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Ms. Wilson's Classroom Blog Greetings from the Puffin's Nest Happy May! Yes, it's true, we did have baby chicks visit our classroom on Wednesday! Thanks to the Lupien Family for sharing their chicks, and also for the marigolds! (The marigolds we planted in the classroom awhile back weren't as successful as the beans, and we really were looking forward to "gifting" the marigolds at Mother's Day Tea!) Lucky for us, the Lupiens own and operate Moose Crossing Garden Center and were kind enough to donate a flat of marigolds. The children believe the flourishing plants they transplanted on Friday are the same that they planted from seeds. FMI about Moose Crossing: www.moosecrossinggardencenter.com The auction was a fun night- great to see so many parents on a "night out". Proceeds from the auction will go towards many school improvements including new tabletops for the Primary classrooms, fitting since our classroom's donation was "The Puffin's Nest Table". Not much time to breathe between auction project and Mother's Day Tea this year! Our classroom will be hosting Mother's Day Tea on Wednesday at 10:30. Please plan to arrive between 10:25 and 10:30... We ask that Moms to please wait either in the entryway or outside until our classroom is ready. What to expect on Mother's Day Tea Day: Your child will: greet you, show you to the seat he or she has set for you, serve you coffee or tea, serve themselves a drink, prepare strawberry shortcakes, join you for polite conversation and snacking, and then tidy up! It is always amazing to me how excited the children are before this event. This year our room will see 23 children serving 23 adults, which does translate into lots of energy and excitement, but also will give you a good idea about how your child is developing an inner sense of discipline and self control. While we do not have a specified ending time for tea, it is a "half day" for the children. Please be advised that during the school day our playground is open only if there is a staff person outside supervising the children. After tea last year many people met up at different playgrounds. Speaking of playgrounds- ours is beginning to host blackflies and sunshine. Tick report for our playground- so far we haven't had any to report! We are happy to apply sun/bug stuff- we will compile the sun/bug authorization list. We have used non-DEET Bullfrog Mosquito Coast Sunblock as the "school" issued; if you have had good luck with another brand, I would be interested to hear about it. Have a great week!
March 22, 2010 Greetings from the Puffin's Nest! Thank you to Dave and Emma B for volunteering at our open house, and to Bethany and Tatum Hancock for volunteering in our classroom. In the coming weeks, we will have other volunteer opportunities to help prepare our classroom project for the auction. Spring has sprung! We have been enjoying the changes on our playground, and appreciate having various "layers" available for dressing for the weather. (We have also noticed that at lunchtime our room feels chilly, so keeping a long sleeved item at school is suggested.) There has been great excitement and conversation about our current unit of study-seeds! We "dissected" seeds and identified: the seed coat, food supply, root and shoot. We have two planting projects started: marigolds in peat pots and beans in baggies. Our marigold seeds are sprouting, as are many of our beans! We will begin to study soil and expand to study of our full biome.
March 1, 2010 Greetings from the Puffin’s Nest
March…In like an Lion and out like a Lamb…. Well… Hope our weather pattern doesn’t get more wild than the end of last week! As I write this, I am aware many DMS families may still be without power! We will be joining thousands of other children in celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday- on March 2. From www.nea.org On March 2, the National Education Association is calling for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult. The National Education Association annually sponsors Read Across America. Now in its twelfth year, the program focuses on motivating children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills. The nationwide reading celebration takes place each year on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, community centers, and more participate by bringing together kids and books, and you can too! Tips for Reading AloudFrom PBS 'Between the Lions' ShowHere are some suggestions for giving and getting the most out of a very special time -- read-aloud sessions with your child. Remember, it's never too early to start. Begin reading to your child as an infant. Even babies love to hear your voice and to look at colorful pictures.
Though there is a “plug” for TV within these tips, they do summarize the Montessori approach to reading readiness and providing language rich environments and positive learning opportunites for children. Happy reading!
