common-roots-montessori

Praise vs. Encouragement

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:55:02 GMT

Wednesday Weekly 3.27.24

Outdoor Afternoons

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 15:45:52 GMT

With this beautiful spring weather, we are spending as much time outside as possible! Often in the afternoons, I will ask the children what they would like to do and encourage them to make a plan together. Unsurprisingly, the CH1 children decided that our past few afternoons would be best spent outside. Rather than just continuing their recess, they made more plans. One older child hand wrote and delivered a note to Maddie in the office asking her to join our community on a walk to the Cathedral (which she very kindly accepted)! On this walk, another child who has recently learned all of the names of the states decided to begin researching the state birds. They also began to choose work from our indoor environment to bring outside like we used to do before the winter months. It is amazing to watch children creating plans with one another and showing a great capacity to make choices based on their interests. CH2 has also been spending the afternoons outside and it has been tremendous watching greater interaction between the two communities! As the weather continues to warm, we are excited to continue having more afternoon work cycles outside, going on many more walks and discovering all of the interesting things the children decide to explore and create.

Kate

The Early Benefits of Bilingualism

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 15:35:22 GMT

Many children learn more than one language in their homes. More than 33% of all children in the US under the age of 9 speak a language other than English at home. This number is projected to increase in the coming years.

There are many myths about raising bilingual children. One of the biggest ones is the is that multilingual kids are at disadvantage in their language development and academic achievement. Some may believe that learning two languages simultaneously may be confusing for a child or may delay language acquisition.

There are many benefits of being bilingual, especially at a young age! These include enhanced scientific problem solving, and greater abilities when it comes to word learning, even as adults. Surprisingly, research has shown that being bilingual decreases the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The effects of aging on the brain are diminished among bilingual adults because of how active the brain is compared to someone who is monolingual. Bilingual children also possess the ability to interact with people from different backgrounds with ease, and have an easier time with travel.

It has also been shown that children should learn both languages at the same time. Children learning two languages simultaneously go through the same developmental stages as children learning one language. While bilingual children may start talking slightly later than monolingual children, they still begin talking within the normal/expected range. Early on, they can differentiate their two languages and have been shown to switch languages according to their conversation partner. So, starting as early as possible tends to have the best outcomes.

If a second language is introduced after the first language is well-established (generally after the age of three), children may experience sequential acquisition. If they immigrate to a country where a different language is spoken, sequential learning may also occur. If the child exclusively speaks their heritage language at home until they begin school (where instructions are offered in a new language) they may go through a “silent” or “nonverbal” period when they are first exposed to a second language. This can last from a few weeks to several months, and is most likely a time when the child builds their understanding of the new language. Younger childrenusually remain in this phase longer than older children. Children may rely on using gestures in this period, and use fewer words in the second language.

In the Toddler Community we incorporate American Sign Language into many of our conversations with the children and during songs at collective. Sign language serves as a visual simulation of speech and language development. It helps to reduce tantrums caused by frustration, increases vocabulary and social skills, and develops cognitive structures. With early introduction, sign language provides emotional, social, and academic support for language development. Research has shown that the use of sign language in babies does not interfere with speech development, but instead helps to facilitate and encourage language development.

Breanna

Bandana Square Updates

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:24:15 GMT

We are excited to share more details of our impending build-out at 1021 Bandana Blvd E. ahead of next school year! We have been working with our architect/design team to finalize the basic plans, which allowed them to complete very detailed construction drawings. These drawings have been submitted for final contractor pricing estimates, and simultaneously for permitting. We are now in the process of selecting a General Contractor along with Wellington Management, and work will begin as soon as early-mid March. Maddie and I have also been working with the architect/design team to finalize choices for finishes, floors, tile options, paint colors, etc. and we are excited to share these most recent classroom renderings! This is of course not exactly accurate to what it will look like with our classroom furniture/Montessori materials, but gives an idea!

There are a lot of changes to manage and navigate as we look ahead to next year and we are thinking a lot about making this process as smooth and seamless for children as possible. We will be occupying a new home, but we will have the same classroom groups, the same mix of children and staff (plus some new community members), the same materials, the same classroom pets, the same furniture, and the same homey feel of our current classrooms. Preparation of the environment is such an important element to implementing Montessori pedagogy, and building new environments from scratch has been an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. We are so excited to see everything come together to create authentic Montessori classrooms and keep doing what our staff does best—partnering with every family on behalf of every child. Some things about what we do will never change!

