Monday, April 13, 2009
April News
Its April! I hope everyone had an enjoyable spring break! We had a few warm days here and there and hope to see many more this month. In Montessori we will be studying plants and flowers this month. We will be looking for budding trees and flowers. We will learn how important plants and flowers are to us. The children will do plant care works and plant their own seeds and watch them grow. A variety of gardening activities will be available to them also.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Only 3 months Left of school! Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun.
Good News! Mrs. Merrill is pregnant! This is her last baby and even though it came as a shock, she is very happy. She is due the first week of September and plans on starting school a few weeks late next year.
Your children are all doing very well. Mrs. Wood and I are busy busy every day giving lessons to the children. They are so driven to learn!
GREEN GREEN GREEN
St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday March 17, 2009
Everyone needs to come to school wearing at least a bit of green or they might get pinched.
We will be having a fun green tasting activity and reading stories about leprechauns and pots of gold. We will also be learning about rainbows and reviewing our colors with fun games.
Spring Break!
No, I’m not kidding it really is going to be spring someday soon (I hope)!
There will be no school Tues. March 24-26
Another frequently asked question about Montessori:
What makes a Montessori Teacher different?
In the simplest terms, a Montessori director teaches individually. Picture a traditional classroom: the teacher stands at the front of the classroom in which the students are all sitting in desks, all receiving the same lesson at the same time. This is the factory approach that is convenient for school systems, but not conducive to learning. In the traditional school environment the child is treated as an empty vessel, with information poured in at the same rate to all children until the bell rings.
In a Montessori classroom your child is taught individually or is small groups. This allows the teacher to get immediate feedback and to be sensitive to how well the child is absorbing the lesson and what questions or needs the child has. Simply put, there is nothing that works so well in education as individual attention.
Each Montessori Teacher has been trained in the science of observing children.
They have also been trained on how to teach using the Montessori Materials, all of which have been scientifically designed to enhance the learning experience.
In fact the word “teacher” is not always used in the Montessori classroom. A teacher is someone who knows something and gives it to you. A Montessori teacher is often called a director or a guide, because what they do is direct the child toward what he needs to teach himself. The Montessori Director has been trained to observe your child and to determine his or her level of development, and what guidance the child needs to progress to the next level.
(Mthemagazine-subscribe online at www.Mthemagazine.com)
Good News! Mrs. Merrill is pregnant! This is her last baby and even though it came as a shock, she is very happy. She is due the first week of September and plans on starting school a few weeks late next year.
Your children are all doing very well. Mrs. Wood and I are busy busy every day giving lessons to the children. They are so driven to learn!
GREEN GREEN GREEN
St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday March 17, 2009
Everyone needs to come to school wearing at least a bit of green or they might get pinched.
We will be having a fun green tasting activity and reading stories about leprechauns and pots of gold. We will also be learning about rainbows and reviewing our colors with fun games.
Spring Break!
No, I’m not kidding it really is going to be spring someday soon (I hope)!
There will be no school Tues. March 24-26
Another frequently asked question about Montessori:
What makes a Montessori Teacher different?
In the simplest terms, a Montessori director teaches individually. Picture a traditional classroom: the teacher stands at the front of the classroom in which the students are all sitting in desks, all receiving the same lesson at the same time. This is the factory approach that is convenient for school systems, but not conducive to learning. In the traditional school environment the child is treated as an empty vessel, with information poured in at the same rate to all children until the bell rings.
In a Montessori classroom your child is taught individually or is small groups. This allows the teacher to get immediate feedback and to be sensitive to how well the child is absorbing the lesson and what questions or needs the child has. Simply put, there is nothing that works so well in education as individual attention.
Each Montessori Teacher has been trained in the science of observing children.
They have also been trained on how to teach using the Montessori Materials, all of which have been scientifically designed to enhance the learning experience.
In fact the word “teacher” is not always used in the Montessori classroom. A teacher is someone who knows something and gives it to you. A Montessori teacher is often called a director or a guide, because what they do is direct the child toward what he needs to teach himself. The Montessori Director has been trained to observe your child and to determine his or her level of development, and what guidance the child needs to progress to the next level.
