Thank you to the parents that helped out with the pancake breakfast! It was a great morning. If
you haven’t already noticed mud season is here! We are looking forward to the warmer, drier
weather but it might be a few more weeks of mud! Please make sure your child has extra
clothes in their bag. Thank you Brandon Norsted for building our fabulous plexiglass easel.
The children are loving mirroring each other’s drawing. This is a great visual motor exercise!
Sharing is a big word often used with preschool children. While it sounds very polite and kind,
sharing is not something we do in the Montessori classroom during our daily work cycles. There are a few good reasons why Montessori classrooms do not encourage the sharing of the
materials. Concentration is one big reason.
If a child is fully engrossed in a work we don’t want to interrupt that learning time so someone else can have a turn. Often when a child is engrossed in a work they are working towards mastering or acquiring a new skill. The children learn that if a material is being used by someone else than it is not available. When a child returns a work to the shelf it becomes available. Learning to wait is an important skill for children to learn as well. Montessori classrooms intentionally have only one of each material on the shelves so children can learn to wait. It is ok for children to work together in the classroom however it is the child’s choice. They have the freedom to choose to work with a friend or work alone, uninterrupted with the materials.
We do use the term sharing for things like bringing a snack or birthday treat in to share with the
class, or sharing pictures or stories from vacations during line time. Sharing has its place but it
can be a confusing word for children to understand.