Inside and Outside

We have been experiencing extremes of weather lately as we head into summer. The children are very concerned and interested in the weather and we talk about different things we can do in different weather and the different clothes we can wear.

Last week was quite rainy! It's excited to watch the rain come falling down.

The rain never deters outdoor play. Catching drips with a bucket.

All the rain refreshed the garden and we harvested some snow peas to share for snack!

Checking our green beans as they sprout in their peat pots.

The hedge got a trim! Let's all put the leaves in the yard waste barrel!

"Fixing" the wagon together.

Inside we have been very busy learning new things to do, practicing ones we've tried before, and enjoying our friends.

Slicing strawberries to share with friends!

Europe on the puzzle map is like Europe on the globe, it matches!

Stitching on burlap is a nice way to introduce sewing.

Washing a table has many steps and requires concentration; beading has only one step but it requires concentration as well!

So many ways to build. This scene plays out in every Montessori classroom, sometimes every day!

A preliminary hammering work will get us ready to use real hammers and nails.

Polishing the wooden gazelle until it glistens.

Exploring natural objects with the magnifying glass, and taking a new perspective on the world.

Pouring juice into her cup as we get ready for Kiddush. We love Shabbat and the ritual of celebrating together. We also love challah and juice, of course!

The Environment Speaks

In Montessori classrooms there is an emphasis on functional independence - the ability of children to do things such as putting on shoes, getting a drink of water, and using the toilet by themselves, for themselves. But there are other ways independence shows itself, and if adults can step back long enough to let it run its course, interesting things happen. The joy of working with their hands is unlocked when they are free to choose - my work is to set up their environment to enable them.

Some sand pushed up out of the pavers by the ants caught her attention and she patiently swept it up without being asked or told or directed.

Working alone but sharing the pleasure of being together.

After some missteps and a small suggestion on which stepstool might be the safest, he figured out how to reach the higher windows.

Spring offers many gifts to us all, and especially young children who possess a marvelous sense of wonder. 

Checking the snapdragons, pulling off the faded blooms, figuring out how to make them open up like little mouths!

Planting green beans with our new potting work.

Our chia elephant sprouted! "It's wearing green pajamas!"

Quiet reading with a friend.

The chia elephant sprouted, grew, and then dried out. Scrubbing the seeds out of the grooves was very engaging work.

Examining a tiny, wiggling worm!

Lag BaOmer

For Lag BaOmer, we had a simple picnic lunch and roasted some kosher marshmallows in a fire pit. Not quite the traditional bonfire, but it got our marshmallows nice and toasty!

Our guests roasting their marshmallows in the fire pit.

Morah Ariel helps put the s'mores together.

A big bite!

Delicious.

The next day we discovered some charcoal in the grass where the fire pit was and experimented drawing with it on some stumps!

Inside time and outside time

With the weather warming up even more, children are choosing to spend more time outside on our patio, bringing activities outside.

A sunny, warm morning inspires industrious activity outside!

New large chalk sticks are great for decorating the play structure.

We take turns dumping in potting soil for the flowers we are planting.

Back inside, beautiful materials call to the children's senses.

Taking turns playing music and listening.

Scrubbing the sink uses core muscles and it is left shining!

Working on functional independence means putting on socks and shoes by himself.

Sharing a "snack" with a friend outside.

Sometimes running through the hose is just what we need!

But it isn't sunny every day. It doesn't matter to these ones, they are 

happily catching drips from the leaky gutter. 

Busy Spring Days

Our daily activities vary based on the mood and choices made by the children, but often the first thing chosen is a cleaning activity from the Practical Life section.

Caring for our plants with the plant washing tray.

Polishing the table makes it shiny, and the polish smells fresh like lemon!

Sink scrubbing engages the whole body and is very satisfying!

Sensorial activies such as the geometry cabinet are also chosen throughout the morning.

Observing another friend's work is an important part of time spent in a Montessori classroom. 

We inspire each other with our work and new ideas.

Building outside the frame is a new, more challenging way to complete this biology puzzle!

Spending time with the dollhouse is a good way to get familiar with this language tool. 

When it's time to go outside we can ask a friend to help with snaps or zippers. 

Playing ball outside after a busy morning!

A new, sturdy, stainless steel spigot is a big motivation for water play.

Pouring and mixing in the "bakery shop."

Look! We found a caterpillar! What do you think it will become, a moth or a butterfly?

Climbing in the hedge together.

Celebrating Passover, Montessori-Style

Passover is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. Its cultural, spiritual, and symbolic importance cannot be underestimated. In our Montessori classroom, where concrete, real things take a starring role, we used Passover as a starting point to explore the continent of Africa. We have been talking more about basic geography, looking at the globe, singing about the continents, and focusing on Africa specifically.

Books featuring different aspects of African cultures, an envelope full of pictures from all over Africa, and the continent from the puzzle map of the continents all fed our studies. 

 A seder plate matching activity was popular, introducing some Passover vocabulary and bringing the pictures in Passover story books to life.

Of course eating Matzah for snack was pretty popular!

Sharing a Matzah snack.

More about the past few weeks to come! Stay tuned!