💐 Spring Clean up and Campus Planting
Campus is looking amazing with the flowers THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
If You are interested in watering and volunteering with the children in the garden we would love to have you! Please check with Julie to schedule a time. Anyone staying longer than 15 minutes should follow the volunteering protocols with the Community Care Licensing. (*Per Community Care Licensing regulations, each volunteer must have the fingerprint clearance, immunizations checklist, covid vaccinations complete).
⭐️ Montessori Uniquely Ours
Discipline from Within
Self-discipline. The discipline in a well-run Montessori classroom is not a result of the teacher’s control or of rewards or punishments. Its source comes from within each individual child, who can control his or her own actions and make positive choices regarding personal behavior. Self-discipline is directly related to development of the will. Four main components include:
Clear Language to emphasize cause and effect
Asking Questions to help consider the natural consequences of a child’s choices
Focus on Freedom by offering multiple choices
Validate the child’s emotions using a non judgmental stance
🌱 Bonsai News
We always love it when the children come in and put their belongings such as water bottle, back pack, jackets, etc. It gives them such great joy that their belongings have a place to go and they feel accountable. In keeping with that Practical Life Grace and Courtesy philosophy we created a welcome station where the children get their water bottles/napkins after circle time to get ready for snacks. It works so well and they love it.
Our classroom is bursting with sorting activities, and new Practical life work. For example, we added the “clotheslines” activity where the children hang clothes. A basic, and foundational activity, yet so pleasing and peaceful. There are so many indirect values that involve the work that goes along with the practical life curriculum.
Thank you for the flowers in the garden. If you have not had a chance to peek in, take a moment and enjoy the beauty of the flowers that the classroom cultivated in their raised garden. Even though we have potted the plants, feel free to bring more if you want to add to the collection! Along with the plants, we are adding more outside work into the playground like the rug and blocks. They love that picnic style and some bring the books to the rug to read.
We have been working hard on the art show projects and we don’t know about the children, but we are so excited for them.
Our neighboring classroom, Bamboo, is now set up for extensions and expansion of our work period. And the circle time is always a combination of Spanish and English work.
🌳 Willow News
Our new cultural unit is the Continent of South America, and its animals, its flags, its physical and cultural geography and the people of the continent. The children are loving the animals and making the flags. Each was talking about what color goes where and which part of the flag post is what. They also poke (with a huge thumbtack made for pencil grips) the continent of South America as part of their pre-handwriting project, making each product uniquely different from each other but looking similar at the same time.
For May, we are focusing each week on themes: Reptiles and their habitat in week 1, and in week 2 we are making a Botany book of “parts of a flower” and Labeling the book with its parts. Why do we make books? We make booklets because children at this age are sensitive to the preparations and the independence that comes with learning about the world around them. They find it in the books, and connect it to the world around them. Making books ground them in the reality of material from concrete to abstract.
And in week 3, we are doing one of our favorite art projects, Cherry Blossoms. Using the nature ALL around them with the spring flowers blooming, cherry blossoms blooming, we emulate art from our environment.
In week 4, we will move on to the unit study of insects. Talking about the insects and connecting with the ladybugs, butterflies, and at times bees in the garden bring excitement in their learning. The greatest observers are the best learners and nurturing the joy of discovery is the way to go.
🌲 Live Oak News
Australia!!!
With each continent, we make an A to Z book of the continent. This is a great and important way of learning a Continent and its cultural backgrounds by introducing the amazing facts and landmarks that make this continent what it is. There are some animals unique to the continent and some commonly known animals from other continents. We use objects to match them and sometimes we read books to classify them.
Their math skills are found in the numberation, operations and skip counting materials. You may hear them say “I did the 10 chain” . That is, they are skip-counting in tens, and when they say “I did the addition book” , that is their “math facts” in the process. Our stamp game, as funny as it sounds, is not playing with stamps, It is their 4 digit operation or large number operations. The most amazing thing about these facts is that they have the capacity and joy to take it all in.
With the birds chatting outside it is a good time to start making “parts of the bird” and make booklets on the facts and label them. Metal insets and looms continue to be popular items around our neighborhood.
🇲🇽 Spanish News
Teacher Ana is on fire with her Spanish curriculum. The community room B is fully equipped with Spanish works and the children are loving it! Right now the children are focused on learning:
Feelings
Los colores
Los animales
Canticos | Sol Solecito / Little Sunny Sunshine | Aprende inglés | Educación preescolar is a beautiful song I get to hear next to the office.
💛 Aftercare News
Teacher Jiab, Teacher Connie and Teacher Nomita are preparing for the art show as they love that part of the year. The back of the community room houses many art projects that they’ll be showcasing during the art show. The teachers talked to each child as they worked on their art and asked them what they made. The descriptions of their art are adorable!
Warmly,
Julie Heitman, Site Director
Growing Light Montessori School