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: Asia/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.
CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
There’s a beautiful little poem called Children Learn What They Live. In it are lines like “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to criticize”. At the school, we call these vignettes indirect lessons. They’re things like how to walk, how to enunciate clearly, how to carry a tray. Our children observe every detail of their worlds, and they absorb them for how they should walk, talk, and act. As we read distressing stories about vandalism and violence, we wonder how that could happen. But then we watch as a father sets his child on a shelf unit to tie her shoe. Can we wonder that this little girl learns it’s not important to respect furniture? We hear a mother talking with another mother about how stupid her supervisor is. Can we wonder that her son doesn’t respect his teacher? When we see a child’s piece of artwork carelessly tossed into the trash*, can we wonder that the child cares nothing for the white wall he’s painted on?
It’s hard to know what is the right thing to do. Living with our little ones every day at the school, we feel their turmoil. We’re so conscious of their fear of trying new things and of their anxious waiting for mom or dad to arrive at the end of the day. And then we watch harried parents arrive and barely speak to the little face so eagerly turned toward them. Our children can value others only when they’ve been valued. It’s so easy for us to protest that, of course, we value our children But do we act like it? Compare just the time you watch television to the time you read to your child, take a walk, or listen to his ideas. It’s easy to get into the habit of treating a child like a thing as we dress, feed, and put her to sleep.
William Bennett in his Book of Virtues suggests that we must focus on excellent things if we want excellent children. It’s an awesome responsibility every time you’re within eyeshot of your child. We have to be the role models for what we want our world to be. More of that poem reads, “If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.” We build our lives everyday. Parents seem to be willing to accept the charge to be excellent. Maybe that’s why family is the building block of our society.
*Hint: Use the top of your refrigerator for all that “work”. Your child can clearly see that it’s there and if she asks about a picture, you can quickly retrieve it. After the stack gets so high it threatens to topple over, pull the bottom several inches out to put in the trash (confidentially, of course). It’s so old your child doesn’t remember it anymore. This is also a good stack to pull out of when sending things to grandparents. They’ll love these samples of work.
In General
Greetings - The daily greeting between a Montessori preschooler and teacher is a special moment. It is a key transition of the day and must be carried out with respect, care and consistency. The initial greeting can often set the tone for the day a head; therefore, it is important to make the initial greeting a joyful one so that the child feels welcomed, and respected. Upon the daily departure a similar routine should occur encourage your child to give the teachers a goodbye handshake. The child should be encouraged, but never forced you might lead by example. If your child refuses to do it kindly talk about it on the way home and practice while at home. Even though the children are young, it’s important for them develop life skills for the future. And let’s face it; being able to give a decent handshake can be an important quality.
Halloween Trinkets – Be on the lookout for items for booth prizes as your child’s teacher if you need suggestions. The bag of trinkets your child brings home can be used to give-a-ways when your doorbell rings.
Classroom news
Amoura and Annabelle both have had a lesson on phonics. Using the sand paper letters they are introduced to the letter and the sound. Annabella has naturally taken in interest in learning how to sound out letters; at home she practices her “K” “A” and “B. If you want to help your child with sounding out letters go to our web site click curriculum and look under language for our word guide so that you can give the sounds they’ll get at school.
Recent Comments