Simple Ornament Gift

One of my favorite, but most challenging aspects of the Montessori environment is the multi-age classroom.  This is where I truly believe Montessori was a genius.  How do you help older children become caring, confident leaders?  Encourage them to interact with younger children.  How do you help younger children become more engaged, self-motivated learners?  Expose them to kindergarten-age students.
The multi-age classroom becomes a challenge, however, when planning art activities and whole group exercises.  Activities must be simple enough for the youngest three-year old, yet challenging enough to capture the attention of a six-year old.  Every year we plan a craft for the children to make as a Christmas gift for their parents.   Thanks to pinterest, I've found the perfect ornament for both three and six-year olds!  The only assistance the children needed was with controlling the proper amount of paint to be dripped into the ornament. 

 

 

Simply choose three or four colors of acrylic paint, drip them into the clear glass ornament, and shake or roll to achieve the desired effect.  We let them dry upside down on egg cartons so the extra paint could drip out.  Very easy and such beautiful gifts.



Bringing Nature Indoors

In our part of the world, December typically brings cold, blustery days and not enough time outdoors.  My daughters and I felt the need to get our hands in the dirt, so we planned a "succelent garden".  This project is simple enough to do at home or in a classroom.  Each child could make their own garden.  Even my 18 month old enjoyed scooping and pouring.
The plants are very inexpensive.  The most costly aspect of this project was probably the cactus soil. 

Besides the bowl, everything I needed was at our local greenhouse. The glass bowl is from Walmart.  You could really use just about anything to house your garden.  The point of interest for the children was adding the layers to the bowl. Gravel, soil, plants, sand, rocks. 

 

Tada!!

A "Normalized" Child

A few days ago, one of our kindergarteners was laughing with his friends near the peace shelf.  There is a framed picture of Dr. Montessori on the shelf.  He realized they were getting a little too loud so he said, "Ok guys, let's stop.  Maria Montessori is looking down on us."

I kid you not.

Buon Compleanno, Maria Montessori!

Happy 142nd Birthday, Dr. Montessori!  You've certainly changed my life and the lives of millions.  Thank you for your knowledge, your patience, and your perseverance.  We are doing our best to keep your Method as pure and authentic as possible.

A New Goal for a New Year

At the end of every summer, our teachers get together on our first work day for a group staff meeting.  We review last year's primary goal and discuss whether or not we met the goal.  Next, we take that response and create a new goal for this school year.
Last year's goal at our school was:  Get the Parents in the Door!
We wanted our parents to learn more about what we do and figure out why they send their children to a Montessori school.  Some parents remark that they can't believe their children "behave" for us in school because they are so "bad" at home.  I cringe because children are neither "good" nor "bad".  They just respond to their environment and the people interacting with them in that environment. It is up to us to help create a positive response to that environment.  We wanted to get the parents in the door, so they could learn some tools from us to use at home.  Simple remarks or gestures used with children go a long way.
So....the consensus was..... we were not as successful as hoped in getting them in the door.  We did have more guest readers and career talks than the previous year, but parent workshop attendance was at an all-time low.  I sent out an email asking parents what we could do to make a change and the responses were shocking.  Many parents said, "We're just so busy, if you want us to come...you have to require it."  Yikes.  I'm a Montessori teacher, I'm not really into "forcing".  However, I'm also a busy mom of three and I know how it is after school.
So..........this year's goal became:  Educate our Parents.
We will continue to encourage parents to come into the classroom.  But, in addition, we will now require attendance at several workshops.  We will continue to offer transition meetings for kindergarten and toddler levels, but we will also present a Montessori 101 Parent Education Series.  The workshops are short and sweet, only about an hour each, and are meant to be informative and inspiring.  Many Montessori schools across the globe require these parent workshops, and it makes all the difference.  As a result, many parents feel a closer connection with their child and the school community.
We strive for our parents to:

• understand why we call our activities "work" and not "play"
• address and diminish some of those pesky Montessori myths
• reflect on why we send our children to a Montessori school
• be able to give some differences between traditional preschool and Montessori preschool
• explore the materials in our Math, Language, Practical Life, Sensorial, and Cultural areas
• identify ways in which they can bring Montessori into the home

I'm looking forward to working as a team with our children, parents, and teachers in order to create a respectful, joyful, peaceful community of multi-age learners.

Art Show Sneak Peak

We are so excited to present our school's first ever Art Show this spring!  The children have explored so many facets of the creative arts spectrum this year.  We studied a different artist each month (see this post) and we also pulled many ideas from the Go Get Your Smock Montessori Art Curriculum.  I would say the children are eager to show their work, but actually I think we're more excited about it.  The children most certainly enjoy the process over the end product.  Oftentimes, they don't even realize we've tucked away their art for the show.  Instead, they feel fulfilled in completing the work, and satisfied to have done it on their own.

A Beautiful Moment

One of our teachers found a bird in our driveway that had been hit by a car.  The bird was perfectly intact, and after further examination was either a Starling or a Grackle.   I hemmed and hawed all day about whether or not to show the bird to the children.  After all, we've been studying Birds, Parts of a Bird, and Backyard Bird calls in the Primary classroom.  Finally, I put the decision in the children's hands.  I explained the situation and told the children it might be upsetting, but it really is part of nature.  I gave them the opportunity to meet the bird, or they could opt out.  All of the children chose to view the bird.

We gathered in a seated circle around him and had a moment of silence.  I pointed out the different parts of the bird and we looked in our field guide to name the bird.  We talked about life cycles and food chains.  Finally, one second year student raised his hand and said "I think it's time we share our thoughts on this."  I agreed, and one by one they told each other how they felt.  One astute first year student (3 years old!) announced, "Although I feel sad that the bird is no longer alive, at least we can enjoy its great beauty." 

I thank the parents of these afternoon children for understanding the Montessori philosophy enough to accept and gracefully encourage the important experience we had today.