Maya

Math in the Children's House Environment

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:41:44 GMT

Math in the children's house is a tremendously fun area of the environment. The materials are concrete and allow children to physically explore concepts like quantity and the operations. We begin by exploring numbers 0-10, learning the symbols with the sandpaper numbers and understanding quantity with the number rods. From there, children can begin work with the golden beads which allows them to explore quantities into the thousands with physical representations of units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. Young children love this work! Once they know the name for each quantity and can recognize the symbols, they can begin exploring the operations. Children work in groups and solve problems with large quantities! Children can begin to come up with their own problems and begin to deeply understand the process for each operation. With this understanding, children can progress into more abstract material and begin memorizing essential quantities for each operation.

Kate

Sewing!

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 09:25:38 GMT

Young children just love to sew. Sewing is incredibly practical and requires great precision and careful movements, which is highly engaging for young children. Sewing begins in the Toddler Community and continues all throughout their time in Children’s House. One of the earliest presentations children receive in CH1 is button sewing. Young children love fastening buttons and this work allows them to practice an early sewing technique in a captivating way. Children progress through a variety of sewing work in the Children's House and often begin to come up with their own ideas. Recently, many children have begun practicing the early stages of embroidery as well as pillow making. These are skills they can use for the rest of their lives and they offer another means for children to be involved in caring for their home. Children also show a great awareness of items in the classroom that are broken and all of their sewing experience encourages an appreciation for mending and repairing items!

Kate

Food Prep Activities in the Classroom

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 09:37:59 GMT

Food work is very loved area of practical life in the Montessori environment. These activities are practical, rewarding, and allow the child to care for themselves and for their environment. We begin simple and isolate specific skills, for example, chopping a strawberry, spreading sun butter, or juicing a lemon. With appropriate tools and introduction to the materials, children can also engage in more complex food work activities. Recently, children in CH1 have been baking bread! Food work is also a great way to include children in caring for their home. It can be helpful to find times we aren’t in a rush to include children in the work so that they have the time and space to engage with the activity. They could prepare an ingredient in advance, like chopping celery for a soup. It is also helpful to consider the tools we offer, making sure they are functional and appropriately sized. Also, it is important to demonstrate how to the tool is used and give children space to engage. Lastly, children love scrubbing dishes! Every day, children spontaneously choose to scrub the many dirty dishes in our classroom. Cleaning the dishes is great way to extend the activity in a purposeful way and include children in caring for their home.

Using Positive Language

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 10:26:17 GMT

Here at Cathedral Hill, we know that the language we use with children supports their social and emotional growth. Our words matter. How we use them, the tone in which we use them, what our message is, and how we speak to one another all play a role in how children absorb and express language. Infants and toddlers learn differently than adults and the way we speak to them needs to be tailored to their specific learning styles. I will briefly outline a few of the ways children learn, and how adults can alter their language to support development.

Positive Phrases: The way we speak to children can have a profound influence on how they react. Toddlers are learning so much and are constantly testing the world around them. So often much of what they hear in their first three years of life is adults telling them “No!” Most often this is to keep them safe and protect them. But if children are continuously hearing things like “no running” or “don't do that,” they begin to tune out the words “no” and “don’t.” Suddenly we have brought the opposite of what we want them to do to the forefront of their mind instead of what we actually want from them. Rather than starting every sentence with “no” and “don’t,” I suggest using positive phrases such as “we walk” or “pet the cat softly.” Starting with what you actually want a child to do will help them better understand and hopefully follow through with what you are asking.

Praise vs. Encouragement: As parents and educators, we want our children to feel loved, appreciated, and proud when they do something we’re proud of. So often we get stuck in a rut of praising our children for everything they do. When they learn something new, we cheer and clap and tell them how well they're doing. When they do something we ask, like throw their garbage away, we immediately praise them and tell them “good job!” And while we want to celebrate big milestones as well as small moments, when we are constantly praising children, we are creating in them a constant need for recognition of everything they do.

