Our Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Last week we went on our much anticipated trip to the pumpkin patch.  Children, parents and teachers all came along on the trip.

When we arrived at the farm, we were split into two groups ~ half days and full days.  We were then taken to separate rooms in the barn.

Each group made a scarecrow.

The full day children making the head.

The full day children with their scarecrow, minus the pumpkin head.

The half day children stuffing their scarecrow.

The finished half day scarecrow.

The finished full day scarecrow.



We also learned a lot about pumpkins. 

Our leaders weighed small, medium and large pumpkins while the children guessed their weight.



Do you think pumpkins can float?

Yes they can!

We were taken on a ride to the pumpkin patch.

The half day group boarding the wagon.



The half day group at the patch.

Visiting with the cows.

 After our visit to the pumpkin patch our morning was over.

Walking back to the bus.

Our trip to the pumpkin patch was thoroughly enjoyable and we were happy to have such a warm and sunny day. All of us ~ children, parents and teachers ~ learned something new about pumpkins from our fantastic instructors.  We were also so happy to spend such a wonderful morning together. 

The Little Things

October 4th marked a month since our new school year began.  The first month of school moved quickly and I often felt like we were in the middle of a tornado. Our returning students were eager to get back to work and receive new lessons while some of our new students were scared and trying to make sense of the place they now found themselves in.  By the third week of school things settled down and we found ourselves immersed in the wonder of the Montessori method. 

On this Thanksgiving Day I am reflecting on our first month together and am thankful for the little things, the diminutive moments, that made our first month so rewarding.

Here are some of them.

Children Connecting with the Materials



Three and a half year old S. is new to our school.  He is very interested in numbers and immediately connected with the Number Rods.  He works with them many times daily.



Two and a half year old J. cried quite steadily the first week of school. During the second week, it was a delight to watch as he became interested in the classroom activities.  Here J. is stringing beads to strengthen his fine motor skills.



Z. (who turns four today) has worked hard to get a printing book.  She so enjoys practicing her letters.

Our Oldest Students Sharing Information with their Classmates



Four and a half year old J.'s reading book is about The Titanic.  J. is fascinated by all things Titanic and enjoys sharing what he learns with his classmates.



This is a page from his book.



Five year old E. doing an experiment for her classmates.

Our New Students

2 1/2 year old C. is our youngest student.  He cried off and on for a few weeks.  Here he is at Music discovering that our little yellow school is a great place to be.



Here are sisters five year old E. (on the left) and three year old N. (on the right).  N. is so happy to finally be at school!  She has been coming to school for years, first with big sister V. (now in grade 2) as well as E.  N. used to cry because she didn't want to leave.  It is great to have her here with us.


New Friendships

 

These three boys are fast becoming the best of friends.  They are always working and playing together.

The little things that make life sweet are worth their weight in gold.  They can't be bought at any price and neither are they sold.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Learning From One Another

On our first day of school in September, one of our oldest students asked if she could do an experiement for her classmates.  She said it would involve water.  I replied that it would be a wonderful idea as long as we had something, such as a bowl, to capture any water that may leak.   To my delight, E. showed up on the second day of school with all the things she needed to perform her experiment~ a test tube, skewer and a large bowl.

Here is her experiment.



E. began by filling her test tube with water.



 

 

She then placed her hand over the opening of the test tube...

 

and turned it upside down.



 

She removed her hand.  Much to everyone's surprise, the water did not fall out of the test tube!



 

 

When E. pierced the surface of the water in the upside down test tube with the skewer, the water spilled out.

 

 

 



Why did this happen?  The weight of the water was less than the air pressure inside the test tube creating a vacuum.  This enables the water to remain in the tube even when inverted.  Her classmates were suitably impressed!

 

Presentations like E.'s are not isolated incidents in authentic Montessori classrooms.  It is always such a treat to witness the enthusiasm of the presenter and the rapt attention of her fellow classmates.  One of the beautiful aspects of the Montessori classroom is that people of all ages are learning and working together.  Everyone is a respected member of the group.  Children feel safe and secure in this environment and enjoy sharing their knowledge with one another.  E.'s smile in the last picture shows us that when the children are given the opportunity to share their knowledge with others, a sense of joy ensues.

 

 

 

It's Potato Harvesting Time!

This week, all of the students at our little yellow school gathered together for our annual potato harvest.  (In May, our students planted seed potatoes in our back garden.  See blog post in May 2012 for more details.)  Although we could not see the potatoes growing under the ground, we knew they were ready for harvest as the once robust and green plants above the ground began to wither and turn brown.

