During the month of December, we spent some time learning about different holidays celebrated around the world. We played the Dreidel Game and saw a Menorah as we learned about Hanukkah, we had a mini tree with decorations in Practical Life for Christmas and we read books about Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Chinese New Year and Diwali.  Our students had fun making a special gift and card for their families (shhh! It’s a surprise!) and we hope you enjoy them when they come home.

We also spent some time learning about many different places in Europe. Children had fun building the Leaning Tower of Pisa and labeling famous landmarks of Europe. We also learned about different animals that live in Europe.  

In addition to our regular Montessori academic work, this month brought lessons on trees. We had a chance to observe the leaves changing color and falling off branches, leading to discussions of deciduous trees (that lose their leaves) and coniferous trees (that stay green all year long).  We learned the names for the parts of the tree in English and in Spanish:

Arbol – Tree

Hojas – Leaves

Ramas – Branches

Tronco – Trunk

Raices – Roots

Here are some photos of our activities in P1 this month.

P1 Photos for December

Friday, December 17 is the last day of school before Winter Break.  We hope everyone has a safe and restful holiday.  We will see everyone back in school on Tuesday, January 4!

Happy Holidays!

Ms. Melissa, Ms. Diana and Ms. Kini

11/30 Blog

This month, our students studied the Mojave Desert and the many plants and animals that live here.  We learned that a desert has very little rainfall, temperature extremes and strong winds.  We live in the Mojave Desert., which is a rain shadow desert.  A rain shadow desert is a type of desert that is near an ocean, but has mountains separating the desert from the ocean. Our students enjoyed learning about the different animals that live here and how they survive.

We also spent some time learning about reptiles and how they differ from mammals. Reptiles have skin or scales covering their bodies.  They breathe with lungs, are cold blooded and lay eggs.  Our students enjoyed seeing pictures of reptiles and reading different books about them.

Thanksgiving was celebrated this month.  In class, we talked about what it means to be thankful and the many things we are grateful for in our lives.  Students shared their favorite Thanksgiving family traditions and what they are thankful for.

We also studied the continent of North America in November.  We learned that North America is our continent.  We talked about how our city, state and country are all within the landmass of North America.  We remembered that our class represented Hawaii for Celebrate America Day and Ms. Kini taught the students the Sasa, a special clapping and rhythm song from the Samoan Islands.  Here is a link to the video of the students practicing the Sasa with Ms. Kini.

https://endeavorschools.box.com/s/4u9jz2aa051scafwbnv51i4ih77mz5qv

Here are some photos of work in P1 this month.

November Photos

We hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving Break and we look forward to learning about many different holidays that are celebrated around the world in the month of December!

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

Ms. Melissa, Ms. Diana and Ms. Kini