SHOW AND TELL
Bring a thing that makes light.
(We’ll be learning about Diwali,
an Indian celebration of the triumph of light over dark.)
Topic: Middle East
Appreciate these ancient cultures.
The value is frugality, which is wasting nothing and only use what we need.
For science, we’ll learn what makes the wind blow.
Outside, we’ll make Diwali floor designs.
The songs we’ll be singing are Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Mr. Sun, You Are My Sunshine, Tomorrow, and Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.
For creative dramatics, we’ll dance to Indian music.
Our art activities are mehndi, floating Diwali lamps, Indian spice books, and pinwheels.
For motor development, we’ll work on coordination with forward rolls, pivoting, and leaping side to side. For flexibility we’ll do yoga poses.
AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL
Maria Montessori observed four planes of education, which are specific times in life when things are best learned. Dr. Montessori delineated these planes into four 6-year periods: birth to 6 years, 6 to 12 years, 12 to 18 years, and 18 to 24 years. Each period is subdivided into two 3-year stages. The sub periods are as important as the whole periods. These are sub planes. In each plane there are three years of creation followed by three years of crystallization, within which knowledge is integrated into the child’s intellect. Each plane has its own characteristics and needs. The planes build on each other.
The child in the first plane learns by his absorbent mind. From birth to 3 years, the child learns by absorbing information unconsciously, that is, the child cannot reason. At this stage, the tendencies are language, order, and movement. Everything that comes from the environment is received and stored in the brain with no effort using a form of unconscious absorption. This intense mental activity is always going on, even in prenatal life. The child easily learns to walk and to talk, effortlessly learning the language spoken around him. In addition, the child’s mind absorbs information about all human activities going on in the place he lives, movement, music, and singing as well as speech.
From 3 to 6 years, the child makes conscious that which previously was learned unconsciously. At this level, the child absorbs the environment sensorially. This plane is characterized by the “absorbent mind”, which is the ability or power of taking in anything and everything to which one is exposed. Activities with the hands lead to conscious awareness, development of the intellect, and concentration.
This absorbent mind has three functions. The first function is when the child becomes the creator. The second function is the full adaptation to one’s circumstances. The third function is preparation of the intellect for the use of the imagination, to gather information which will be used in new and different ways.
Maria Montessori says three outstanding characteristics of human beings are the intellect, the hand, and love. So there is a task she continues, a cosmic task for each child to become part of the group, to live interdependently in society, and to be able to pass this culture on to the next generation. The child’s task is to create the man that he is to become. The child changes and creates the culture in which he lives to make it a better place for all who live there.
Out of these basic principles comes the richness of the Montessori environment and the respect that Montessorians everywhere have for the wholeness of each child. It’s a wonderful vision, full of hope for our world.
On the Calendar
Parent/Teacher Conferences – On October 18 we will have conference week. Conference times will be 12:30 and 1:00 Monday – Thursday. Please email us what day and the time you would like to schedule. Each conference should take about 20min. Because our infants are new (less than three months) we will not have conferences for the infant class.
Halloween – On October 29, we will all wear our costumes to school. Please no mask or full face paint all students are encouraged to participate
CLASSROOM NEWS
Lynn our newest student sometimes cries when she wakes up from nap we found that music seems to calm her down as the teacher played some nursery rhymes her tears faded away. Diyaan likes working with the alphabet/number blocks when he took out a letter from the big basket he would call out the letter and its corresponding sound. Dawson is had a lesson on addition and subtracting using the number cards and colorful marbles as counters he would write down the problem, 4 – 3 using just the marbles he would lay out four marbles and then remove 3 and write the answer on paper using a pencil.
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