We dug into the ground of our garden.

This revealed some potatoes!  We were all so amazed by the sight of them!

The children came into the garden to dig out more potatoes and collect some to take home.

The children were able to see a potato plant with the potatoes attached to it.  This is the way potatoes grow in the ground. 



The children enjoyed participating in the harvest.  The children and their families enjoyed eating the potatoes.  They were so tender and delicious!

A Google Tribute to Montessori

If you searched for anything with Google today, you may have noticed something different about the Google doodle.

google



You may have asked yourself, what is all of this about?  As a Montessorian, the image made me smile.  It was Montessori materials!  Today marks what would have been Maria Montessori's 142nd birthday.  She was born on August 31, 1870.

Although this isn't the first time that Google has commemorated important figures and historical events,  this one may be more significant than most for the company.  Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are both former Montessori students and credit much of their success to their Montessori educations.

Our Concert and Graduation Ceremony 2012

On June 13 we held our annual end of year concert and graduation.  Our concert consists of a series of songs that the children choose followed by a short graduation ceremony.  The songs are the songs we sing throughout the year.  The children are so happy to perform these songs for their families and sing them with an exhilarating combination of enthusiasm and happiness.

Before the concert begins, family members find seats in the gymnasium while the children gather in the foyer outside.  The children are so excited as they wait in the foyer for all of their classmates.

Gathering the children in the foyer.



Gathering the children in the foyer.



These lovely young ladies handed out the programs.  Don't they look beautiful!  T. (on the right) is one of our former graduates.  S. (on the left) is the sister of one of this year's graduates. 



When all of the children have arrived, we have a pep talk in the foyer and we are off to the stage!



Here we all are on the stage ready to begin.



This is what the children see when they look out.



The children are singing their English songs led by Mrs. P.



The children are singing their French songs led by Madame D.



After we have sung all of our songs, the graduates are asked to stay on the stage while their classmates go off to sit with their families.   {What is a Montessori graduate?  A graduate is a child who began their Montessori education between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4 years and has completed the Montessori casa (preschool) program.  Our graduates do not attend JK or SK programs.}

Here are the graduation caps.



Our graduates on stage.

 This year we had nine graduates. The majority of them will attend French Immersion programs.  We have known many of these children ever since they were babies and have known their families even longer.  As I stand up on the stage each year with the graduates, I find myself overcome by emotion.  I tell myself, 'I will not cry', yet every year the tears flow making it difficult to speak.  As I look out across the sea of parents and grandparents there are many who are also tearing up. It takes a village to raise a child and we are all part of that village.  We are just so proud of our graduates!

After our ceremony it is time to eat cake!

The graduation cake.

 

These are our graduates.  They are just so adorable!







As I look at our little graduates, I see children who are confident in their abilities, academically advanced and respectful towards others.  I know our little ones are ready to spread their wings and fly.  They will be very successful.  The future belongs to them.

After the concert, the parents and children mix and mingle.

 

It is such a beautiful evening and one that our Montessori community looks forward to.  At our little yellow school, our teachers, students and parents begin as strangers and become family.  Thank you to all of our students and their familes.  We are so very grateful for our precious time together.

The Sun ~ Part of Our Study of the Universe

In May, the children embarked on a study of the Universe.  Our study touched on the dramatic beginnings of the Universe and encompassed the formation of our galaxy, our sun and the planets.  It culminated with the first signs of life on our own planet.

The following passage about the beginnings of our sun is from the book Earth Story by Eric Madden.

One yellow star was special.  At first it was just a bulge in the middle of a whirling saucer of dust.  But as dust and gas swirled inward the bulge got bigger and bigger.

It began to get tighter and tighter, and hotter and hotter and hotter, until at last it was so hot that it burst into flames, flashed on its starlight and became our Sun.

Although our study incorporated all subject areas.  One of our favourite activities was making a sun.

Step 1:

Each child receives a circle cut from bristol board.  Three globs of paint - red, yellow, orange - are placed in the middle of the circle.

A piece of plastic wrap is placed over the circle and paint.

Each child then squishes the paint.  

Squishing the paint was so much fun and very clean!

A teacher removes the plastic wrap.  The circle is then left to dry.

Step 2:

The sun is then glued onto a piece of black construction paper.  The children are given star glitter to glue in the black depths of the universe.

A completed craft.

Step 1 of this craft was found on the internet.  Step 2 was our idea.  We used finger paint instead of normal paint.  This gave the completed suns a shiny and glowing appearance.  It was such a beautiful craft and one that the children thoroughly enjoyed.