If a child is continuously praised for everything, they will begin to seek this out and do things simply to be acknowledged by others. They lose out on feeling any sense of pride in themselves for what they have done if others do not say it was good. They begin to think, “why would I clean up my toys if no one is going to recognize that I did it and tell me it was good?” This can cause children to constantly seek approval from others as they get older.

What we want is for children to develop their own sense of pride in what they do, and for them to be intrinsically motivated rather than motivated by others. Instead of repeatedly telling children “good job,” we acknowledge their behavior but immediately bring it back to them. “Thank for you for putting your work away. It helps keep our house clean.” Or “You walked! Doesn’t it feel amazing to be able to move your body that way while keeping others safe?” We can still show excitement and joy for the accomplishments our children make, but we always want to turn it back to their experience instead of on ourselves. It is so fun to see how proud a child is when they do something on their own!

Breanna

Walking on the Line

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 13:09:57 GMT

After walking through a Montessori environment for the first time there are some common questions that a person usually asks, one of them being, "what is that tape on the floor for?" In the Montessori classroom you will find an ellipse taped down to the ground which the children use for walking on the line.

Walking on the line was an activity developed by Maria Montessori that is specifically aimed at assisting in the coordination and control of large motor movements.

Walking on the line involves both the mind and the body—the child must have both under their control in order to be successful. Initially they will walk on the line with a normal gait, and may struggle to maintain balance. With practice, they will perfect their movements and walk the line as if it is a tightrope. As the children grow more successful we provide them with additional challenges; first walking from heel to toe, then giving something to hold or even balance on their head. As the child learns to walk on the line they also learn to control their movements and develop the will. They will be graceful and focused on every single movement. Walking on the line also supports social development and social cohesion. When the children walk together in a group they become aware of others and the need to adjust their pace and gate.

The next time you come in to observe, be sure to be on the lookout to see this amazing material in action!

Inclusivity in the Classroom

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:16:46 GMT

When I became the guide of Children’s House Two, we made the conscious decision create a space supportive of all learning styles and differences. This took (and continues to take) a lot of work—personal self work as well as spending what felt like weeks talking over every aspect of the environment and how it could support or hinder the unique needs of the children at the time.

Inclusivity and ABAR (Anti Bias Anti Racist) work was not something talked about in the Montessori training. There was no conversation about supporting an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in the Montessori environment or watching for signs of dyslexia. In my first year as the guide I spent about 7 months meeting with an inclusion coach from the CICC (Center for Inclusive Child Care) weekly. This process revolutionized how I viewed the classroom and Montessori education. My coach celebrated the wins, acknowledged the hard moments, and constantly offered up ideas. I tried nearly every suggestion. Some ideas were short lived, while others have found a permanent spot in the environment. In addition to our amazing coach we as a staff have taken courses, signed up for PD opportunities specific to the needs in the environment, continued our work with Amazeworks, and read every Montessori inclusion book we can get our hands on. I consume podcasts, follow other inclusive Montessorians on social media, and seek out community who believe in this mission the way I do.

The last aspect of this work I want to touch on is the importance of caregiver collaboration. We spend so much time with the children in this community, but caregivers are the experts of their children. When we as educators start conversations with families based on our observations of their child, it can be an emotional process. The collaboration between guide and family is crucial. It can be hard to be vulnerable, but being honest and collaborative allows for children to receive the help they need to thrive. The process of being evaluated or seeking additional outside help has previously been associated with negative feelings, often due to the concerns of children being labeled or judged based on diagnoses. I can say confidently that nobody at CRMS views any child differently based on their needs. It is our role to meet their needs, which are always changing. We create goals that play to their strengths and identify how we can help support areas that need strengthening. We use these collaborations as opportunities for us to prepare ourselves and the environment to best support our community members.

Molly

Aides to Independence

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:19:28 GMT

Independence is a critical aspect of the child’s developmental process. In the first six years of life, the child strives towards functional independence, which is the capacity to care for one’s self and environment, for example: to eat, to use the toilet, and to dress.

