In the first two weeks of school we have already had two classroom birthday celebrations! Birthday celebrations are so special in a Montessori environment. For a child, one year is a significant amount of time relative to their life. As part of the Montessori tradition, we strive to celebrate birthdays in a way that is both meaningful and educational.

Our children in the Primary environment celebrate birthdays with a tradition called “a walk around the sun.” A walk around the sun can be different from school to school, but typically begins by lighting a candle representing the sun in the middle of our class circle. Labels for each month of the year are laid out around the candle. The teacher and class form a circle around the candle and the birthday child walks around the “sun” once for each year of their life, holding an Earth globe. We encourage parents to share a milestone from each year of their child’s life during their walk around the sun.

The Montessori birthday walk is more than just a birthday celebration, it’s a Celebration of Life, a lesson in science, astronomy, and grace, and a community building experience for the entire class.

This Friday we will be sending home a “Friday Folder” with your child’s work from the week. Please empty the folder and return it to school on Monday. Some children come home with many items each week, while others do not. Please remember that many of the lessons and materials in our environment are tactile, so even though your child may not be coming home with much “physical” work, our photos we share each week will show how they have been working hard in the classroom.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Amanda and Heather