Happy new year to all of our families!  We have gotten off to a great start this year, as each of the children returned to school eager and ready to meet the challenges of being in a Montessori classroom.  

A quiet, engaged hum has descended upon the room as we see the children working with purpose, concentration, and looks of deep satisfaction.  

We are focused on learning about the solar system, space, and the constellations during the month of January.

Learning about our solar system is always fun as we begin to explore amazing concepts like how big the sun really is in relation to the planets, and could we live on other planets.  

We sing a planet song that describes the order of the planets and the fact that they all rotate around the sun.

Language acquisition in a Montessori classroom is a continuous process where real terminology (names of the planets, vertebrate, invertebrate, etc.) is introduced and practiced regularly.

Now would be a good time to watch a sunset with your child and experience the transition from day to night (the rotation of Earth on its axis).

Although it appears like Earth is stationary in space, our planet is actually moving 67,000 miles per hour around the sun.  It takes 365 days for Earth to make a full rotation around the sun.

Looking up at the night sky can also fuel wonder in your child as they begin to tune into the natural environment around them.

As we were making our January calendars with a depiction of the Big Dipper, we learned that literally the same calcium that makes up the human skeleton was created originally in the birth of our sun.  We really are made up of stardust.

REMINDERS:

No school on Monday, 1/16 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

THANKS:

Thanks to Gabriel and his family for bringing in delicious and healthy snacks for our classroom.