Snaphots
January part 3
The month of January is flying by! It was a very productive and fun month! As I scroll through the photos, I am reminded of all the works that the children are repeating and or doing for the first time. I see a lot of teamwork, mentoring and tender moments between classmates. I love being able to share the numerous photos of our class regularly.
January has been particularly great for the Kindergarteners as they have begun roller-skating. Their enthusiasm has been admirative!
I am also pleased to announce that all 5 Kindergarteners are working on Keep Books; these are leveled readers provided by the school weekly. Once we have read the book together, the book is sent home to be read with the child's parents. It is so thrilling to watch all our readers develop their literacy skills at their own pace. Each child receives their own book that they are ready to work on (levels vary).
The kindergarteners have also been writing more frequently with basic writing prompts. They are working on expression, sentence structure and punctuation . They are also learning how to handle writing words they haven't learned yet; sounding out words can be challenging but a very important part of the process. Children are also invited to find a resource such as utilizing the word wall to help them with spelling.
A gift from the Garden Club- An amaryllis bulb
As many of the children already knew a bit about seeds it was great to show them a bulb. It also gave the teachers an opportunity to brush up on a few things! We talked about perennials and then named some plants (flowers and vegetables) that are grown from bulbs (tulips, daffodils, radishes, onions and garlic). Many of the children thought the amaryllis bulb was an onion!
An amaryllis takes about 6-8 weeks to flower, so we'll keep you posted!
Some Practical Life works - some done for the first time and some revisited
We decided to go back and emphasize our preliminary exercises this month. This has allowed us to highlight the importance of details, to work with care, to focus, to take our time, to complete a work cycle and grace and curtesy.
"It is in learning to do such seemingly mundane activities as dressing, dusting, sweeping, preparing and serving food, and fixing or building, work that the child sees going on around her all day long, that she learns to use her body and mind for a purpose, to concentrate, to complete cycles of activity, to finish what she started, and most importantly to contribute to the important work of the family, the social group." Child of the World: Montessori, Global Education
Allowing the child to participate in the daily work he sees going on around him is an act of great respect for, and confidence in, the child. It helps him to feel important to himself and to those around him. He is needed.