Working in Harmony

This week marked the beginning of Formal Observations in the classroom. This is an opportunity for parents of enrolled students to come in and see our classroom in action.  One of the components of their visit is to complete an Observation Worksheet and answer a few questions, such as:  As you settle into your observation, what are your first impressions?   Most, if not all of this week's visitors all mentioned how happily the children work together.  And it is true - there is a definite harmony in the classroom!  One parent summed it up precisely - "There is an underlying harmony in the Dirigo Montessori School classroom which sustains a momentum of activity.  Children seem to take satisfaction in both starting as well as completing their different work."  I am proud of my students and am so thankful that "outsiders" have been able to observe what all Montessori teachers strive for!  Here is a collection of pictures of our week together:

I have placed modeling clay on the art shelf on a tray  purposely have not included any tools, other than a cutter, to see how the children would use it.  At first, many of the kids did not know how to manipulate the clay, so we mentioned how it takes a while for ones hands to warm it up.  Once they figured this part out, their exploration has been creatively playing itself out - here, the child has crafted a pair of cobras, complete with scales made of fingernail imprints!

Flower Arranging with orange carnations - the orange and green remind us of the Irish flag which is fitting with the rest of the classroom this month.

Working with the bells using our new, soft mallet (and making a much improved sound!).

 Reading practice with Puzzle Words (sight words).



St. Patrick's Day math game.



Months of the Year lesson which you can read about in THIS POST.
I've added the small flower eraser so the child can place it on the current month or their birthday month. 

Static Addition with the Stamp Game.  The children use the pencil as a separator between the numbers in each category before pushing them together for 'addition.'



Geography/Cultural study:  Pictures of North America.



 Language/Vocabulary Enrichment Cards.



Stereognostic Exercise:  The child matches items by touch only.



Reading practice Phonetic Object Box lesson.



Addition Snake Game
(Click on caption to read more about this material.)

Grammar work with the Logical Adjective Game.

Tens Board lesson.



A fun fine motor activity - balancing marbles on golf tees.



Practical Life:  Polishing Glass



Uppercase Cursive Sandpaper Letters

My assistant brought this festive plant which we placed on the snack table, much to the delight of the children!