Enjoying a Concert Lunch

Once a week, the children who stay for lunch enjoy a 'Concert Lunch'.  I read about this idea on the blog of Beautiful Sun Montessori in Aruba.  On Concert Lunch day, the children listen to a musical selection.  They do not talk, only listen and enjoy their meal.  I thought it would be difficult for the children to give up their chance to 'mix and mingle' at lunch but they absolutely love the Concert Lunch!  They will ask "Can we have a Concert Lunch?" and are thrilled when we say yes.

We have been exposing the children to different musical genres since our concert lunches began.  We have listened to Classical Music from Mozart, Steel Drum music I purchased in Barbados, sitar music from India, and their very favourite, the Wizard of Oz Soundtrack.

Our Concert Lunch Selections

At Christmastime we listened to some Christmas music including a cd of children's Christmas songs, Quithmuth (kid's Christmas), purchased at Restoration Hardware many years ago.  The children could not get enough of the song "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas".   They thought it was very funny and we all found ourselves singing it throughout the holiday season.

Quithmuth cd

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Only a hippopotamus will do  

No crocodiles

Or rhinoceroses-es

I only like hippopotamuses-es

And hippopotamuses like me too! 

The children react differently to the different styles of music.  You can see them swaying to the Indian music and moving their bodies to the beat of the steel drums, and we all love to sing the songs from The Wizard of Oz.

Enjoying A Concert Lunch

Try a concert lunch.  I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

Montessori Is All Around

Last summer, I spent part of my summer vacation in Paris. 

The Eiffel Tower At Night

As this was not my first visit to France I had earmarked some time to look for French teaching resources and items that I could bring back to share with the children at our little yellow school. Before I left home, I did some research and found a few stores that I wanted to visit. While wandering about in an enormous bookstore in the Latin Quarter, I came across the following display. Can you see what the display is about? (Click on the image to make it larger.)

A Montessori Display

It was a display of Montessori books and actual Montessori materials all in French! 

A Close Up 

Could I really walk away from this display without taking something home with me?  Of course not!  If you enlarge the first image and look at the bottom left shelf, you will see what followed me home.

French Classified Cards

 It is a box of French Classified Cards!  I was so excited to have found these as they are both French and Montessori! (Classified Cards are used throughout the three year Montessori preschool program.  They can be used for vocabulary, classification, reading and writing.)  The box contains Classified Cards for plants and animals.  The drawings are stunning!  Madame D. will begin using them this term. 

Inside the Box

The Stunning Cards

Animals and Insects

Fruits and Plants

So many graduates of our three year Montessori preschool programme go on to attend French Immersion programmes. Our French programme is an integral part of our little yellow school and our students receive French daily.  Our four and five year olds are constantly using various French Classified Cards that we have made.  Here is a child working with Les Vetements (clothing) Classified Cards.

Setting Out The Classified Cards

Matching the Picture Cards

Reading the Word Cards

The cards have all been set out and matched.

Making a Booklet

A Page From a Booklet

Here are some of the other goodies I brought home from Paris.

The  book of comptines (nursery rhymes) has such delightful little songs.  While we already sing many of them, there is a lovely little song about a coccinelle (ladybug) that we plan to sing at our end of year concert.

A Visit From Santa

Last Thursday we had our annual holiday party at our little yellow school.  Just as we were getting ready to sit down for our holiday feast, one of the teachers told us she heard something on the roof.  Could it be?  Yes, it was Santa!  SANTA!

Santa's here.  Can you feel the excitement?

The children were so happy to see Santa and had many questions for him.

We are so thankful that Santa visits us each year.  This is a very busy time for him.  The children came up with the idea of buying Santa a present.  He always brings presents for us, but who brings presents to him?  We got together to brainstorm.  What should we give Santa?  The children unanimously agreed Santa would really like cookies and milk.  After thinking about it, we thought it might be difficult to keep the milk cold once it was wrapped up.  We finally decided on cookies and hot chocolate.

All of the children signed their names on a card for Santa.

The present was wrapped.

A Present For Santa

Now we needed a volunteer to give Santa the present.  Four and a half year old M. volunteered.  I asked her "Are you sure you want to do it?  Are you afraid of Santa?"    M. replied "I'm not afraid of Santa.  I've met him three times already!" 
We had our volunteer.  Santa was so surprised and happy to receive a present!

M. With Santa

Unfortunately, it was time for Santa to go.  Thank you for visiting us Santa!  Now it was on to our feast!

Our Holiday Feast

Merry Christmas!

The Wonder Of The Holidays

At our little yellow school, the holidays are always an exciting time.  Our holiday fun began with the decoration of the Christmas trees.

Checking Out Some of the Ornaments

Let the decorating begin!

The half days did a wonderful job decorating their tree.

To celebrate Hanukkah, E. brought in some delicious jelly donuts (sufganiyot).  They were absolutely heavenly!  She also brought in some Hanukkah treats for her classmates.

E. with the sufganiyot.

Hanukkah Treats

Mrs. M. told us a little about Hanukkah.  E. helped her.  E. and L. brought in their menorahs to show everyone.

E.. and Mrs. M. 

E.'s and L.'s Special Menorah

E.'s and L.'s Special Menorah

We also learned the reason why Christians around the world celebrate Christmas.  We read a very simple story and set out a nativity that L.'s family gave the school years ago.  It is beautiful.

L. with the nativity.

The Nativity

We made some lovely crafts.

Snowman Ornaments

Christmas Trees

We even made a special present for our parents.  It's a secret. We can't tell.

The half day children with presents for their parents.

Now the only thing left to do is party!

We Have A Snag

In February 2014, a pileated woodpecker started pecking holes in one of our towering pine trees.  This was not the first time a pileated woodpecker had done this.  The same tree was visited two years prior. 

Our Pileated Woodpecker

For a few weeks we watched as the woodpecker tirelessly pecked holes in the tree.

Pecking a Hole

Watching The Woodpecker - February 2014

The wood pieces became souvenirs for the children.

Collecting Wood Pieces

We watched as the hole grew bigger.  When the woodpecker was finished, the hole resembled an oval. 

The Finished Hole

We did some research and discovered that oval holes are nest cavities and small round holes are feeding cavities.  You can see both in the photographs.  We became very excited and waited for the spring.  Perhaps the woodpecker and his mate would come back and lay their eggs in our tree.

We waited and waited, but the woodpecker did not come back.  As winter turned to spring, we became worried about our tree and consulted an arborist.  Unfortunately, the ice storm of December 2013 coupled with the holes pecked by the woodpecker had compromised the structure of the tree. It would have to come down.

In May 2014, the tree was cut.  

Cutting Down the Tree

  
After reading an article in the June 2008 Cottage Life magazine called Welcome to Dead Wood, we decided to save the lower portion of the trunk.  Our decaying tree is now known as a snag.  

Our snag in progress.

If you have ever gone for a walk in the woods, you will have come across a snag.  These decaying trees provide homes and food for a variety of insects, birds and mammals.   As we watch the fields and woodlots in our community become subdivisions, the wildlife that live here are losing their homes. Where will they go?

A Weathered Snag in A Forest

Our snag is receiving lots of visitors.  We have seen small birds enjoying our snag.  Our little red squirrel is also making use of our snag. 

What's in the snag?

In the fall, our little red squirrel began storing pinecones in the snag.  I hope he remembers where they are this winter.

Pincecones In Our Snag