September is always a time of excitement and anxiousness. The 'back to school' experience is different for everyone. Some children can't wait to come back, and others take time to feel comfortable. But as days pass and things start settling down, we get to see how these little earthlings are in harmony with each other and their environment. We were able to experience this transformation in El Salon Azul when we welcomed four new students Charlotte, Arjan, Ty and April to our class.
September is the month when we try to implement our basic care routine that would be applied life long. It is through care our children learn respect, and compassion for all living things including themselves. Older children were role model supporting their effort which is a much more meaningful experience than words. In October we will expand our horizon and reach out to our environment. We will talk about Autumn which involves talking about deciduous and evergreen trees. We will also discuss spiders and reveal a secret that they are actually animals and not insects. Can't wait to begin with October!!!
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We had some particularly dry days in May, and we spent more time outside of the classroom - eating picnic lunches, working in the sunshine and spending some time on the nature trail.
We continued our unit on paper and put together a collage of a tree made out of only recycled paper. The children tore strips of paper and glued to onto an outline of a tree. As the school year winds down we’re going to be working more on art projects and re-reading some of our favorite books from the past year. I hope you all have a warm, active and fun summer! The weather is warmer, we’re working outside a lot more, and there’s a general sense of ennui all around. Or at least I thought there might be. All of a sudden there has been a rash of focus and interest in learning new things!! There have been lessons galore in April and such purposefulness, it has brought peace to my teacher’s heart.
We have also been so conscientious about the amount of paper we’re using, and questioning whether that ‘really’ needs to go into the recycling bin, or can it be used for something else? And we’ve done origami. Easier imagined than actually done, as I’ve realized. But we’ve persisted, and most children have made either a boat or a shark. Some have ventured to make fish and hearts too!! Borrow a book from the library and try it at home. It’s a great activity to develop cognitive skills. In the month of May we will continue our unit on paper and try some other fun things. March was a month with much cooking and reading of books: books read by teachers at circle, by older children to younger ones, sitting quietly alone on the reading chair, and my favorite - two pre-readers sharing a book by looking at the pictures and imagining the story.
We learned a little bit about France in March: the lifestyle, culture, music, and flag as well as landmarks of Paris. We did pointillism art in the style of Georges Seurat - using q-tips and bringing our paintings to life with color and light. One of our favorite books was ‘The Mighty Lalouche' by Matthew Olshan - about a postman who loses his job to the electric car and then turns to boxing to make a living. A social commentary on life in early twentieth century France, the story was full of hope and dignity. We baked baguettes from scratch with Nathan and Benjamin’s dad. We also tried some comte and brie to go with the fresh and warm bread. Nathan and Benjamin’s mum visited with pain au chocolate and taught us how to say our names in French. Spring break was much looked forward to by all, and the children have returned all recharged!! This month and into May we will be focusing on paper: where it comes from, how much of it do we use, the impact on the Earth’s resources, and a practical life activity - making handmade paper. February - The month of collaboration The past month we have been concentrating on lessons and learning new things. In fact I have been concentrating on these so much that I almost missed something else that happened quite organically. Children working together to create things with each other. Paintings were painted not as individual expressions of creativity, but as shared visions, and the results were masterpieces. Obstacles in math were overcome not by the intervention of the teacher but by the help of an older child. Much cleaning and scrubbing of tables happened, and messes were not struggles to be handled, but teamwork that could only be marveled over. In short, we were functioning as a true Montessori classroom. We’ve cooked together, cleaned together, disagreed and found resolution, practiced silence, accepted challenges, struggled with choices emerging stronger and more patient. In February we also learnt a little bit about Europe. We listened to music from different countries and looked at some flags. Children noticed how the flags of Ireland, Italy and France were similar in structure, and how different the German and Turkish flags were, compared to those! Pooja - Anokhi’s mum cooked alphabet minestrone soup with the classroom, and it was liked so much that some children took some home in a little jar! January gray wet new year new beginnings rejuvenation and Japan We started the new year with our unit on Japan. The children enjoyed looking through the suitcase that came from japan with all things Japanese. We had a Japanese newspaper in it, as well as a train timetable for the commuter trains. There were cherry blossom trees made in the art area and sparkly rising suns on the Japan flag. We read books about Yoko, a little girl who moves from Japan to America and how she learns to read and write in English while her classmates learn to write in Japanese. Children worked on 3 part cards to learn to write numbers from 1-10 in Kanji. We wrapped up our Japan unit by making Miso soup with Sarah, Taylan’s mom. In February we’re going to learn about Europe as a lead in to our France unit in March. This month we started working our way through Pretend soup and other real recipes as well. It is a weekly activity that is already looked forward to eagerly; both, by me and the kids, and is immensely enriching to our classroom. Thank you all for your support and for sending in everything we need to cook. There was much excitement this month with everyone looking forward to the holidays.
We focused on the continent of Asia as a run up to our Japan unit in January. There was much interest in the flags of Asia, and many children can now identify the flags of China, Indonesia, Iran and India. And almost all can tell the difference between the flags of Bangladesh and Japan! Children also learned the different land forms found on earth and much coloring of islands, isthmuses, bays, gulfs and archipelagos ensued. Dave, Benjamin and Nathan’s dad made potato soup with the children one morning, and that rainy, gray afternoon we all ate that comforting soup and felt a little bit warmer, and a little bit closer to the holidays. :) The days got shorter, the weather chilly and rainy, and we were quite glad to be inside the classroom, warm and cozy. Ms. Katherine, our gardening specialist did cooking projects with the kids and much pumpkin and zucchini bread was baked and eaten for snack the next day.
We also did an impromptu transportation unit this month. We learned about the different ways to get from one place to another. Many cars, trucks, dump trucks, buses and emergency vehicles abounded in the classroom! We also read Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by DB Johnson. A book about Henry Thoreau and his adventures with his friend as they both decide to go to Fitchburg - Henry hikes and his friend works to buy a train ticket. Another favorite was Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds - the story of Rosa Parks’ rebellion told from a little boy’s perspective. We had our Thanksgiving lunch on Monday, November 25. Thank you all for sending in so much food!! We had such variety and so much fun trying out different foods. There is much to be given thanks for, as we all discussed at circle: our families, friends, food, toys and the kindness of each other. In the month of October the Azul classroom welcomed 3 new students. Rodrigo, Benjamin and Nathan joined us, and now we are at 16 students. We have been studying the continents of our world, and to explain the concept of mapmaking we used a melon to represent our earth. We sliced it it in half and flattened it. The children were quite thrilled to see the melon being squashed. It made for a healthy snack too!! There has been a frenzy of mapmaking this month, and much singing of the continent song. The children have been utilizing their practical life skills by spreading jam on crackers, slicing bananas and cucumbers, chopping sweet potatoes, and not just eating what they prepare, but inviting friends to share their food with them. During circle we all taste tested different types of apples and while the adults quite enjoyed the granny smiths, the children preferred the sweeter golden delicious variety. Sarah, Taylan’s mom spent one morning in the classroom making zucchini bread with the children. Zucchini was shredded and squeezed, eggs cracked, flour and sugar measured and after much mixing and stirring the most moist and flavorful zucchini bread emerged from the oven!! In November we will continue our geography lessons and will be learning more about landforms, and the continent of Asia. September. The month of meetings and connections, |
Ms. JenniferEl Salon Azul Co-Lead Teachers Archives
January 2018
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Montessori Children's House
5003 218th Ave. NE Redmond, WA 98053 Phone: 425-868-7805 [email protected] For Records Requests, please reach out to [email protected]. |
Founded in 1987
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