Montessori environments are purposefully prepared to serve the child’s drive towards independence by offering children child sized, functional materials to explore and practice skills (like tying a bow, washing hands, polishing a mirror) and time and space to work through processes that may be simple to us, like using the toilet and putting on shoes. It’s also helpful to remember that the cultivation of independence is not linear and cannot be forced. One day, a child may be able to put on their shoes and the next they can’t! And that is normal! These acquisitions ebb and flow and all we can really do is try to meet the child where they are at that moment—do they feel sick, tired, distracted, do they need motivation, or maybe do they just need us to do it for them today? It can be very freeing to remember that as adults we cannot control a child’s developmental force or their interest, but rather we can work to provide a safe and interesting environment for them to practice and cultivate these acquisitions in a joyful way!

Kate

Setting Boundaries with Toddlers

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 13:24:40 GMT

Toddlers are learning to communicate. Sometimes they use words or sounds, sometimes they use body language, and sometimes they hit, bite, or push. It is a way of communication, it is normal for a child to go through this phase but it is up to the adults in the child’s life to teach them that it is not an appropriate form of communication and that “we don’t hurt our friends.”

When a child is displaying physical behaviors we can start by observing the behavior, and looking to see what seems to cause it. There are a few key things that we typically look at:

Time: What times does the behavior occur? Is the child tired, hungry, going through a transition in their schedule?

Emotion: is the child frustrated, confused, playful, or do they need space?

Environment: is the environment peaceful? Or is it busy, over- stimulating and causing too much sensory input?

Then we model the desired behavior by showing empathy. We don't force children to apologize because we want them to learn genuine empathy. Instead, we model, ask, and encourage them to check on the person they hurt. So if a child hits their dad, mom can model this by asking dad questions like, “are you okay? Did that hurt your body? Did that startle you? Do you need a hug? Can I offer you an ice pack?” etc.

If the behavior is attention-seeking, we typically try to avoid reinforcing that behavior by checking on the person who was hurt first, and then asking the other child to check on their body. This can be done by asking the child to show that person a gentle touch or asking if they need a hug (with their consent of course).

It is also important to set clear boundaries when you see your child engaging in physical behavior. Here is some common language that we use here at school: “I don’t like when you hurt my body, I’m going to walk away,” “You are hurting my body, I need you to walk away,” “I need space,” “That hurts, can you show me a gentle touch?”

At first you might have to take their hand and give an example of a gentle touch. Obviously, if the child is not able to communicate verbally it is very important that we model the behavior that we want the child to exhibit. If you observe that your child is typically hitting when there is another child in their space, we tell children to use their words and say “I need space.” Until the child is able to verbalize this, here is a link to a video showing how to sign personal space. It uses two signs: one for personal, and one for space. Using the sign for space only might be easiest for your child.

Breanna

Sensitive Periods

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:26:04 GMT

I have been thinking a lot recently about one of the central elements of Montessori pedagogy — the Sensitive Periods. This is one of the many aspects of Montessori's theory of development that has since been scientifically accepted, now that technology and research have finally caught up to her intuition! The sensitive periods are defined as 'guiding instincts' that direct a child's interest and efforts toward specific things at different periods of development. The main ones during preschool years include the sensitive period for language acquisition, order, sensory refinement, and movement. They are windows of time during which the child is the most interested in that which will assist in gaining a particular skill or milestone--and as we all know, interest is one of the most critical components in successful learning. After the sensitive period concludes, it is not entirely impossible to acquire the skill, just much more difficult and painstaking.

When you see your child testing physical boundaries or balance, filling pages and pages with scribbles of 'writing,' arranging all the shoes in your entryway according to size, or reciting a book perfectly after only hearing it read aloud once or twice, these are examples of sensitive periods in action. Luckily, they are often observable to us, and offer a little glimpse into the inner lives of children and how we may best assist them. Our guides are always watching closely for signs of these, and try to respond at the right times with the correctly matched work — not too easy, not too difficult, providing ample opportunity for the child to self-instruct and self-correct. The result, when a presentation has been well-timed, is an absorbed, engaged child, capable of amazingly long periods of concentration, who emerges from the cycle of activity looking refreshed and peaceful!

The sensitive periods represent the "why" behind all developmental phenomena, and as adults entrusted with the care of young people, we must aways be asking ourselves that question. This is also what is meant by the oft-repeated Montessori phrase "follow the child!”

