into the sponge and then reappear when they squeezed it out. They also learned two new vocabulary words, empty and full, which they loved repeating throughout the week. At the end of the activity, they took pride in cleaning up any spills with a towel.

Lastly, we celebrated another birthday, and we all had fun cheering our friend up and enjoying some yummy treats together!

We look forward to many more enriching experiences as we continue to explore the wonders of Fall! Thank you for your continued support, and please feel free to try these activities at home to extend the learning.

Warmly,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Noelle

Reminders:

* October 16th- Toddler Pumpkin patch (if desired, dress your child Fall theme)

* October 23rd- Picture day

*October 25th- Parent-Teacher conference (please sign up if you haven’t done so yet)

“Learning to use the toilet is a natural process that begins when your child’s desire to be grown up and his neurological development have reached the point where he can control his bladder and bowels. We don’t train children to use the toilet, we support them when they are ready.” (How to Raise an Amazing Child: The Montessori way to bring up caring confident children, by Tim Seldin)

As children continue to work on their self-care skills, we want to focus our attention this week on a special topic (and sometimes a dreaded one) between parents: potty training.

In our Montessori environment, we call it “toilet learning” since we believe that using the toilet is a very natural and gradual process that develops at the child’s pace, rather than when the adult decides the child is going to be toilet ‘trained.’ In our experience as Montessorians, we have witnessed toddlers as early as 20 months to as late as closer to three years old master these skills. Also, we have observed that apart from the developmental stage the child is in, one of the main factors for success relies on the parent’s commitment early on to support this process at home by making their child an active participant in the diaper changing process as we do in our environment.

You might be asking yourself, “But how do we do this? How can we support our child at home?”

As this topic can be extensive due to the fact that this type of support can start even when your child is a young baby, we are going to leave you here with some important tips focused on your toddlers and their stage of development:

1. Ditch the changing table and start changing your child in the bathroom area. This is important as it sends a clear message to the child that this is where we go to be changed and use the toilet.
2. Prepare the environment. You may use a potty to start if you feel your child needs more balance, or you may add a toilet seat to your regular toilet. If using the latter, please find a stable stool where your child will feel secure and encouraged to use the toilet. Add a basket with clean diapers, wipes, and books so children are encouraged to sit on the toilet and wait when needed. If your child is showing signs of readiness, a basket of clean training underwear and a basket for wet underwear should be part of this area.
3. Incorporate CONSISTENT toileting into your child’s routine. Offer the potty/toilet at times when the child normally urinates or has bowel movements (after waking up, before going outside, after coming in from outside, after lunch/before nap, etc.)
4. Say, “It’s time to use the toilet,” rather than “Do you want to go to the toilet?” (The answer will usually be no.) As the child becomes more aware of their body, they will be able to tell you, “No, I don’t need to go.” You can then say something like, “Of course, I know you will tell me if you need any help when you need to go.” You can also use an alarm clock set at regular intervals to remind them to go, “The clock says it’s time to use the toilet.”
5. Never force a child to use the toilet or potty.
6. Do not interrupt the child to use the toilet—for example, wait until they have finished their puzzle, etc. before offering the toilet.
7. Focus on encouraging your child to be an active part of the process by asking them to push their pants down, open the tabs of their diaper, and recognize if they have had a bowel movement or not (we always ask this to teach the children that if they have had a bowel movement, they will need our support to remove the diaper), wipe (when having a bowel movement we provide a small stool where they can turn around and put their hands on it for stabilization and the adult will clean them), place diaper in the trash, pull their pants up after receiving a new diaper and wash/dry hands. This is a daily routine in our environment. As soon as you incorporate this at home, we believe your child will increase their interest, and signs of readiness will become more obvious.
8. Provide clothing that supports the process. Avoid zippers, buttons, tight clothing, dresses, onesies, jeans, overalls, rompers, etc. Reminder: Please avoid this type of clothing on your child for school as well.

When should my child transition into wearing underwear?

When your child is staying dry for long periods, telling you when they are wet or soiled and they are having consistent success using the toilet at home and at school, it may be time to transition into underwear. The thick, quilted training pants work best as they allow the child to feel the wetness and are more absorbent than the thinner cotton underwear. When circumstances allow, you may let the child go bare bottom at home. This can help them see and understand what is happening. Please be aware that toddlers usually show signs of readiness at home first, and as they become more confident in the process, the transition into school life is usually peaceful and successful.

Communication between home and school is vital in this process. Please always reach out with any questions you may have! We will be more than happy to assist you!

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Noelle

“There should be no pressure, no reward or punishment, no adult deciding when the child should learn to use the potty. The environment is prepared, and the child is free to explore and imitate in these natural developmental stages.” (The Joyful Child)