Ms. Sheela's Primary Montessori Classroom: Week of Oct 31st to Nov 1st

Thank you, Kiowa for carving our Jack O Lantern. Thank you, Crissy, Nathan, Alicia, Scott Whitington, Scott Baldermann, Nathan, Jeanette and Lisa for volunteering in our classroom and helping out with the centers for the Halloween celebration, it was quite a blast!!.

I Did It All By Myself- Support the Children’s Independence the Montessori Way

Is there anything more rewarding than being able to care for one’s own self? Help your child on the path to independence with home activities that support similar self-care “lessons” in the Montessori classroom. A little planning and a lot of patience will go far!

The most important (and the hardest!) part? Allow plenty of time for learning and practice, so your child can master new skills without pressure from the clock (and you can get to work on time).

Maria Montessori tells us in The Discovery of the Child, “If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence...We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run,...to dress and undress, to wash themselves...All this is part of an education for independence.”

“Care of Self” activities children can do at home

Dressing & undressing
Washing hands
Cleaning one’s shoes
Nose blowing
Buttoning, snapping, zipping, tying, lacing, and buckling
Brushing one’s hair & teeth

It’s cold outside! How to put on a coat or sweater?
Teach your child the “up and over” method. Place the child’s coat on the floor with the collar near the child’s feet. The child bends down, places his arms in the arms of the coat, lifts the coat up and over his head, and voila! He’s wearing his coat.

Even very young children are capable of independent work,
Suggested activities: laundry, setting the table, helping to prepare dinner by washing fruit/veggies, clearing the table, pouring their own breakfast cereal or spreading butter on their own bread/toast, pouring their own beverages from easily accessible small pitchers, pet care, sweeping/mopping with child size brooms/mops, window washing with a spray bottle of water and a squeegee/towel, etc. The list is endless and children will help point out their interests to you, as you go through the day together.

A Peek At Our Week

Scooping out the Pumpkin seeds

Estimating the Pumpkin Seeds ( there were 638 seeds in the pumpkin)

Graphing and Voting for the eyes, nose and mouth for our Jack O lantern- circle eyes, triangle nose and scary mouth

Lifecycle of the pumpkin

Cutting apples for the Applesauce

Tasting the roasted pumpkin seeds and applesauce

Sound of the week

‘i’ – Inny the inchworm

(Bend your index finger up and down, say the short letter sound ‘i’)

Reminders

No school on Nov 4^th for 3 and 4 year olds, as all of the ECE team will be at a CPR/First Aid Training. The kindergartners will work in Ms. Therese’s room and we will have two subs for that day. Please drop off and pick your child through Ms. Therese’s door tomorrow.

Picture Retakes is on Friday, Nov 8^th

^{Thanksgiving
Luncheon RSVP’s due by Tue, Nov 5th}

^{No
School Nov 11th and 12th}

^{^{Have a wonderful November!!!}}