Peace Day Art and Song

International Peace Day was celebrated globally last Monday.  On this day each year, our classroom celebrates by creating a collaborative piece of art.  Once completed, these pieces remind us that each of us has an important role and we can each be a peacemaker.  Here is a series of photos showing the process of our collaborative art for this year's Peace Day:

"Light a Candle for Peace"

by Shelley Murley

Light a candle for peace,

Light a candle for love,

Light a candle that shines

All the way around the world.

Light a candle for me,

Light a candle for you,

That our wish for world peace

May one day come true.

Sing peace around the world,

Sing peace around the world,

Sing peace around the world,

Sing peace around the world!

Listen to this song we learned HERE

Toddler Room Observations

The sun was warm and bright, embracing the room with sense of peace.  Small children, most with their caregiver, sat concentrating on spooning, pouring, transferring sand and beans.  I noticed their attention to tasks, how they intently worked, and marveled at how focused and joyful they were.  Stepping in into the Toddler Classroom at Mikailova Montessori School was a bit like being transported in to a familiar yet brand new world.

This was the first time I had formally observed in a toddler room and I remain so fortunate for the experience.  I saw firsthand how such an early introduction to the Montessori method is not only beneficial for children and their parents, but also how an early start can positively impact the Primary 3-6 classroom.  Can one imagine if all 3-6 students had the opportunity to develop their concentration, coordination, independence, and order before stepping foot into the Primary classroom?

I very much enjoyed my time in the toddler room and remain in awe of the children.  Also, to all the Toddler teachers out there - thank you!  Thank you for providing our students such a positive foundation for their Montessori experiences.  Intrigue and inspiration were the main features of my visit to this classroom.  Here are a few photos from my observations:

Entering the classroom  -  such inviting shelves.

Exploration with natural materials.

Tactile development with various textures available for exploration.

This plant stand design is genius.  Firstly, the entire placement of the stand is intended to act as a room divider (beautiful!).  Secondly, look at how each plant has its own tub underneath for catching overflow (practical!).  

Gross motor development.

Practical Life shelves.

Stairs and slide - notice the texture tiles going up the stairs...

Object Permanence Boxes.

    

Autumn Leaves are Falling Down

Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down,

Autumn leaves are falling down,

Red, yellow, orange, and brown!

The children were introduced to new art activity to go along with this short song.  They have enjoyed this particular variation in their choices of art activities.  I showed the lesson to the children at circle time and then set it up at a table as a stationary art lesson:

Pencil for name writing; white paper; tray with orange, brown, red, and yellow paint; each color has a 'leaf' stamp which is simply the cardboard tube from a toilet paper roll! 

We love to reuse things! :-)

The result is quite seasonal and the children are loving the process.

Waltzing Matilda

If I pause and think of our week together in the classroom, the first thing that comes to mind is, "Waltzing Matilda!" and the children singing it with huge smiles on their faces…  What a fun song to learn  - with words like 'jumbuck,' 'billabong,' and 'swag man,' who can resist?  Clearly, we are enjoying learning about Australia!

Australia Continent Folder Cards.

Pre-reading:  Bird matching activity.

Tracing the Parts of a Bird Puzzle and pin pushing it out.

Sorting animals by continent.

I watched the child in this photos roll and re-roll the mat several time to get it just right and straight.

Checking work with the Hundred Board using the control chart.

Pouring dry material using a funnel.

Using a small baster to transfer water.

Grading the color tablets around the globe.

Meet Sydney, our newest classroom pet - we wrote down ideas for a name and this was the selection from a random draw.  Sydney is named after the largest city in Australia.

Working with numbers 1-25 using the Math Step Board.

Picture to picture matching.

Practicing addition with the Stamp Game.

Reading sentences.

Exploring the Pink Tower and Brown Stair.

A lesson about matter:  Solids:  Hard as Rocks.

Using the Binomial Cube as an engaging puzzle.

Two Weeks Worth

Last week, we had a short week due to the Columbus Day holiday on Monday.  I was also out of the classroom last Friday because I was giving a presentation at the Maine Montessori Association.  The following pictures are from this past week and the (short) week before:

Carefully counting the decimal system cards while putting them away.

"This says 'elephant.'"

Language development: matching pictures.

Making a booklet of African animals - first the child draws a picture, then writes the corresponding word.  Several students have been using the pictured poster of animals of Africa for reference.

Exploring leaf shapes while strengthening handwriting muscles with the Botany Cabinet.

Creating a collage of green from lightest to darkest (using paint chips).

Tactile discrimination - matching various items by touch only (the child is wearing a blindfold to complete this activity).

Linear and skip counting with the short chain of seven.

Feeling for varying weights with the Baric Tablets.

The Addition Snake Game.

Addition with the Number Rods - sums of 10.

Learning the names of the continents with the Puzzle Map of the World.

Reading our "October" poem (notice the leaves in the window...).  :-)

Working with the Puzzle Map of Africa.

Opening/Closing practice.

Beginning sounds and reading practice with the Language Step Board.

Retrieving quantities of golden beads.

Refining the olfactory sense - Smelling Bottles.

Reading: Phonetic Object Box

"This is one hundred," with the the Golden Beads.

Coloring the flag of South Africa.  This students was so proud to have also written the name of the country.

Number writing practice with the Sandpaper Numbers.

Working with the Third Color Tablet Box - grading shades of pink.

Linear and skip counting with the Hundred Chain.  In addition to practicing counting by tens, I really appreciate how this lesson also enables the child to count by ones.  This material gives a clear impression to the student when it is time to change tens, from 29 to 30 for example.  If the child is not sure, he/she can count the number of tens in the chain and find the answer for him/herself.

Pairing various gradations of smooth/rough with the Touch Tablets.

Using the smallest Pink Tower cube to measure the Brown Stair.

Reading practice with the Phonetic Object Box labels.

Multiplication - 6x7=42.

Static addition with the Golden Beads.

A highlight of the week:  A visit from a talented musician who shared with us the sounds of Africa!