Maya

Sound Games

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 13:27:26 GMT

Throughout my first few months as a guide, I have loved exploring the different ways we can support language development in the Children’s House. Children are constantly singing songs, listening to and telling stories, discussing images in our cultural folders, and exploring a great variety of language cards.

We are also regularly playing sound games throughout the day. Sound games support the child in developing phonemic awareness, which is their ability to hear and isolate the sounds that compose a word. We begin by playing games that isolate the first sound, followed by the last sound, middle sound, and eventually, phonetically sounding out each sound they hear in a word. We play games with objects or pictures, we use the names of children in the community, as well as really anything else we can think of! These games and their work with the sandpaper letters support the child in beginning to write phonetically and eventually reading!

Sound games are great to play at home- you could think of the first sound you hear in all of the names in your family, you could make a list of animals that begin with a certain sound, collect objects in the house that have a certain sound, or play a guessing game! The possibilities are endless! When playing these games, it is important to be mindful of how we are saying each letter sound, here is a great resource that allows you to hear each sound individually.

https://www.alldayprimary.com/phonetic-sounds

Kate

"We Don't Keep Secrets"

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:28:30 GMT

This was recently said by a 2-year-old in the Toddler Community, which reminded me that it is never too young to start teaching children to protect themselves. The majority of the time when someone asks a child to keep a secret it is something playful, such as Grandma sneaking them an extra treat and saying “don’t tell mommy, it’ll be our little secret.” Or a family friend saying “hey, let me tell you a secret,” then whispering gibberish in their ear to make them laugh.

Events like this may seem small and harmless in the moment, but they teach children that secrets are silly, safe, and appropriate. Children may not be capable of discerning between the two, and at a young age they have not yet developed the maturity to do so. This may lead to children believing that it is okay to hide things from you. The message we want to reinforce is that secrets are not okay and safe adults don’t ask children to keep secrets.

Now there may be a time when you need your child not to spoil something—instead of asking them to keep a secret, you can try calling it a surprise. There is an important difference between “Don’t tell mom and dad” and surprises. Surprises are things that will be revealed. Secrets are those that will not. “This is a surprise but we will tell mommy later.”

Teach your children that if any adult ever urges them to keep a secret, they should always tell you. Let them know that they would never get in trouble for telling the truth, they will not be judged, this information will not be unnecessarily shared with others, and that telling you will not lead to the harm of you or your family. It is also important to remember that this rule should also apply to other children. Regardless of the person asking, children should know “we don't keep secrets.”

Linked here is an article from the Child Mind Institute listing easy ways to teach young children to speak up about abuse, one of the dangers of keeping secrets.

Breanna

Tips for the Changing Weather

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:23:42 GMT

Fall officially started this past weekend, and fall weather came right along with it. Even when the weather is cooler, breezy, and/or wet we aim to get outside. During our midday recess children can be outside for over an hour, and the All Day Children’s House children could have an additional two hours outside in the afternoons. All students having outside clothing appropriate for the weather is key to making the time outside enjoyable.

As you dig out jackets, hats and mittens from storage or add new ones to your carts, a few things we have found from overseeing 20+ children getting ready day in and out in the cubby ways:

Label ALL of your child’s gear! Inevitably, another child will have the same blue mittens or black boots as yours.
Know that gear will get wet and dirty. Send you children in the washable, durable gear. Keep the fancy or special items for non school days.
Neoprene, BOG style boots, work great in wet, snow, cold, and muddy weather. They are also very easy to get on and off independently for children.

A fleece hooded jacket is a great catch-all outerwear item for the days the weather is questionable. Fleece is semi water resistant and can be layered with easily for more or less warmth.

Help your child work towards independently getting gear on and off. Try to build in extra time so they can get gear on themselves. Make sure the gear closures, zippers, snaps, buckles, are functional and accessible to them.

Thank you for your partnership in making outdoor time enjoyable for all!

Paige

Staff Prep Week

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 12:30:07 GMT

The 2023 school year has come to an end! It has been a wonderful year full of opportunities to gather as community and grow as community members. We are now heading into one of my favorite times of the year—prep week.

