Montessori at Home: 8 Principals to Know

1. Movement and Cognition Movement and cognition are closely entwined and movement can enhance thinking and learning. * Let children move every day. 2. Choice Learning and well being are improved when people have a sense of control over their lives. *make a list of work assignments for the day and have them create their own schedule. *keep a basket in the refrigerator of healthy snacks for them to chose from *create a basket of pre-selected books for them to chose from 3. Intrerest People learn better when they are interested in what they are learning *Fill a basket with over-sized coffee table books. These types of books are often filled with beautiful, inspiring pictures that will spark conversation and interest. *create a lapbook or unit study around a favorite hobby, period in history, or animal of your child's choosing. *love letter writing? create a letter writing station for kids to help themselves. be sure to include everything needed. 4. Extrinsic rewards are avoided Tying extrinsic rewards to an activity, like money for reading or good grades, negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn. *this challenges normal practice for many of us. 5. Learning from & with peers Collaborative arrangements can be very conductive to learning *meet at a funky cafe for a weekly play group *form a young writers group 6. Learning in context Learning situated in meaningful contexts is often deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts *make homemade snacks rather than talk about how the snack in made *learn about flowers by going to the Botanical Gardens * go to the grocery store with a budget and meal plan *explore science my making homemade lip balm or soap 7. Teacher & Child ways Particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes. *have weelky family meetings *have your child partener with you to design a garden or rearrange the furniture. have them choose a few books for you to read to them 8. Order in environemtn Order in the environment is beneficial to children *maintain an art shelf with easy to access projects. Rotate the projects weekly *keep your environment free of clutter *adopt a "10 minute tidy" period at the end of each day

Toddler Class Growth

We have had a busy month in the toddler class at Montessori Connection West! We have been enjoying the beautiful weather and noticing all the changes spring brings. The buds on the trees, the birds singing, squirrels running around and butterflies fluttering about are all things we have observed. Taking the spring theme into our classroom, we have been learning about the life cycle of a butterfly, spooning bunnies, sorting eggs and counting chicks. The concentration level of all the children has increased 10 fold since the beginning of the year. They actively seek out advanced materials. They are able to work for longer periods of time. Socially, we have observed them problem solving, having conversations and expressing their feelings through words. It is such a reward to watch the children grow and learn throughout the year!

Kindergarten Enrichment

Penmanship practice is a large part of our day. We practice writing each letter slowly and carefully to perfect our writing skills. Each week we write in our journals, practicing our story telling skills too. Sound lessons, reading in the readers and working in the corresponding workbooks is also done. We continue to see improvement in the children’s comprehension and reading skills. We continue practicing our addition and subtraction skills. We are looking forward to starting our unit on the solar system. All the children love learning about space.

3-6 Class Happenings

Our food preparation activities have been very popular in the 3-6 classrooms. Cutting red, green and yellow peppers and zucchini’s and making mini pizzas were enjoyed by all the children. Not only is preparing food a fun and tasty addition to the classrooms, but the children are learning important practical life and grace and courtesy lessons as well. Children love to cook and prepare food. We encourage you to have your children help you in the kitchen at home. You will be surprised at what they can do! Food preparation is a great family activity!

Toddler Class Happenings

In Miss Kelly, Miss Dina and Miss Lindsey's class, many new materials have been added. We have introduced the concepts of living and non-living, hot and cold and the life cycle of a butterfly. Sock matching and laundry folding are also popular. As the year progresses each child's capabilities and independence strengthens. It is so important to give them new opportunities to further fine tune their skills.

We are welcoming spring as we notice the buds on the trees, the grass turning greener and hear the birds chirping. Happy Spring to you all!

Happy Families

First I have to thank you and the whole Montessori Connection team for putting together such a wonderful graduation program. I think it made not only every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle and sibling proud of their graduate, but also so pleased with the choice we made to send our children to Montessori. I can go on and on about how great the kids were, from the songs and their artwork, to their yoga and incredible manners, but we all know that if it weren't for the staff of Montessori Connection, they would not have such a great start to their education. So we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Summer Camp

Summer camp is going along very well at our Deerfield Rd .and Clavey Rd.locations. The children are having a great time going all around town. Our field trip to Whole Foods was fantastic!
Our 4-7 year olds have started swimming lessons. Thanks to everyone who joined us this summer!