Welcome to February

It’s what one former student once called “the pinkest month of the year.”

Everywhere we see hearts and Valentines, so it’s a perfect time to talk about the heart, our circulatory system and how the blood flowing through our veins and arteries keeps our body alive.  Our bodies are wondrous creations!

Valentine’s Day

We will celebrate Valentine’s Day this year on Wednesday, February 14 during our morning.

We will make Valentine’s Day bags with each child and then on Valentine’s Day, we will pass out Valentines to other children.  Older children will help the younger ones.   We have 27 students in our class.  When you provide or make or buy Valentines, you do not have to label the envelopes.  Because many of our children are not yet proficient readers, it will help the process if the envelopes or Valentines are blank.

Chinese New Year

It’s also time to celebrate Chinese New Year in February.  If you would like to come and speak to our children or share customs or traditions, please let me know. It always helps the holiday come alive when parents and families mark the season with us.

Practical Life

One hallmark of a Montessori classroom is the Practical Life area – typically the section of the class where younger children begin to learn and practice pouring liquids, shelling corn, working with tweezers and grinding coffee.  This area is also popular with older children, as it’s a relaxing break from other work, and in life, practical work is never ending!

It is with these works that children gain finger strength and precision necessary to move on to more advanced work, such as holding a pencil and writing.

Polishing is one such practical life work.

When a child takes the wood polishing off the shelf, for example, he or she must first put on an apron, and then unroll the working mat.  The child must then find something made of wood to polish in the classroom, and then return to the desk- think of the steps needed to simply begin work.  This helps with organizational skill and spatial awareness!

Using an eyedropper, the child then carefully measures polish into a bowl, then gently rubs the polish into the wood, taking care of the wood and bringing out the smell of the polish.  When all the polish that has been applied to the wooden item has been removed – and this can take some time – then clean -up begins.

First, the child replaces the newly polished object on the shelf, and then the cloths are placed in the basket for washing.  He or she adds new cloths to the work, and carefully cleans the working mat, sometimes using the “Disaster Bucket” (a red bucket designated to clean up spills).

The wood polish basket is returned to its spot on the shelf, and lastly, the apron is folded or rolled in order to complete the task.

It’s quite a process, designed to order thinking and bring beauty to the environment, all while building strength in a child’s fingers. 

There are numerous Practical Life works within the environment, each with its own purpose and the satisfaction of preparing the environment, and the child, for the day. 

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

Trish