Classroom 3 November/December in Review

"Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future."

-Maria Montessori

Hello Classroom 3 families and Happy winter. Although it has been quite chilly out, we have still managed to go out every single day regardless of the weather. Thank you everyone for making sure your child has gear to stay warm outside. We are typically outdoors for approximately 45 minutes and we will continue to go out unless the temperature is below 0 degrees. With all of the extra clothes, things can get mixed up and lost. We continue to encourage you to label as much as you can. If you are able, please clip mittens to the coat; this is the best way to avoid losing mittens. One-piece snowsuits can work nicely if your child has trouble with layering up or remembering the steps: snow pants, boats, coat, hat, mittens. It's only December; by March we'll all be experts.

We are looking forward to our classroom family project. Remember, this project is to celebrate each individual family's culture and traditions. If you have not done so already, please email Anna Scott, our classroom parent, at deem_anna@hotmail.com to schedule your family's day to come in. This will typically be every Monday at our usual line time of 10AM.

On Tuesdays we will be having Spanish lessons with Raquel. We have been practicing counting numbers 1-10, naming body parts and colors all in Spanish. On Wednesdays we have French with Adeline. Our favorite song to sing with her is the itty bitty spider. On Thursdays we have our environmental specialist, Ambra, help us explore nature concepts; for example, one week we explored the migration of animals. We talked about what it means to migrate and what kinds of animals migrate south for the winter. On Fridays we have music with Lynn. When she arrives, everyone eagerly gathers at the circle.

Much of the Montessori philosophy stems from a place of respect. Respect for the children. Respecting the freedom to choose, to move about freely in the classroom, to correct their own mistakes, and to work at their own pace. Montessori teacher's work from a genuine place of respect.

In a normalized Montessori classroom, children begin to understand what this means and begin to see that all humans share many of the same basic needs. We can model for children what respect means when we empathize with others, accept, consider, collaborate, include, love, and share with others. When we care for others not only with words but with our actions. Our words can be of much value but the power is in the demonstration. It can be difficult to explain what respect means to your child but nevertheless it is a crucial principle this world needs. We can model what it means to respect, by showing them that all people are valuable!