January 29, 2016 | Primary 1

The Montessori Preschool/Kindergarten classroom is typically organized into six areas, including: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, Cultural, and Art. There are seven areas in our classroom because we offer Spanish immersion.

The jobs are typically organized so the easiest job is on the top left corner of the top shelf progressing to the the most demanding jobs on the bottom right corner of the shelf.

The organization of the shelves helps develop a sense of order and predictability in the children as they progress through the materials.

Montessori materials are also often presented in a left to right motion. This pattern helps train the children’s hands and eyes to move from left to right in preparation for reading and writing.

Each of the areas are organized by the overall curriculum with different monthly themes that direct our attention to a particular continent, and subject matter such as space, oceans, or insects.

There is conscious effort, especially in the practical life area to use real household items and in science to teach nomenclature that is used by scientists. This empowers the student to learn correct usage of an item, or to clearly identify a plant, an animal, or an object by its full name.

Exploring some animals found in Antartica.

As the child matures and moves into higher grades, the foundation for relating to their world from a real life perspective has been laid. Confidence grows when knowledge is rooted in real life, and the naturalness of the association of an object with its features and descriptions.

Contemplating the 1,000 chain.

We were so delighted by the turn out of our families who attended “Parent/Child Night.” Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and appreciation for your child’s work. Having you step into their educational world reinforces your child’s view of themselves as a learner, and as a teacher!

We are wrapping up this month’s study of snow and ice studies, and what better way to do that then to make ice-cream!

Thanks to the attentive guidance of Ms. Ashley (Carson’s mom) and Ms. Jessica (Grace’s mom) we made “ice-cream in a bag,” and the children really enjoyed the process, as well as the results.

REMINDERS

Kindergarten enrollment information night is on Wednesday, 2/3/2016 at 5:00pm. Come and get a sense of how and why the Montessori Kindergarten curriculum is so effective in laying a solid academic foundation for your child.

First grade enrollment information night is on Thursday, 2/4/16 at 5:00pm. See for yourself the bridge between the Montessori pre-school/kindergarten class and the lower elementary class experience. Meet the teachers and see where the process will lead your child.

Rainforest animals will visit us on Monday, 2/8 at 10am.

Valentine’s day celebration will be held on Thursday, 2/11 in the morning. If your child wants to participate, please have them sign 26 valentine’s. We encourage you to keep it very simple so that the distribution of the cards is kept easy. With this in mind, please do not address the valentines with specific child’s names, and please do not supply candy or other “gifts” with the cards.