‘The best way of invigorating a child is to immerse him in nature… it is also necessary… to place the soul of the child in contact with creation, in order that he may lay up for himself a treasure from the directly educating forces of living nature” – Maria Montessori 

There’s no question that time spent outdoors in free, unstructured play results in happier, healthier children. They are calmer, more focused, and better able to regulate their emotions. Numerous studies have shown nature evokes creativity, imagination, and curiosity and refines cognitive thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.

In her lifetime, Maria Montessori observed that “when children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.” Children, whose brains, bodies, emotions, and immune systems are still developing, benefit ENORMOUSLY  from regular unstructured time in the fresh air; especially in this age of decreased physical activity and increased screen use. This developmental need does not change even when the weather turns colder, but it takes a little more effort on our part to get outside.

Maria Montessori’s call to action was to immerse children in nature in all types of weather! And I encourage you wholeheartedly to listen to her words and enjoy watching the benefits it brings to your child and to you! 

Even though I don’t like driving in the snow, I am SO thankful for the big snow storm we had and for having a great space outdoors at our school to explore with each one of your toddlers safely! It has been so fun watching the children enjoying themselves in nature!  

As winter weather requires more attention to clothing, outdoor temperatures, and wind chill in order to prepare children for appropriate cold-weather play, we thank you for your continued support in providing the necessary items for your child to stay happy and comfortable outdoors each day! 

We can’t wait to “see you” next week on our Parent-Teacher conference scheduled appointment, through Zoom.

Happy weekend,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Maria

In Montessori education, the term “normalization” has a specialized meaning. “Normal” does not refer to what is considered to be “typical” or “average” or even “usual.” “Normalization” does not refer to a process of being forced to conform. Instead, Maria Montessori used the terms “normal” and “normalization” to describe a unique process she observed in child development.

Montessori observed that when children are allowed freedom in an environment suited to their needs, they blossom. After a period of intense concentration, working with materials that fully engage their interest, children appear to be refreshed and content. Through continued concentrated work of their own choice, children grow in inner discipline and peace. She called this process “normalization” and cited it as “the most important single result of our whole work (The Absorbent Mind, 1949).”

The children in our environment are on a great path to “normalization.” Every morning we get to see its signs! We also watch with joy how children have internalized the routines, and transitions are more peaceful! They recognize their friends and feel comfortable sharing and working together. Deep friendships are developing, and expressions of love and care for each other are more evident.

On another note and in continuation with our winter studies, children worked on a fun sensorial art piece called: “My Melted Snowman.” Children had fun mixing glue and shaving cream to create snow puff paint and then explore the mixture while painting their own piece of art. They added a hat, arms, nose, eyes, and smile as they pleased, finishing it with the magic of glitter. Even though the result was adorable, it seems what they loved the most was the experience and process of this fun project. Their smiles throughout the activity were just priceless.

For food tasting, children enjoyed exploring blackberries! This fruit was a hit and most of the children kept asking for more!

Stay safe and warm,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Maria

‘The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself.’ – Maria Montessori

Art is one of the many ways children express themselves. When it comes to art, it is the process not the product that is important to the child. As adults our goal is to produce a product, but the child interacts with the world differently. The child works to develop self. The focus is on the process not the product. Once a child creates something, they do not feel the need to keep the product. It is the process that gives them satisfaction and inner joy.

In our Montessori environment, art materials teach each skill separately so that the children can combine them on their own:  line drawing with crayons, holding and managing colored chalk, cutting without and with a guideline, stamping, working with clay, painting with watercolors, etc.  All of these skills will be mastered independently and then combined at the child’s discretion in some grand piece of artwork later on in their  development.

Painting on the easel was a new addition to our art shelf this week. There are three main objectives of this exercise. First, the development of hand-eye coordination. Dipping the paintbrush in and out of the paint pot requires a steady hand and a keen eye, working simultaneously. Second, small motor control. Holding the paintbrush and whooshing it across the paper in the direction you want it to go is hard work when you’re small. Think of all the pre-writing skills they are learning just by holding the brush! Third, and I have to say my favorite goal, creative independence! There are no rules when it comes to painting. There is no predetermined product, just a process. The children can plan their own painting from start to finish without any interference from adult rules or directions. The only thing they must remember is to paint only on the paper. Their sense of satisfaction after they finish their masterpiece is just incredible to witness!

Also, we added an exercise for all the children to explore but specifically for our older toddlers to master: Gluing. Learning to use glue develops hand-eye coordination and fine motor planning skills. It also helps your child understand the sensory concept of stickiness. 

This week also, our beloved Art teacher Mrs. Reid visited us and worked individually with each child on a project for Valentine’s Day. Stay tuned as you will hear more about this soon! 

For food tasting we tried some yummy beets this week! The children were able to explore the leaves and were very curious about the root. They also expressed wonder when I cut the beet and they found out the color inside of the beet was purple! Most of them though the beet was blue inside. To our surprise only a few children really seemed to enjoy its taste! This was the first year in my book where toddlers were not excited about tasting beets! Oh well, let’s not give up on this very nutritious vegetable! Toddlers are unpredictable! Who knows.. maybe  tomorrow they will love it! 

Wishing you a peaceful and creative weekend, 

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Maria

“To have learned something for the child is only a point of departure. When he has learned the meaning of an exercise, then he begins to enjoy repeating it, and he does repeat it an infinite number of times, with the most evident satisfaction”

 Maria Montessori – The Montessori Method

Children had a great time this week exploring and repeating some of the new materials in the environment. In a Montessori environment, repetition does not necessarily mean that the child has to engage in the same exact work over and over again. Anything that provides the child with practice of a previously learned skill, including extensions and games, is repetition.

 Dr. Montessori said, “Repetition is the secret of perfection.”

Through repetitive exploration your children are able to look at a material from different angles and explore it, letting it become part of their understanding of the world. At the same time, it allows them to self-critique; they look at how they are doing something and make slight changes in order to perfect the action, making it more efficient. The Montessori environment is designed to support exactly this kind of learning. Children choose their own work, allowing their interest to guide them to a choice. They are drawn by desire and that allows them to return to an activity with frequency, working with it until they have perfected it. It is, in fact, a developmental need. A common phrase you can hear in our environment is the children saying, “Again!”  Dr. Maria Montessori wrote, “When a child has attained this stage, of repeating an exercise, he is on the way to self-development, and the external sign of this condition is his self-discipline.”

Based on our observations, this is  just ONE of the works your child seems VERY attracted to lately and enjoys repeating: 

Ella – Flower arrangement 

Shea– Maximum effort using the wagon 

Kian– Object to picture matching- Arctic animals 

Chey–  Dressing and undressing 

Sara–  Transferring water with a dropper 

Maya–  Puzzles 

On another note, children enjoyed exploring a juicy  grapefruit for food tasting. It was a fun and tangy experience! 🙂

Lastly, In our movement area we added the slide to our stair structure and, oh boy, children really enjoyed it! Slides are encouraging to children and invigorating to play on. Children will climb almost anything if it means going down a slide and since they use it over and over, it encourages balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. It also teaches the children social skills and organization. It’s so fun!

Wishing you a fun and safe holiday weekend, 

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Maria