Re:Blog Week of August 29-31st
Welcome New and Returning Parents!
We get many questions from parents wondering what the children do all day in class as a typical child doesn’t often list each activity they do. There are many very interesting works happening in a Montessori class but I will try to highlight a few throughout the week. These stories, pictures and quips will be located in our class blog, in hopes to keep you informed on what’s happening in the class.
“Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of his mind comes through his movements.” -Maria Montessori
Tuesday: Happy first day of school! The children eagerly came into the classroom after their long summers. Many shared stories and caught up with old friends, and all made new friends. The classroom rules (safety and kindness) were stressed as our boundary for order, and within those limits the child were release into the work environment. Other lessons included rolling a rug, hand washing (especially important this year), and lunch/snack procedures. Popular activities were puzzles, exploration of the classroom materials, and reviewing practical life skills such as grasping and pincer grip. We also began our afternoon story, Charlotte’s Web, by E.B.White.
Wednesday: Day two. More review work as there are many subtle things in a Montessori class that we can’t overlook. Grace and courtesy lessons were acted out by roll playing such as how to “invite someone” and how to "accept an invitation.” We also talked about how to observe another student at work. Some students took the time to practice carrying a work tray and reviewed rolling a rug. The children seemed to enjoy the Kind Game, where they practice saying one kind thing to a friend at circle. Popular work that the children explored were the listening station, the grasping pompom work, the library and many spent a great deal of time in the practical life area of the classroom. After recess and lunch we read another chapter in Charlotte’s Web.
Thursday: Day three. We began the day talking about fire drills procedure and safety and then worked our way into the new coatroom hand washing station. The children now will be able to wash their face and hands upon entering the coatroom, which should help parents save time at drop off. New practical life works (large spider pour work and button dressing frame) were very popular today, as well as exploration of the world puzzle map. A child also noticed that a matching card set we had corresponded to several of the book in the library, so the children’s powers of observation are improving. Today marked our first fire drill, which I can happily report everyone made it out safe and sound. We ended up have a longer than normal recess because it was a nice day out, and a few students used that time to explore local botany and zoology, by collecting unique specimens. We also ended the day with another chapter of Charlotte’s Web, and by reminding everyone that there is no school on Friday or Monday for the holiday break.
That sums up the week. I was busy focusing on assessing the children and taking photos for their nametags, so I don’t have many classroom moments to share with you.
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