November has already been a busy month! The children did an incredible job during the Mother Goose’s Character Camp performance. They worked so hard and were able to accomplish so much. We are so proud of every student and their hard work to make the show a success. We hope you enjoyed their performance!

This month we have been focusing on the continent of North America. We have been studying the people, plants, and animals of the Mojave desert. We have also been discussing reptiles. The children love learning about the different animals associated with the Mojave Desert.

The Kindergartners have been given a new goal this month which is leadership. In order to accomplish this goal, the Kindergartners will choose a younger friend to work with and guide. It is a great when the students can become the “teachers.” Collaboration among the varying age groups builds friendships and confidence. The younger children love having an older child work with them!

Kindergarten Leadership

As part of the Montessori curriculum, we have been implementing lessons on peace. We have learned ways to “make silence” and about our “love lights.” The children can also voluntarily use the peace corner when needed. It is a beautiful sight to see when children use the corner and create peace around themselves.

Important Dates:

November 15: Parent-Child Night; 4:15-5:00pm A-M, 5:00-5:45pm N-Z

November 19: Animal Tales Assembly

November 21-23: No School; Happy Thanksgiving

November 27: Kindergarten only Field Trip to Red Rock 9:45am-1:00pm

We want to fist share some pictures from Celebrate America Day and then get into the Montessori philosophy of practical life.

We want to express our deepest appreciation to all those who helped and contributed to making this day truly a success. Our classroom turned out beautiful, the activities and food were a hit, and we couldn’t have done it without your support. Thank you so very much!

The children loved traveling to different parts of the United States. They had fun, learned lots, and enjoyed delicious snacks related to that specific region.  Here are a few pictures of the fun we had during Celebrate America Day.

Montessori Philosophy: Practical Life

“A child’s work is to create the man he will become. An adult works to perfect the environment but a child works to perfect himself.”  ~Dr. Maria Montessori

In the Montessori classroom, there are several activities to help the child satisfy the need for meaningful activity which use the child’s natural inclinations as a point of reference. Maria Montessori used activities that are familiar to the children like buttons, brushes, dishes, pitchers, water, and many other things which the child recognizes from his home experience.

For young children, there is something special about tasks which an adult considers ordinary like washing dishes, and chopping fruits and vegetables. These tasks are exciting to the children because they are able to imitate adults. During the early years of development, children have the strongest urge to imitate adults.

Practical Life activities help to accomplish developmentally appropriate outcomes for the children.  Carrying the water in a pitcher and pouring into a container helps with coordination. When given the task like washing tables, the child becomes absorbed in the activity which lengthens the span of concentration and helps them pay attention to details as they follow a sequence of actions. Then, when the task is complete, the child is learning good work habits as they finish each task and put away all the materials before beginning another activity.

Each task in practical life is very important to the Montessori program. Although they seem simple and commonplace, they are teaching the children much more. Children use practical life materials to perfect their coordination so they can work on more intricate academic materials when they are ready. Children must develop concentration and attention in order to learn. In Practical Life, the children are performing exercises to help them gradually lengthen the time in which they can focus on a specific activity.

Children are also encouraged to help with jobs in the classroom. They learn to scrub tables, dust, clean shelves, sweep, use a dustpan, greet guests appropriately, and take care of the class pet. Each of these activities can be accomplished by every child if they are given the chance to learn the proper steps.  We encourage each family to allow their child to perform practical life type activities in their home in order to help with coordination, concentration, and fostering good work habits.

Below are some pictures of your children performing Practical Life activities:

Important Dates

November 8th: P4 Primary Performance @ 10 am in the Multipurpose Room

November 12-13: No School; Veterans Day and Teacher In-Service

November 15th: Picture Retake Day; Parent-Child Night (last names A-M 4:15-5:00, last names N-Z 5:00-5:45)

November 19th: Animal Tales Assembly

November 21-23: No School; Happy Thanksgiving

November 27th: Kindergarten only Field Trip to Red Rock

We have been having a wonderful October! The children have been absorbing so much information about the 5 senses, pumpkins, the human body/anatomy, mammals, the world and its 7 continents, and vertebrates/invertebrates.  The children love working on their science work as they learn more and more about the topics being studied.

In practical life, the children have been doing a science experiment with different kinds of dry ingredients that change as the children add water to each ingredient.

They have been pulling seeds out of a pumpkin as we learn about parts of the pumpkin.

Children have loved juicing their own orange juice. Not only do the children juice their own orange, but they also pour their own juice they squeezed into a cup, drink the delicious juice, and clean up after they are done so the work is ready and available for the next friend.

We were privileged to attend an African Drum Troupe Assembly. They performed music using African drums and a harp. The performers also taught us all about Africa, and the children even learned an African dance. The children loved experiencing this assembly. Coming up at the end of October we will have another assembly, Project Wild.

There are a lot of events coming up and we are really looking forward to them.

October 19th – Fall Festival 5-8pm

October 24th – Celebrate America Day; half-day dismissal @ 11:15am 

October 25-26th- No school

October 29th- Project Wild Assembly at 10am

SAVE THE DATE FOR PARENT-CHILD NIGHT: On Thursday, November 15th we would like to invite you to join us in the classroom so your children can show you all the wonderful things they are doing throughout the day.  Children with the last names A-M will be from 4:15-5:00 and N-Z will be from 5:00-5:45. We hope to see you there!