Friday, September 24, 2021

September 20-24, 2021

 Montessori Work Period




"The Montessori work period refers to the uninterrupted period of time made available for children to work with specific materials of their choice in the ways in which the materials were designed. A child might be working on his/her own, receiving a lesson from a teacher, or observing someone else work, but the child is always engaged in a constructive way."

In Pre-K, the children have two morning work periods and one afternoon work period. They have learned how to select a work from the shelf, bring the work to a table or work rug, complete the work, ask a teacher to check the work, return it to a shelf, and then select another work. This work cycle continues throughout the work period.


Work Rugs

Some Montessori "works" are meant to be used on a table, while others are meant to be used on a work rug. The Pre-K students have learned how to unroll and roll a work rug, They know how to carry it with two hands and pinch and roll to roll it up. They know to walk around classmates' work rugs, to sit next to their work rugs, and to place their materials on the work rug.






Practical Life lessons

Practical Life activities are an increasingly challenging series of motor tasks involving practical real-life goals, such as cleaning a table or washing a plate. In addition to helping children master everyday tasks, the aim of Practical Life activities is to develop a child's independence, body control and coordination of movement, concentration, and sense of order. These activities focus on providing children with healthy work habits, a strong character and attitude toward social relationships, and a love and respect for the environment.

Dmitri is using a pincer grasp to transfer
leaves using tweezers.


AJ is strengthening his ability to concentrate
and focus using this pouring lesson.

Teigen is strengthening her pincer grasp by using tongs
to sort objects by color.

Carina is developing her fine motor and
problem solving skills using the bolt board.

Kalea is practicing her lacing skills.



Sensorial lessons

Montessori Sensorial education involves the refinement of the child's senses through the repeated manipulation of specifically designed materials. These materials isolate and provide concrete examples of abstract concepts that are perceived through the senses, such as dimension, form, color, texture, sound, and scent. Through Sensorial education, children are given the means of classifying and categorizing the world around them as well as developing concentration and sense of order.

Amelia worked with the Yellow Cylinders
to grade by height and diameter.

Vienna is working with the Tangram puzzles.

Derek is using the Sound Cylinders to differentiate
between sounds and match the same sounds.

Johnny is using the Green Cylinders to 
grade by height and diameter.

Gavin is using the Red Cylinders to grade
by diameter.

Hali is using the Pink Tower to build from
largest to smallest.

Basil is working with the Geometric Solids (sphere,
cone, cube, cylinder) and sorting similar shapes.

Connor is developing his problem-
solving and fine motor skills by
working with a puzzle.


Months of the Year

Each morning after announcements and prayers, we begin our circle time activities with the calendar, day of the week, and weather. The boys and girls LOVE waking up with some exercising and singing along with Jack Hartman's "12 Months of the Year" song. Click here to watch the children move their bodies and sing the twelve months of the year!



Show and Tell



We will have our very first show and tell on Monday, September 27. Show and Tell will be on most day 2's of our schedule. I will let you know on the blog each week what our topic will be.

Our first topic for show and tell will be "my favorite thing." Please have your child choose an item to share with the class and keep it in his or her school bag. When it is their turn to share, each child will be asked to tell us what their favorite thing is and why they like it. Please help your child prepare this weekend.


Some Reminders

  • Please pack at least two napkins a day for snack and lunch.
  • Rest towels are sent home on Fridays. Please be sure to return them to school every Monday.

October Important Dates

More information coming soon!

  • October 4 - Blessing of the Animals
  • October 11 - NO SCHOOL (Faculty In-service Day)
  • October 20-21 - EC Parent/Teacher Conferences in the evenings

Have a great weekend!

 



Thursday, September 16, 2021

September 8-17, 2021


Welcome to the Pre-K blog! I hope you enjoy following along on all our Pre-K adventures this year!



The boys and girls were all smiles on their first day of school!


Teigen

Basil

Andre (AJ)

Johnny

Mahalia (Hali)

Gavin

Kalea

Derek

Carina

Dmitri

Amelia

Vienna

Connor



We all love being outside on these beautiful days!






The Pre-K students are practicing their coloring skills. We are working on taking our time, trying not to scribble, using different colors, and doing our best to stay in the lines. The next step will be to develop our pincer grasp!







Social-Emotional Learning


The biggest thing we have focused on so far is learning the best ways to deal with our emotions. We have discussed what it means to be happy, excited, silly, surprised, scared, sad, angry, and frustrated. Through various discussions and role play activities, we have shared experiences and offered suggestions on how to help one another cope with our feelings. 

 
Dancing Out Our Emotions


We learned how important it is to take a deep breath sometimes. Inhale 1-2-3, hold it, exhale 1-2-3!



We also learned about the "Calm Down Couch" in our classroom. This is a special space where the children (and teachers) are free to go and sit if they just need a minute. It is also the space we will use for conflict resolution between students if the need arises. 


We continue to have these important discussions on a daily basis and offer the students opportunities to share and work through situations together.


Important Reminders:
  • On Saturday, September 17, HCA will be hosting our Welcome Back Social on the field beginning at 6:30 pm.
  • Please pack two napkins everyday for snack and lunch!
  • Please remember to send in an adult size t-shirt for your child to wear for painting in art class. These are due on Monday, September 20. Please do not send in a child's smock, the t-shirts are much easier for the children to wear. 
  • Sneakers should be worn to school everyday. 
  • Please empty your child's folder every night and return it to school the next day. If you need to send in anything to school, please place it in the folder.

Have a great weekend!