Mrs. Wilson: Spreading Love In and Outside the Classroom

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

On Thursday, the children created birdseed ornaments for our feathered friends as a way to spread love beyond our classroom walls. They carefully mixed coconut oil and birdseed, then practiced spooning the mixture into donut-shaped pans. This simple activity offered beautiful fine motor work and required patience and concentration. Once the feeders have hardened, we will add ribbons so each child can hang their ornament outside their home to help feed the birds during these cold winter months.

Several children who brought in Valentine’s cards took great pride in passing them out to each friend’s Valentine’s bag. We ended our celebration by sharing a friendship berry salad topped with homemade whipped cream, a sweet treat enjoyed in even sweeter company.

For food tasting this week, the children explored edamame both in and out of the pod. The beans were quite tiny (which made capturing photos a bit tricky!), but overall, most of the children enjoyed trying this new food.

Ms. Vicki’s Weekly Update

Posted on by Vicki Downs

This week brought exciting new discoveries, joyful celebrations, and meaningful social learning in our classroom!

We introduced a light box to the classroom, and it was an instant favorite! The children explored translucent shapes, placing and matching them onto pictures while watching the colors glow. This activity sparked curiosity, creativity, and careful observation as they experimented with light and color.

We had such a special time celebrating Valentine’s Day together. The children enjoyed a festive party with their friends and shared a special snack as a class. It was a lovely opportunity to practice kindness, friendship, and togetherness.

Throughout the week, we read stories that focused on friendship, caring, and kindness. These conversations help children begin to understand how their actions affect others and how we can be kind members of our classroom community.

We’ve also been talking a lot about different emotions. The children practiced making various facial expressions while looking in the mirror, which helped them connect feelings with facial cues. It was wonderful to see them laugh, explore, and become more aware of their own emotions and the emotions of others.

It’s been a joyful week filled with discovery, connection, and growing social awareness. We love seeing the children learn not only academic skills, but also how to be kind friends and thoughtful classmates.

Ms. Vicki’s Weekly Update

Posted on by Vicki Downs

This week, our classroom was filled with Valentine work and meaningful conversations about kindness, love, and friendship. The children were excited to explore the new materials and bring these themes into their daily work.

The children worked with fine motor activities, art projects, new puzzles, and magnets in the sensory bin. It has been such a joy to watch their attention and focus grow as they engage deeply with their work.

We are especially proud of our older students, who are now confidently completing work from start to finish. They are independently:

-unrolling a work mat

-choosing and placing their work on the mat

-working with focus

-putting the materials away

-rolling up their mat when finished

These are big Montessori milestones, and the pride on their faces says it all.

The children have also been loving opportunities to help clean the classroom and put their nap items away. Taking care of their environment is an important part of building responsibility, confidence, and independence. They are doing an amazing job.

We also met our classroom baby, Bella. We hold her, rock her, and are learning how to carry her gently, change her clothes, and even tuck her safely into her cradle. The children absolutely adore this new addition to our classroom family.

Food tasting this week was mangoes! What a hit! The children loved this tropical fruit and wanted more. This will be great in lunch boxes.

It’s been a week full of growth, concentration, and loving moments. We are so proud of how much the children are capable of and can’t wait to see how they continue to blossom. 💗

Mrs. Wilson: Hello, Lovely February!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the month of February, our classroom focuses on the themes of Emotions and Family and Friends. Gentle touches of Valentine’s Day can be found throughout the environment, woven into the materials in the Refinement of the Hands area, as well as art, language, and math. During this time, the children are introduced to new vocabulary and expressions that help them name and recognize a wide range of feelings. They also explore figures that represent families from many cultures, while learning meaningful ways to express love and care for others, big and small—and for themselves, which is just as important.

On Wednesday, the children worked with Ms. Sara on their Valentine’s gift bags, using foam heart-shaped stickers to carefully decorate their paper bags. This activity offered wonderful practice in refining and strengthening their fine motor skills through peeling, placing, and pressing. The children will use these bags during our Valentine’s Day celebration to collect Valentine cards from their friends.

Food Tasting:
This week’s food tasting featured a mango. One child described the mango as “colorful,” noticing the green, yellow, and red hues of its skin. Most of the children enjoyed the mango and were eager to taste this vibrant fruit.

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

Ms. Mollie: Hello February!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

This week in our Montessori Toddler classroom felt like a beautiful mishmash of movement, creativity, and cozy togetherness. When winter lingers, and cabin fever starts knocking, we lean in rather than resist it.

We painted at the easel and at the table — big arm movements, small, careful brush strokes, color mixing, and the simple joy of watching paint glide across paper. Art gives toddlers a safe way to express the extra energy they’re holding inside.

