A Time to Celebrate

Thursday night, we had a our annual Back to School BBQ.  This year, it was a bit different because we included a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate our school expansion.  The mayor joined us for this special event, and many of the parents were there to help us usher in this new school year.  My two daughters helped to cut the ribbon, and they're still talking about it today.  I had also asked some returning students and school alumni to help us hold the ribbon on either side.  It was quite an emotional evening, but I managed to keep it together!

After the ceremony, the children enjoyed some time playing on our new playground while the parents got to know each other.  I was able to steal a moment just to stand and watch all of these loving, dedicated parents as they got to know their new little Montessori community.  At that moment, I was so proud of how far we've come and so excited for what's yet to come.   

It was a glorious evening and I can't wait to get this school year started!

Our New Furry Friends

One of my students mentioned that his babysitter owns guinea pigs.  I've always wondered what guinea pigs were like in the classroom, aside from the Wonder Pets character of course, so we gave them a "test drive".  They were wonderful!  One of the guinea pigs, Charlie, did not feel like being held, but the other one soaked up the attention.  We picked up the other guinea pig--Colby-- and each child had the choice of either a) holding him b) petting him or c) holding the big plastic exercise ball containing Colby.  I'd say the class was split in thirds.  Some were very eager to hold him, others were not so sure, and the rest flat out refused.  Colby certainly had his favorite students and just about fell asleep in my daughter's arms!  We had loads of fun and I'm so thankful for D.A.'s babysitter for sharing her babies!

Some interesting tidbits about guinea pigs...

• They originated in South America, in the Andes.
• They are not pigs, they are rodents.
• The Incas domesticated guinea pigs.
• Guinea pigs need to gnaw, otherwise their teeth will grow so long they won't be able to eat.
• "Cavy" is the official word for guinea pig!

The verdict is still out about whether or not we'll purchase two cavies for next year.  I think we may need to pass for this coming year because of the vet bills.  These little guys are considered "exotics" and need special vets to care for them.  Hopefully in the future, we'll be able to welcome two of these furry friends into our classroom permanently.

Holidays

Even during our holiday party, these kids just want to keep working!

D.A. completing the Continent Map

J. P. adding tinsel to the class tree

G. G. creating a pointsettia picture

L. D.'s Australia map

Most Montessori schools handle holidays the same way. We teach the children the history of the holiday, we show the children traditional holiday dress, we listen to holiday music, and talk about how the holiday is celebrated today. We discuss Christmas, New Year, Hanukkah, Diwali, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Easter, and several other holidays. As a private school teacher, I'm able to fully discuss the history of each holiday, without imparting my beliefs, of course. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with all of the children knowing about the birth of Jesus Christ or knowing the Hindu story of Rama and Sita. Again, educating children about different cultures and religions takes away the mystery that creates fear and eventually prejudice.

These books are a fantastic way to introduce different holidays to children.

Enjoy spending time with your families and happy holidays!

BOO!

Halloween in a Montessori classroom is much different than in a traditional setting. There are no scary images posted around the school and the children are not coloring pictures of witches on their brooms. Instead, the children are learning about bats and the way that they "hear" with echolocation. They are studying the many uses of a pumpkin and exploring the pumpkin life cycle. Check out this book from your local library, it's fantastic. You can also preview half of the book here. We do sing Halloween-inspired songs that allow for use of the imagination, but are not scary or threatening. The children haven enjoyed singing Stirring the Brew, while adding their own concoctions to the brew! We also sing Five Little Pumpkins, but we remove the word "witches" and replace it with "bats". Here are the lyrics if you'd like to sing it at home, also, each child gets a chance to shut off the lights when we sing "out went the lights" near the end. That's their favorite part!

"Five Little Pumpkins"

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,

The first one said "Oh my, it's getting late!"

The second one said "There are bats in the air!"

The third one said "But we don't care."

The fourth one said "Let's run and run and run!"

The fifth one said "We're ready for some fun!"

Woooooo went the wind and

Out went the lights!

And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

There are several different variations to this song, but this is the one that we've always liked. If you would like to make a "Five Little Pumpkins" mini-book at home, follow the directions here.

Scroll down to the printable templates at the bottom of the page. On Halloween celebration day, we continue to sing songs and I will paint little decorations on their faces. We do not dress up for several reasons. Many times children dress up in very scary costumes and this changes the child's peaceful personality entirely. Younger children spend the day frightened and/or crying because of these costumes. Also, parts of the costumes break easily or are lost and the teacher spends much of the day consoling or trying to fix swords and wands. Instead, we have lots of fun and enjoy a non-threatening aspect of the holiday.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Conferences

We're gearing up for conferences here at our little school. An important fact for parents to understand is that Montessori schools do not distribute grades on traditional "report cards". Instead, we respect each child as an individual and compare him only to his own progress, not to his classmates' progress or to progress set forth by a "standard".
In previous years, our progress report was made up of a list of lessons given throughout the year. There would be six columns next to each lesson- enough space for two semesters during the course of three years. In each column would be a symbol. The first side of a triangle meant the child was presented the lesson, two sides of a triangle meant the child was practicing the material, and a full triangle symbolized mastery. A short narrative was also given for each subject area.
This year, we started a new record-keeping system which contains a program for Montessori progress reports. The layout is very similar to our previous reports, but with some minor changes. Change is difficult for everyone, and it's taking some time for me to get used to this new approach to reporting. I know, however, that this approach is more convenient and more state-of-the-art. Overall, my goal is for each parent is for them to get an overview of their child's behaviors, strengths, weakness, likes and dislikes.
I do ask my school parents to bring along questions that they have in order to make the most of their conference time. Here are some sample questions that a parent might ask:

• What is my child's favorite work?
• Does my child prefer to work alone or with other children?
• Does my child seem eager to receive new lessons?
• How often does my child share thoughts during group time?
• How does my child express himself artistically?

I am truly looking forward to meeting with each and every parent to discuss goals for their children this academic year.

Apple Picking Mini-Tour

Our school made a trip out into the community on Friday to visit a local farm with a pick-your-own fruit operation. Before visiting the farm, we discussed types of apples, changes in an apple tree throughout the four seasons, and the legend of Johnny Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed. Here's a glimpse of our fun apple outing.

Bumpy ride to the orchard on HALF of a school bus!

Children choosing apples and "turning them up to the sky" to pick.

Great demonstration in the school house, reinforcing Johnny Appleseed and changing of the seasons.

Goats, Alpacas, and Pot-Bellied Pigs, Oh my!

Open House BBQ

Last night, we had our 4th annual Open House BBQ. We had a nice mix of new families and returning families. For me, the most beautiful part of the evening is always watching parents who are so unfamiliar with one another, come together and become friends for the sake of the children. I saw a returning mother walk up to a new mother and greet her with open arms. These parents taught their children a priceless lesson about meeting new friends and forming a important sense of community.

For those families who were not able to attend, here are some photos of the rearranged classroom:

Cultural Studies

Peace Shelf and Peace Table

Sensorial

Language

Math