Saturday 21 September 2013

Fine Motor Fun!

We had a seriously fun week at school! The children worked really hard this week and classroom time was extremely productive. We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and spent much of Thursday outside. While the juniors and seniors played baseball, the casa's took a walk over to Kelso Beach to play on the climber. I love that this park is walking distance for us. The walk allows the children to learn how to walk in a group, to be safe along a road and to listen to instructions from adults.  Once at the park every little muscle in their growing body gets a workout. From climbing the monkey bars, sliding across the zip line, swinging on the swings and running on the grass. Needless to say, the walk home always takes a little longer than the one there!

We got lucky on Friday as well, with the rain holding off all day. There were only five children at school and they had a very busy day working as a group. I ended up calling it 'Fine Motor Friday' as their little hands got a workout all day. We started off by making delicious gluten free pancakes made with quinoa, teff, amaranth and brown rice flour. Then we made a special craft that will hang at our hooks in the boot room. After lunch we made play-doh, ate animal crackers and worked together with the straws and connectors. I think everyone went home tired after that big day!  *the children who missed the craft will get to do it next week.

The girls all noticed that everything we did started with 'P'- pancakes, painting, playing and pink play-doh! Here are a few pictures to highlight our fun week.






Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Kate

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Freedom Within Limits: Controlling the environment, NOT the child

I always take time to reflect on my week at school. I always ask myself what I thought went really well? What I thought needed improving? What special moments happened for the children? Was the learning environment the best it could be? What lessons are the children now ready for? Is anyone struggling and in need of more guidance? Essentially, WHAT COULD I DO TO IMPROVE? This past week many of my thoughts were about how the children cooperated and worked together with the straws and connectors. Conveniently this article popped into my email Sunday morning. It is by one of my favourite Montessorians, Maren Schmidt. She is spot on, as all of her articles are. She talks about 'freedom within limits'. This is something that is practiced everyday in the classroom and one that I think is essential for adults to master when caring for children.

As a Montessori directress, one of the first things we learn is that the prepared environment (or classroom) is a work of art that we must prepare with care and consideration and when the time comes, we must pass this special room over to the children and allow it to become a space in which they can call their own. Their own little community must form where they have the freedom to makes mistakes, to explore and to learn. But with this freedom, comes limits. A few examples from our classroom. . .

1) Children are FREE to work with any materials from the shelf. The LIMIT is that you must of had a lesson on them. 

2) Children are FREE to have a snack whenever they are hungry. The LIMIT is how much of each food they are allowed to have. 

3) Children who are in need of redirection or help choosing work are given a choice between two materials that they have had lessons, rather than a whole shelf to choose from. Young children, in particular, often need this sort of direction. 

The following is Maren's article and I think she does a great of job of bringing the freedom within limits into the home and how it connects to cooperation. She is also the author of several books. If anyone is interested in ordering any of the books we could arrange that a group order be done through the school.

Enjoy! 



Foster Cooperation by Giving Choices  


Most of the conflicts we have with our preschool-age children involve getting them to do something they don't want to do in a reasonable amount of time. Eating, getting dressed, going to bed or taking a bath may be familiar conflict areas. In parenting class, I was introduced to the idea of giving choices to avoid conflict. When we give choices, or freedom within limits, we can help our children feel in control of themselves, foster cooperation and develop independence.

How and when to present choices are critical to the success of implementing this concept. If we give too many choices, we may create an environment of frustration and again encounter lack of cooperation. Giving few choices, we risk being authoritarian and may create rebellion or subterfuge in our children. The art of implementation is looking at each child and situation with fresh and understanding eyes, while remaining kind and firm.

Everyday was a struggle to brush my two-and-a-half-year-old's teeth. Hannah lacked the fine motor control to do the job alone and resisted mightily when I tried. I was totally frustrated, and bedtime was a disaster. At our dental check-up, I mentioned to Dr. Jim about our brushing conflict.

"Hannah," Dr. Jim inquired. "Why are you fighting with your mom about brushing your teeth?"

"The toothpaste burns my mouth."