This time feels like a major reset ahead of the new school year. It gives each classroom team an opportunity to connect and reflect. During this time we re-up our CPR/first aid and many other trainings, continue our work with Amazeworks anti bias education, and reset the environment. Our work with Amazeworks this week will be focused on micro aggressions and the act of calling others in. I am eager to continue the work of unpacking the micro aggressions I unknowingly perpetuate daily. This topic is one that is crucial when creating an inclusive school community.

The environment reset is one of my favorite parts of prep week. During the year we try to keep changes in the environment to a minimum to avoid disrupting the children’s sense of order, so during this time we are able to make all of the changes we have been thinking about all year long. I am looking forward to this collaborative process with the whole CH2 team.

Another exciting new element that we are adding to our prep week is a kindergarten visit! This visit is for our incoming kindergarteners to help with a few tasks around the environment. It will give them an opportunity to explore the changes to the environment while also starting their year off in leadership position.

I hope that you are able to enjoy this break from school with your family. We will be hard at work to provide the best learning environment for the children.

Molly

Big News for CRMS!

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:25:32 GMT

Dear CRMS Community,

I wanted talk a little bit about the decision to relocate by the CRMS Board of Directors, which has been a long time in the making. I have toured over a dozen locations over the past few years, and have seen so many different types of properties. We needed to find a place that was suited to help us serve our mission well into the future and work toward eliminating barriers to high-quality Montessori education, while still maintaining our close-knit community. It’s been a unique challenge to find the right kind of space (larger than a church basement-type space, but smaller than a traditional school building with 30,000+ square feet), reasonably convenient for our current families and staff, with affordable build-out costs and sufficient outdoor space, but without requiring us to grow too large, too fast.

The story of our move, of course, is not quite as simple as just wanting more space to achieve traditional Montessori classrooms. There have been many contributing factors and influences that made the CRMS Board know that this was an eventuality. We have looked for a place that would allow us to deepen our work toward our mission by allowing for many strategic actions related to our ten-year plan created in May 2020. I’m happy to say that we’ve made significant progress toward many of our short and long term goals in the last three years, and that this move will provide further opportunities for that growth.

We love this neighborhood, we love Boyd Park and Vivie’s Playground across the street (many of us actually helped to rebuild it!), and it’s going to be bittersweet to leave our home of the last 12 years. However, we are looking forward to collaborating on a vision to prepare authentic Montessori environments and design the space to fit our community’s needs. It’s an incredible opportunity to consider our values and the culture of belonging that we are always working to cultivate, each step of the way.

Our buildout plan will include converting a large section of the adjacent parking lot into an outdoor play space. In the end, the outdoor space in the new location will be larger than what we have now, and we will be able to design it to be as lovely and multi-functional as our current yards. We will also be a short walk’s distance from Great River School, a grade 1-12 public charter Montessori with the greatest concentration of CRMS alumni of any other school in the area. We are looking forward to partnering with Great River and other community members in the neighborhood!

As we progress through working with architects and all other parties involved, we will be able to provide more detailed information and photos that will give a better idea of what everything will look like.

Change is hard, but we can do hard things together! We truly believe that it is the staff, children, families, and board that make our community what it is, and we are confident that we will be able to continue serving our mission and families far into the future in this new location. I am so grateful for every member of this community, and honored to collaborate with each of you on behalf of the children of CRMS!

Maya

Sensorial Aspects of the World

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:27:18 GMT

Children of the first plane, 0-6 years, are directed by two primary tasks in their development—to self-construct and to adapt to the world around them. Children build themselves up—developing movement, language, and intellect—all with a growing understanding of the context of their specific community. For example, all humans have a natural tendency to develop language, but the specific language is determined by what is used in the community around them. In the Children’s House, we work to support the child in their process of adaptation, offering materials and experiences that allow them to explore and further understand the many aspects of their community and world.

Specifically, the sensorial aspects of the world, an area of the sensorial materials, provide the children with physical representations of geography and culture with which they can explore. These materials offer the child sensorial impressions of their world at different scales. These materials begin with globes and the representation of the whole world. The child then progresses through puzzle maps, including the world map, continent maps, and the United States map. These materials are greatly loved by the children and inspire great and creative extensions and further exploration. Recently children have been making watercolor maps, paper globes, learning about land and water forms in each continent, looking at continent cultural folders, painting flags, and learning the names of many countries.

