Hemlock Class

We welcome all of you in the new year. January is the month of transition, the reflection of the past and looking forward to the future. We were happy to see the children get back into their routine. We could see their excitement to go to the classroom and to be with one another. It motivates the teachers too.

We started our new year with a peace curriculum. Montessori peace education teaches children to be peaceful, positive members of a thriving society. Peace education is not a separate subject, but a process of learning values, knowledge, skills, and attitude to live in harmony with oneself, with others, and with the natural environment.  We learnt how to calm our bodies and feel the love within us. We learnt our Outer self, Middle self and Inner self using a Matryshka Doll. It is achieved through self-awareness with circles, mind in a jar, lungs and spinal cord awareness, hidden values, peace bottles with the science experiments, recognizing our emotions, grace and courtesy lessons, concentration, normalization, freedom within limits, the core principles of Montessori classroom. We talked about Martin Luther King Jr Day, how we can achieve peace in the world by giving everyone equal rights.

Then we moved to our planet Earth. We learned the position of Earth in Space and how it supports life on it. So, it is our job to protect our planet. We looked at the sandpaper globe to recognize land and water. With a colored globe, we learned the continents and how to divide the globe into two half haves, eastern and western hemispheres to make it easier for us to learn.

We learned why we named the first month as January and important landforms of the Earth too, how they are opposite to each other. Children were excited to learn and identify the landforms in our map. They were happy to make landform books.

We celebrated Asher (3), Leo (4), and Sienne (4) ‘s birthdays. Happy Birthday to our dear children. Since we are in winter and also the weather keeps on changing, we request to provide appropriate clothes, socks and shoes. Thanks to the parents who showed up on kindergarten night. We were excited to share our values and work with you.

Buckeye Class

Happy new year! The month of January is when we bring out a few more advanced practical life materials. This includes bubble mixing, hand washing, color mixing and food preparation. Each of these materials requires many steps to be completed in a specific order. For example, with hand washing, the children will fill a pitcher with water, pour it into a bowl, wet their hands, rub bar soap on their hands, scrub, use a nail brush to scrub their nails, rinse, dry, pour out dirty water, dry their work space, apply lotion to their hands and finally put the material back on the shelf. This helps children develop a sense of order, concentration, coordination, and independence. It provides a structured routine that enhances fine motor skills, promotes hygiene awareness, and fosters a sense of responsibility.

We had a conversation about the new year and the idea of setting personal goals for ourselves. Additionally, we read a book discussing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and his impactful contributions to the world.

The Arctic has been our main focus of study this month. This includes polar bears, hibernation, penguins, the Arctic Circe, and Antarctica. We will also learn about the layers of the earth and land and water forms.

Please remember to dress your child appropriately for the weather as we spend lots of time outside. During these cold months, you might want to pack mittens, hats, scarves, and warm shoes to for your child.