"Let's try some different flavors. I have cinnamon, bubblegum, peppermint and strawberry. Which one do you want to taste first?"

Hannah cheerfully sampled each flavor and selected a tube. That was the end of our Battle of the Brush. I remain thankful to Dr. Jim for lowering my stress level twenty points with bubblegum flavored toothpaste. I hadn't considered giving Hannah a choice of toothpaste. I hadn't even thought to ask her why she was upset.

Years later, I witnessed my friend, Martha, go overboard with choices.

"Jimmy, would you like oatmeal or eggs for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal."

"Do you want blueberry, strawberry, cinnamon or maple flavor?"

"Cinnamon."

"Do you want brown sugar or honey?"

"Honey."

"Do you want butter or milk on it?"

"Milk."

"Do you want it in the white or the blue bowl? Do you want apple, grape or orange juice?"

Poor Jimmy. This two-year-old was interrogated for breakfast. After the third question, I watched Jimmy's eyes glaze. When the blue bowl arrived, Jimmy gave his mother "a look" and dumped his oatmeal on the table.

"Giving choices just isn't working," Martha lamented.

I observed that giving too many choices doesn't work. Martha should have stopped at oatmeal! Question after question turned a picky eater into a rebel.

When a child is defiant, he is asking us, "Who is the boss here? You act like it's me. If it's you, then show me."

Don't be afraid of showing your child that defiant behavior is unacceptable. He is asking for limits to be set and enforced. Too many choices can cause a child to question his role in the parent/child relationship. Our children need for us to be the adults in charge, so they can feel safe and secure.

We also need to be on guard for giving choices that aren't appropriate. Dawn thought that giving her four-year-old daughter, Sophie, a choice about what time to go to bed would make bedtime smoother. In reality, bedtime was not negotiable for Dawn, as Sophie thought her choice was no bedtime. Chaos and unhappiness ensued. Dawn realized she needed to set and enforce bedtime.

The choices Dawn gave Sophie were decisions such as what color pajamas to wear, what books to read and what prayers to say. When Dawn set the limits regarding time and then gave Sophie freedom within those limits, bedtime became calmer. Sophie understood her limits and the freedom she had within those limits. Bedtime became a loving ritual instead of a power struggle.

Allowing choices fosters self-control, cooperation and independence in our children. Be aware of giving too many or inappropriate choices.

When your child gets to those bumpy teenage years, he or she will have many years of practicing how to make "good" choices. You'll be able to feel confident in your teenager's ability to continue to make "good" choices when dealing with tough decisions regarding friends, drugs and alcohol.


About The Understanding Montessori Newsletter 
Written by Kids Talk columnist Maren Schmidt, the Understanding Montessori Newsletter is part of the award winning Kids Talk weekly syndicated newspaper column.  

Read previous newsletters here.
Maren Schmidt
About Maren Schmidt 

Maren Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland. 

She has over 25 years experience working with children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. 

Maren is author of  Building Cathedrals Not Walls: Essays for Parents and Teachers as well as





Monday 16 September 2013

Crayons, Cookies and Cooperation start with 'C'

We had a wonderful week! The children became even more settled in and we were able to work together on Friday to make some delicious oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies and as the title of the this blog states, cookies start with 'c'. 'C' was our sound of the week. I've start a new thing this year where each week we will display a different sandpaper letter and find objects in our classroom that start with this sound. This weeks sound is 'd'. Today we found a dog, donut, deer and duck. I would also encourage that you play sound games with your child at home. Please remember that we never talk about the name of a letter but rather the phonetic sound it makes. After all, the name of the letter won't help your child when it comes to reading! Here is our display of 'c'. . .

Cube, Carrot, Crayon, Canada and Coin!

Cooperation was also a huge this week. I put a new activity out on the shelf and naturally the children were drawn to it. Soon almost the whole class was working together with the connectors and straws. The work started off peaceful as the children explored this new activity. As they became more comfortable fitting the straws and connectors together to make shapes, communication started happening as they had to start sharing ideas and materials. Only once did I need to step in and help with a dispute. This was truly a beautiful moment that I was able to capture with a few photos. My next post will share more about cooperation and how you can foster this essential skill at home.