Kate

Sensory Processing

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 12:28:52 GMT

As we start the new school and welcome back returning friends, we are also excited to welcome some new friends. This week we are joined by our new afternoon assistant, Catie, and next week we have a new child starting with us! Additionally, the TC friends have found and begun to enjoy some new sensory materials that were placed in the room during prep week.

Sensory processing refers to the way the brain receives messages from the sensory receptors mainly concentrated in our hands, feet, lips, mouth, tongue, eyes, ears, nose and skin and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Research suggests that we may be able to use sensory input to develop improved neural circuitry helping to wire the brain and create connections that are crucial for learning, problem-solving, motor development and emotional regulation. Sensory processing is involved in everyday activities like eating, dressing, and grooming. Sensory issues can make these tasks challenging for toddlers, impacting their independence and self-care skills.

Some of the new items in our room include the cozy corner inspired by one found in Children's House 2. The children can take a moment to sit in a quieter space when the busyness of the environment becomes a little overstimulating, or if they just need to rest. Inside the cozy corner they will find a fuzzy rug for tactile input, a cozy pillow to relax on and noise reducing headphones.

We also added a new collection of fidgets that all children are welcome to use. Some other ways that children have been finding sensory input include:

Playing the thumb piano on their belly to feel the vibrations
Hopping work (hopping over a line)
Pushing against an adult's hands
Bear hugs
Heavy Work
Sensory bottles
Squeezing clay

If need children need large motor movement they are given the chance to do so during the work cycle with our Educational Support Assistant (Paige), by helping her with big jobs like laundry or delivering milk to all of the classrooms. Recess is also a great opportunity for large motor activities.

Here is a link to a google drive folder with some of the articles, tips, and resources we have utilized here at CRMS: Learning, Regulation, Sensory, and Movement Resources

Breanna

Mixed Age Communities

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:04:53 GMT

Multi-age communities are a truly special aspect of Montessori environments. Older children can practice their skills and ability to be a leader by supporting younger children. Younger children can look up to the older children as they begin to adapt to their new environment.

Montessori environments are meant to be reflective of our greater world. We don’t live in isolation with those just of our age, but rather are surrounded by all different kinds of people at different stages of development and with different interests and skills. Montessori environments encourage peer teaching and opportunities for children to practice working together and learning together. Often, a 6 year old can provide even more gentle, empathetic support to a 3 year old than adults can, as they were more recently in a similar spot!

When we give children time and space to independently navigate and explore their environment, it’s truly special to witness the emergence of such dynamic communities full of thoughtful relationships and children excited and capable of caring for themselves and for others around them.

Kate

Spiritual Preparation of the Adult

hello@montessorithrive.com (Montessori Thrive) — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:13:28 GMT

I wanted to take a moment to talk about the spiritual preparation of the adult. To me, this is one of the most important parts of Montessori. During my oral exams on of the examiners asked me what the most important material in the environment was. In that moment I panicked, I saw every material on the shelf and had no idea which was the most important material. Seeing the look on my face, she answered her own question, “you”! The adults in the environment are the most important tool. The children are constantly observing our interactions with the environment, other adults and most importantly other children.

Spiritually preparing to work with children isn’t something I thought about much at all until becoming the guide of Children’s House 2. There are a lot of conversations about self care when working in education, specifically early childhood education. To me, spiritual preparation feels even deeper than self care. In her book, The Absorbent Mind, Dr. Montessori said that ”the real preparation for education is a study of one's self. The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character, it is a preparation of the spirit.”

Adults finding peace allow us to maintain unbiased observations. It supports our interactions with children being based in respect. There is so much that can happen throughout the day. If we have spiritually prepared, each moment and interaction is reflective of that. Spiritual preparation can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths prior to entering the environment. My spiritual preparation has evolved so much throughout my time at CHMS. Each morning I check in with my body and notice how I am feeling I reflect the best ways I can be gentle to my body. I take moments to breathe as I move through my morning routine. Just before I leave my house I take a moment to listen to an affirmation. My favorite affirmation to listen to is “I am enough” by Coax Marie. My morning routine has allowed me the time to enter the environment settled, emotional available and ready to meet each child where they are.

Molly