January 2010 Greetings From the Puffin’s Nest! Let it snow! Two inches of fresh powder every day, please! We are proud of all the independence that each “Puffin” has demonstrated in donning their full winter gear. You may have heard the term “Boot Buddy”- this is a friend who performs one or both tasks: pull snow pants snugly over boots, or pull boots off. We also have zipper buddies and mitten buddies. During teacher training we create albums specific to each classroom area and its teachings. Within the Practical Life curriculum is “Care of Self”; within “Care of Self” is Putting on a Coat. Reviewing the environmental and developmental aims of putting on a coat revived my appreciation of the time we set aside for children to independently and collaboratively get into their snow gear. Here is an excerpt from my training album: Putting on a Coat Aims Environmental: Learning to put coat on correctly Practicing how to zip or button. Learning about the construction of an article of clothing Developmental: Developing independent behaviors Stretching span of concentration Furthering hand eye coordination Developing sense of order Developing a positive self-concept Taking Off Coat Aims Environmental: Learning how to button Learning how to zip Learning how to hang a garment on a hanger Learning how to take care of self Developmental: Furthering independent behaviors Developing span of concentration Furthering hand eye coordination Developing a positive self-concept Emphasizing the sense of order We are taking advantage of the winter season to focus on Polar Regions of our globe. Concepts we have explored: The North Pole and the South Pole. Along with a famous holiday icon, we have identified other Arctic Circle inhabitants: polar bears, walruses, seals, PUFFINS, whales, and reindeer to name a few. We will be exploring the south pole soon, with Tacky the Penguin. There are several books about Tacky, one even follows Tacky’s adventures at the Winter Games. With the Olympics coming up, we will be learning more about the Winter Games, and doing some projects and activities as Team USA! Keep Warm!
November 30, 2009 Greetings from the Puffin’s Nest! I hope everyone had a healthy and happy Thanksgiving! Back to school after a vacation can cause challenges for children who have “just gotten into the groove”. If carline or morning care drop-off was a teary or stressful time for your child, be assured we have many ways of helping children through this separation work! This separation work is best supported by clear communication between home and school. We want to partner with you to help your child become a confident, independent, curious, cooperative, and an engaged learner. This week we will be discussing field trip etiquette, bus safety and explore the educational materials the Portland Symphony Orchestra provides to teachers to share prior to Kinderkonzert school performances. On Friday we will ride the big yellow bus to the Waldo Theater to join the PSO Brass Quintet and ring master Laura Harris for a musical adventure under the big top! The performance is based on the book “Circus” by Beatrice Schenk De Regniers. Based upon past performances by the PSO, I predict it will be an exciting event appreciated by all the children! Have a great week!
November 9, 2009 Greetings from the Puffin’s Nest! Parent night in the classroom was well attended. This year I was surprised by the number of high level concentration jobs that were taken out and demonstrated... puzzle maps, moveable alphabet and the golden beads. As a classroom community we identify each child as a teacher, and watching the child guide an adult in the classroom truly symbolizes that concept. We are “tweaking” individual snack serving procedures to be proactive during this flu season. While proper hand washing and dish washing have always been Montessori lessons, there is a greater sense of urgency in the event of an H1N1 outbreak. In the past, we have had the children wash and dry utensils and tableware after eating snack, to prepare the snack area for the next friend. Our classroom has purchased enough plates, bowls and spoons so that during snack time, each child will have tableware fresh from the dishwasher. Washing snack dishes is still part of individual/independent snack, but dishes will be re-washed prior to use. (We don’t re-wash the dishes in the presence of the children, as this could be interpreted by the child as ‘we don’t trust your work’, or un-doing their hard work.) Yes- SNOW! How exciting was that! Now is the time to make sure your child has dry socks available in either her bathroom box or school bag. We appreciate mittens as opposed to gloves for two reasons: 1) Mittens provide opportunity for greater independence in dressing than gloves. 2) Mittens tend to keep hands warmer. Please label all items (boots, snow pants, coats, hats, mittens) with either your child’s first and/or last name or initials... Please send hats and mittens each day, even if your child protests. Our supply of extra mittens will be available after they have been washed and dried in between users- sharing mittens during flu season isn’t recommended. Parent teacher conferences are next Monday and Tuesday! Please sign up in the front office. If you are not able to sign up for a conference, I will put your child’s progress report in his/her cubby. Just a reminder, if there are questions or concerns that deserve more than the 20 minutes allotted for the conference time, please let me know so we can work on scheduling a time. Thanks, and have a great week!