We ended our week with a five minute video of the story "Harold and the Purple Crayon". We've been practicing proper pencil grip since the first day of school and the children all noticed that Harold didn't hold his crayon correctly. Here's a little song we sing in the classroom to help us remember. . .

"Pick up a crayon, pick up a crayon.
It is easy to do. 
Pick up crayon. I just tell my fingers what to do. 
My thumb is bent, pointer points to the tip, tall man uses his side. 
I tuck the last two fingers in and take them for a ride."

You could sing this at home too!

Miss Kate

Thursday 12 September 2013

A Leap of Faith!

Some could say that the first week back to school was met with mixed reviews. If you were to stand on the edge of the school yard and observe each of the children as they arrive, along with the parents and the teachers I suspect you would of seen many emotions being shared through body language, facial expressions and the tone of voice being used. Up until this year I, myself could say that the first day of school meant some anxiety and a few butterflies, but for some reason none of that was present this year. I think that this sense of security and confidence presented itself for a few reasons.

 Firstly, I had been in and out of the school all summer tutoring so I had seen many of the returning children while they were enjoying summer camp. Secondly, for the first time in my whole teaching career I was returning to a classroom that hadn't been tampered with over the summer (ie. it didn't get all packed up so the room could undergo renovations) and it was exactly as the children and I left it in June. Of course a few things have changed and been tweaked as the prepared environment always requires that the directress pay close attention to detail, but overall the layout of the room remains the same. It is familiar. It is comfortable. And thirdly, the school itself has a feel to it much like that of a family. The faces of the staff are friendly, the trickling water in the fish pond is soothing and the smell of baking from the kitchen make it feel more like a home than a school. This would make Maria Montessori proud as it is exactly what she wanted. Because you see Casa means home in Italian. You have chosen a "Casa dei Bambini" for your child. A Children's House.

I'm not sure how you came to make this decision but I'm sure there were many factors. I suspect that parenting is much like taking a leap and then feeling like you're suspended in the air waiting to see if you've made the right choices for your child. We take leaps of faith all the time. Some big. Some small.  A year ago I took a big leap of faith and uprooted my whole life and moved it to Owen Sound. Before moving here I lived and worked in my hometown of Kingston. Everyone there knows me as Montessori Kate. You see, there aren't many Montessori directresses in any given town so you get known amongst your community. Montessori Martha, who is now my good friend, knew of me and my reputation had preceded me so hiring me was easy. She had parent references who backed me up as a directress. She even sent someone to watch me in the classroom! Jennifer, on the other hand, had only what I could tell her. I showed her a few pictures of me teaching and I had a long interview with her but that was it. She trusted her gut and here we are today. In the same token you are having to trust what we are telling you about school and your child's development.

 As we get through this first month of school I hope your feet hit ground and you have a sense of happiness in the choice you made for your child. There are still a few tears in the morning but smiles have been seen at the end of the day and friendships are being formed. The new children are quickly becoming members of the group and our school family is being solidified. Here is a beautiful picture of us all working independently, yet together.



Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Kate



Saturday 7 September 2013

Welcome!

I thought I would start this page as a way of giving you a glimpse into life inside our fabulous Casa. Your children are absolutely amazing beings and I'm honoured to spend each day with them. I get to see their struggles and triumphs as they learn new skills, I hear the funny conversations they have with their peers, I wipe their tears when they are upset and best of all, I get to be encompassed by their wonderful spirits all day long.

Our days together at school are full: full of laughs, full of fun, full of learning and full of little moments that I just don't always get to share with you. I'm hoping this blog can help to bridge that gap and fill in a few of the mysteries that I'm sure you have about your child's life at school and about Montessori in general. 

For those of you who are going onto your second year of having your child in my class, you already know that I'm passionate about Montessori education. I want this blog to also spread more information to you about the philosophy, the materials, your child's development and why we (as in Montessorians) do what we do, the way we do it. 

With week one under our belt I think it's time we get this year started! Shall we?

Miss Kate
"Of all things, love is most potent." Maria Montessori