Wordless Wednesday: Our Primary Casa

Four Cylinder Blocks

Making a Map of the World

And making the labels with the Moveable Alphabet

Wood Polishing

Buckle Frame

Painting

Hammering Nails

Bow Frame

Table Washing (outside)

Flower Arranging

Color Tablets Box Two

Banana Slicing

Building South America (outside the frame)

The Annunciation Materials (CGS)

Ironing and folding polishing cloths

Trinomial Cube

The Parable of the Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out...

...when we has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice...

...but they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize his voice.

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me ~ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father ~ and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:3-5, 11-16

Social Development

The social development of the three to six year old child is something, which is often over-looked, in our increasingly academically focused world. It's something that is essential to the overall development of the child. The social development of the child is aided by the role of the family and the role of the casa.

While the child in the center is smaller, she eagerly took on the responsibility to show her two new friends our casa.

Independence must be fostered at home in order for the child to be successful and independent outside of the home. Fostering independence at home includes encouraging the child to do anything from dressing himself or herself to helping to prepare each meal. 

Spontaneously making a pitcher-full of orange juice.

At school, the children are experiencing independence, responsibility, choice and limited materials. As we have talked before, the Practical Life area of the casa supports and develops concentration, independence and control of movement that feeds into the later work of the child in the other three areas (Sensorial, Language and Math).

This child of about 5 helps a younger friend of 3 complete her Small Button Frame.

The children in each primary casa accept the unspoken responsibility to be willing to help one another, which is helped with the mixed ages in our classrooms. The younger children look up to the older children and the older children take care of the younger children. And sometimes, the younger ones find ways to help the older ones.

Helping to zip up a jacket.

Our active community lends itself to responding to the developmental needs of each child. The children have the freedom to choose where to work and with whom to work. Choosing with whom to work provides the children with opportunities to foster relationships with their peers in learning to work with each other. These relationships offer real-life situations that require problem solving.

And learning to offer just enough help...

...allows for a chance at success and building confidence.

“Our schools show that children of different ages help one another. The younger ones see what the older ones are doing and ask for explanations. These are readily given and the instruction is really valuable, for the mind of the five-year-old is so much nearer to ours than to the mind of a child of three, that the little one learns easily…There is a communication and a harmony between the two that one seldom finds between the adult and the small child." (Dr. Maria Montessori)

Kids Yoga Class

Doing yoga with the kids is so much fun! We had a great time today - we start out with some gentle stretching, then tell stories and act them out with our bodies. We finish up with some quiet visualization. It is amazing how a group of children can go from being very active to absolutely silent in just a few seconds. Here are some pictures from this afternoon.

tiny little seeds growing up out of the ground

a whole group of butterflies

'Fly like a butterfly, fly like a butterfly, fly like a butterfly in the sky'

toddler yoga

cobra snake!

Acting out the sunflower story

stre.e.e.eeeeeeeching to reach those toes

downward facing dog

Just a little snow

By mid morning the snow had mostly melted, allowing us to enjoy our garden.

The snow was very interesting....

and cold....and wet!

Inside, R. worked on his fine motor skills building a railroad track.

I. loves giving the baby a bath and naming her body parts.

C. sorted the pieces that were mixed up from 2 puzzles.

'vrooom, vroom' AC made her race car go fast!

AF carefully balanced this heavy tray of table scrubbing work

And scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed every drop of paint off of the table!

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Journey and Discovery

Our most recent Parent Education night was a joy to put together and a delight to carry out. We decided to do a Silent Journey and Discovery for the parents of our Primary (and Toddler) environment. The evening began with a time to just observe the Primary casa through the eyes of their child. Even though the parents didn't move around the room on their knees, it was fun to watch them bend down to the level of the tables and shelves and hold back the urge to open the boxes on each of the shelves. 

Pink Tower and Brown Stair

Once we returned to our discussion space, it was interesting to see how many of the parents were just itching to be able to start working with the materials! So, we prepared them for the discovery. Before the parents arrived, I had set out about twenty of our materials on tables, floor tables and rugs, each with their own card. Each card listed the name of the material and a description of what to do on the inside. Some said, "Find a guide and ask for a lesson", others said "Explore" or a lengthy description of what to do.

Cylinder Blocks, Blindfolded

Map of Africa

Table Washing

Throughout our time together, it was a delight to observe the parents as they worked and to see how much they are like their children! During the discussion after the discovery, all of the parents shared a definite confidence and joy for having chosen a Montessori education for their children.

All 4 Cylinder Blocks

When asked, "How was exploring the primary environment compared to your own school experience?", the parents shared the following: "It's such a peaceful working environment!" "I can see how this environment creates an enjoyable learning experience."

Metal Insets

"It's not a fight to get my children up for school in the morning. They can't wait to get to school!" "I can see why my baby sister loves school so much more than I do." "My child is more pleasant to be around and more well-rounded as a result of being in a Montessori school."

Skip Counting

And then, when asked, "What did you learn?" parents shared: "Here, they are building a solid foundation for later learning." "They develop skills more than the traditional reading, writing and arithmetic. They are actually learning problem solving, which is so important for life. You have to be able to know how to solve problems in order to take on new challenges."

At the end of the night, instead of feeling exhausted after a day of work and a parent education night, I felt rejuvenated and excited that we have such a wonderful group of parents at our school. I think they would all say to you, "Come and see!"

Table Washing

Wood Polishing

Phonetic Object Box