Site Visit

One of our assistants is currently completing her internship through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies.  A requirement of completion includes several site visits from a field consultant over the course of the year.  This week, we had the privilege of one such consultant visiting our classroom.  Not only was the visit successful for our intern, but the consultant was sure to share with me how lovely our classroom was.  She mentioned how, "beautiful and lovely" our school was and how the children were "functioning so well."  She further exclaimed, "I can hardly believe you've only been in school for such a short while, the children are doing so well.  The tone you have set has definitely come through, and it has been a lovely visit."
What a valuable experience to have another set of eyes to observe the classroom, and receive such positive feedback.  Well done, everyone!

Tactile experience with number writing using Sandpaper Numerals.

Precision work with the Pink Tower.

Pairing primary colors with the First Color Tablet Box.

Counting the decimal system with the golden bead material.

Understanding quantity with introduction to the Montessori color system of the math materials  with the Short Bead Stair.

Building concentration, coordination, independence and order through the Practical Life Leather Polishing activity.

Letter writing practice with Rainbow Letters.

Action photo:  Switching vessels during a transfer lesson, and weaving ribbons.

Practicing number order with quantity using the Cards and Counters. 

An extension lesson with numbers 1-10.

Pre-reading material:  Matching cards.

Building independence by practicing snaps.

Introducing quantity with the Number Rods.

Carefully walking on the line, promoting gross-motor control.

Comparison of size with the Knobless Cylinders.  Notice the child in the background with hands behind her back - we encourage the children to 'watch with their eyes' and not to touch each lessons.  

Stretching out words and writing them with the Moveable Alphabet.

An extension of the Short Bead Stair - the Short Bead Hanger.

Carefully filling each cup with the dropper.

An Opening/Closing extension lesson - Practicing with lunch containers.

Understanding quantity and place value of teen numbers with the Teen Bead Hanger.

Using rhythm shakers to follow a steady beat with a seasonal chant about apples and apple trees.

Learning how to use a paintbrush.

Polishing Metal

Learning the names of the Parts of the Flower.

Peace Day matching.

Understanding the concept of zero with the Spindle Box lesson.

Experiencing how various triangles form new shapes when placed together with the Constructive Triangles.

Rock Painting - our classroom's ever-popular pre-writing activity.

Coloring the continents of the world - I especially like how this child has set up the booklet and globe to complete the activity!

Making a 'Sound Stamp Booklet.'  It's hard to see, but the child has stamped  'monkey,' 'milk,' and 'magnet ' for their 'm' sound booklet.

Shape identification and tracing, preparing the hand for writing.

More comparisons of size and height with the Knobless Cylinders.

Phonetic reading practice with labels and objects.

Practicing pouring from one container to another.

After reviewing the photos I was able to take over the past couple of weeks, we have definitely had a productive time in our classroom.

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.

    

3-6 Observations

Recently, I was guest at the Mikailova Montessori School and was fortunate to observe in two beautiful classrooms.  The first part of my visit was in a primary (3-6) classroom followed by an enlightening hour in a toddler class.  I had so many pictures from my visit that I have decided to post the toddler pictures separately in a future post.  The following photos are from my observations in the 3-6 room:

Somehow, I think this photo best illustrates the overall feeling of warmth and genuine happiness of this Montessori classroom.  The sun was shining (it was actually the first sunny day we have experienced in St. Petersburg in many, many weeks!) and felt so bright and cheerful in the classroom.  Those curtains added a perfect touch and I couldn't help but notice the birch plant stand which was such a beautiful detail. 

A basket of crocheted goodness for the children to create and explore.  Seriously, how could I have gone this long without thinking of this?!  I now have a wonderful way to use up my yarn stash at home!

I found the Pink Tower and Brown Stair like this on the shelf.  Later, a child came and separated them and put each it's place.  I admired the small bowl for the marble - what an inviting way to promote extension work!

Labeling the Classroom - Like in my classroom, the children are introduced to printed letters in reading activities and cursive letters for writing lessons.

Here are the Sandpaper Letters beautifully displayed on a custom stand.

I noticed that this tray of Superimposed Geometric Figures contained a sampling of shapes rather than the entire set.   This might be a great idea if students have been newly introduced to the material as the whole set can be quite overwhelming.  The box behind the tray houses various cards for constructing designs with the shapes.

This is extension work to complete with the Geometric Solids.  I appreciated that the tray and other materials for this activity was next to the solids on Sensorial shelf rather than housed in an Art area.

Another, "Why didn't I think of that?" moment.  Such a simple set up with basic card stock for sewing the letters.

I always am drawn to handmade extension materials.  Here,  children use the reading cards to construct phonetic words with the stones.

This poster invites children to practice tracing numbers.

Several tracing posters were placed in various places throughout the room to promote handwriting practice.

The class was studying planets and the cosmos.  Student created artwork adorned the classroom and was used in various group lessons.

The blue gem on this spoon for this transferring activity definitely caught my eye - imagine its effect on the students!