(Mthemagazine-subscribe online at www.Mthemagazine.com)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Roses are red, violets are blue, this month is filled with fun things for you!
Cutting hearts, flower arranging and tooth brushing are just a few!
Like all of us the children are excited to see new things available at the beginning of every month. The hard thing is they don’t have time to do everything the first day. We are surrounded by red and pink everywhere it is very inviting and the children are enjoying their new work.
Today on the line a child said “I don’t like challenging work.” Before I could respond three other children said “I like challenging work.” then followed by “met too’s” all around the line. The child must have given his/her comment a second thought because by the end of the day she/he was doing challenging work and loving it. Isn’t peer pressure in the Montessori classroom great!
Later in the week we had a discussion about how sometimes its scary to try something new or we think something is too hard or too long but the more we do it the easier it is and we grow. Some growing happens inside of us and some growing happens to the outside of us like getting taller. It went well with lots of comments from the children they love talking about themselves.
Valentine Exchange! Hooray!
On Thursday February 12, 2009 we will be exchanging Valentines with each other. Each child will be sent home with a class list. Be as creative as you like. We encourage the children to write their names or make their mark on each one. We will also be making a valentine treat and playing games. And learning a little about the history of Valentine’s Day.
We will be reading about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We will even try building log cabins just like Abe lived in. We will present the coins and bills that these presidents appear on and learn their names.
Frequently asked question about Montessori:
“Why does Montessori have mixed-age groups in each class?”
Answer: Maria Montessori discovered that putting older children with younger children together helps them learn from each other. This is good for the older children because they can be useful and helpful to the younger ones which not only reinforces what they have learned but enhances their self-esteem as well. The younger children in turn have role models to follow and are integrated into the classroom by these helpful older children. They catch a glimpse of what they will be doing in future and look forward to it.
The diversity is beautiful. They begin by following and then learn to lead.
Thank you Mrs. Arabeth Brimhall!
For coming in and introducing the children to the violin.
She played some classical and fiddling.
She presented the parts of the violin followed by Braelyn playing her little violin.
We even got play name that tune.
The children loved it.
And a BIG Thank you to Brooke Mills for keeping this Blog so faithfully updated.
Cutting hearts, flower arranging and tooth brushing are just a few!
Like all of us the children are excited to see new things available at the beginning of every month. The hard thing is they don’t have time to do everything the first day. We are surrounded by red and pink everywhere it is very inviting and the children are enjoying their new work.
Today on the line a child said “I don’t like challenging work.” Before I could respond three other children said “I like challenging work.” then followed by “met too’s” all around the line. The child must have given his/her comment a second thought because by the end of the day she/he was doing challenging work and loving it. Isn’t peer pressure in the Montessori classroom great!
Later in the week we had a discussion about how sometimes its scary to try something new or we think something is too hard or too long but the more we do it the easier it is and we grow. Some growing happens inside of us and some growing happens to the outside of us like getting taller. It went well with lots of comments from the children they love talking about themselves.
Valentine Exchange! Hooray!
On Thursday February 12, 2009 we will be exchanging Valentines with each other. Each child will be sent home with a class list. Be as creative as you like. We encourage the children to write their names or make their mark on each one. We will also be making a valentine treat and playing games. And learning a little about the history of Valentine’s Day.
We will be reading about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We will even try building log cabins just like Abe lived in. We will present the coins and bills that these presidents appear on and learn their names.
Frequently asked question about Montessori:
“Why does Montessori have mixed-age groups in each class?”
Answer: Maria Montessori discovered that putting older children with younger children together helps them learn from each other. This is good for the older children because they can be useful and helpful to the younger ones which not only reinforces what they have learned but enhances their self-esteem as well. The younger children in turn have role models to follow and are integrated into the classroom by these helpful older children. They catch a glimpse of what they will be doing in future and look forward to it.
The diversity is beautiful. They begin by following and then learn to lead.
Thank you Mrs. Arabeth Brimhall!
For coming in and introducing the children to the violin.
She played some classical and fiddling.
She presented the parts of the violin followed by Braelyn playing her little violin.
We even got play name that tune.
The children loved it.
And a BIG Thank you to Brooke Mills for keeping this Blog so faithfully updated.
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