We baked together, measuring, pouring, stirring, and waiting (which is often the hardest part). The sensory experience of flour on fingers and the smell of something warm in the oven grounds us all.

We added extra gym time and intentional movement, including climbing, balancing, carrying heavy objects, and pushing and pulling. Toddlers need big body work in the winter. Their behavior often softens when their bodies feel satisfied.

We bundled up for outside time, even if just for a short while. Cold air on rosy cheeks, boots crunching on frozen ground,  it resets everyone. Fresh air is powerful medicine.

And of course, we sang and danced. Sometimes the quickest way through cabin fever is to turn on music and simply move. Joy is regulating.

If cabin fever is visiting your home, here are a few simple Montessori-aligned ideas you can try:

  • Create a “movement break” basket with scarves for dancing, painter’s tape for a hopscotch line on the floor, or pillows for jumping.
  • Bake something simple together. Let your child scoop, pour, and stir …even if it’s messy.
  • Set up a small art invitation: paper, crayons, watercolors, or even painting with water on construction paper.
  • Do practical life work, washing dishes in a small basin, scrubbing a table, and transferring dry beans with a spoon. Purposeful work calms the mind.
  • Step outside, even briefly. Five minutes can shift the tone of the entire day.
  • Turn on music and have a family dance party.

Winter can feel long, but it also offers us the gift of slowing down and being together. When we follow the children’s need for movement, creativity, and connection, cabin fever turns into shared memories instead of frustration.

We’re not fighting the season; we’re moving with it.

With Full Hearts

Ms.Mollie and Ms. Lizette

 

Mrs. Wilson: The Beauty of Purposeful Risks

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In Montessori, we hold a deep respect for the child’s innate ability to know themselves. Allowing children the freedom to take appropriate risks is an essential part of honoring that trust. While our adult instincts often urge us to protect and intervene, growth happens when children are given space to explore their bodies, their limits, and their capabilities.

Through purposeful risk-taking, children develop body awareness, self-regulation, and a quiet, authentic confidence. Materials such as the Pikler triangle are intentionally designed to support this work, offering children opportunities to refine movement, build spatial awareness, and lay important foundations for later learning, including reading and writing.

Within the prepared environment, we allow children to climb, balance, and move without hovering or unnecessary assistance. We refrain from lifting, guiding, or directing, trusting each child to move at their own pace and to listen to their own body. Our language is equally intentional; we avoid phrases that project adult fear or judgment, choosing instead to observe with calm presence.

What unfolds is a beautiful process of self-construction. Day by day, children reveal an increasing sense of confidence, coordination, and awareness—not because they were told they could, but because they discovered it for themselves.

So many celebrations are happening each week. This week, we celebrated another friend’s third birthday. Happy Birthday to our friend!

Food tasting: This week, the children explored a pineapple. Through this sensorial experience, they observed its bright yellow color, felt its textured skin, noticed its sweet aroma, and tasted its juicy, tangy flavor. Pineapple for the win!

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

Ms. Mollie: Snowy Day!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

This was a short week in our classroom, and with some time out due to illness, there are only a few photos to capture our days. Still, one shining moment stands out so clearly.
We bundled up and stepped into the snow-covered Zen garden here at Fraser Woods, protected from the wind and wrapped in stillness. For a few peaceful minutes, the children played in the deep snow, scooping, stepping, and simply being. In the Montessori world, this is called BIG work. Playing in this type of snow engaged the children’s minds and bodies and gave a deep sensorial impression. The calm that followed was almost immediate. Our energy reset, our bodies settled, and our hearts felt lighter.
This small moment was a gentle reminder of the importance of going outside, even if only for a few minutes. Nature offers regulation, grounding, and quiet joy, sometimes exactly what we need most. ❄️🌿

With Full Hearts,

Ms. Mollie and Ms. Lizette

Ms. Vicki’s Weekly Update

Posted on by Vicki Downs

This week, we wrapped up our arctic animals study, and the children had so much fun bringing what they learned into their movement and play. They loved sliding down the slides like penguins, laughing and pretending as they moved their bodies in new ways.

To continue our winter exploration indoors, we brought out soft play blocks and invited the children to walk and balance on “pretend ice blocks.” This was a wonderful way to practice balance, coordination, and confidence while keeping the theme playful and imaginative.

The cold temperatures and strong wind chills made outdoor play unsafe this week, so we focused on keeping our bodies moving inside. We’re hopeful that next week’s weather will allow us to get back outside and enjoy some fresh air together.

As we look ahead, we’re excited to transition into February, when our classroom will soon be filled with love, friendship, and kindness. We can’t wait to begin exploring these themes with the children next week!