November 2, 2009 Greetings from the Puffin’s Nest! We are looking forward to Parent Night in the Classroom on Tuesday! This is a time for your child to show you around the classroom, favorite jobs and introduce friends. You may have a demonstration on how roll a mat, dust a shelf, or do a metal inset. We have a new member to our classroom community- Welcome to Anna and her family! It is an exciting time for a new child join, giving first year students the opportunity to show the “newer” child around our classroom. Happy Birthday to Cooper, he turned 5 last Tuesday! As some families may have heard, I have jokingly “cancelled” November due to 3 birthdays which will result in as many new 5 year olds in our classroom. (On a personal note, my son will be turning 8 this month!) If your child has a share from nature, please remind him to sign up on the nature share clipboard. When a child signs up, we discuss whether the child would like to have a time at group to share, or if she would like to bring it into the classroom during work time for conversation and research. Of focus and interest this month: Science- hibernation and migration Language- Mother Goose Have a great week
October 5, 2009- Greetings from the Puffin’s Nest! We have had lots of excitement around campus with the workers performing the “finishing touches” to the construction and renovations. The excavator working to clear a garden spot was a particular favorite of the children! At lunchtime we have had the chance to put all the tables together to eat as a whole classroom community. Mrs. Bellows and I both appreciated the opportunity to sit and dine with the children! We have continued eating snack as a classroom community, with children setting the tables, serving each other, and cleaning up afterwards. This has been a time for more children to have experience with all aspects of snack. The children listened to We Were Tired of Living in a House by Liesel Moak Skorpen and Joe Cepeda, a story about siblings that decide to find a better place to live: from a tree house to a raft, a cave to a sandcastle—each place seems perfect to them. That is, until they tumble out of the tree house, their raft sinks, they meet the bears who already live in the cave, and the tide turns them out of their sandcastle. The children search until they finally find the home that's "just right"—the very house they left in the beginning. Many children used this story as inspiration for drawing a picture in their journals, and shared where they might have tried to live if they had been in the story. We have ventured into the woods for nature hikes. The children use their visiting voices and bodies while exploring the habitat of living things in the forest. There is great emphasis on “staying in bounds” for safety- the term “in-bounds” includes being within eye sight of a teacher; when a teacher claps, the children should walk with gentle feet to the teacher; and returning to the playground when it is time for the nature hike to end. Have a great week!
September 28, 2009 – From the Puffin’s Nest Peace- keeping and community building continue to be central themes in our classroom. During work time if a child needs the attention of a friend or teacher who may be working or engaged in conversation, polite interrupting is a silent way of communicating “May I have your attention?” If your child comes to you and places a gentle hand on your shoulder and waits for your attention, then you have just been politely interrupted! I place my hand on the child who is waiting for my attention as a “thank you for being patient” and silent assurance that giving my full attention is important to me. We do emphasize that health and safety issues take precedence over lessons and conversations! We will be having lessons about apples this week. It is amazing to me how much the children already know and remember about the world around them.... I look forward to sharing with and hearing from the children each day! We will soon begin our study of the land/water and continent globes. These globes serve as an introduction to “flat maps” which the early explorers like Christopher Columbus created and used. We will explore ecology and respect of our natural resources through the stories of Native Americans. Each year our cultural studies are enriched by families sharing pictures, stories, books, etc. from travels to or from living abroad. Travel & experiences from the United States are also welcome! My hope is to locate & recruit folks willing to share their global experiences with us. With some planning, we can incorporate guests into our cultural studies. During our morning circle time, we sing the days of the week song, update our calendar and meteorologist of the day gives us the weather report. Your child may have shared our weather song: (To the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine) What’s the weather? What’s the weather? What’s the weather like today? Tell us _______, what’s the weather? What’s the weather like today? Is it sunny, is it cloudy, is it rainy out today? Is it foggy, is it snowy is it windy out today? Our meteorologist then makes and reports his or her forecast.
September 21, 2009 – From the Puffin’s Nest Teachers, staff and family volunteers welcomed folks to the DMS “Open House” on Saturday to see the addition and upgrades to the primary classrooms and explore the new elementary classrooms in the new building. I thought I would feel drained by the end of the day, but instead I was touched by how incredibly fortunate I am to be a part of this growing school community. September 21 is International Peace Day. "The Science of Peace, were it to become a special discipline, would be the most noble of all, for the very life of humanity depends on it. So, also perhaps, does the question of whether our entire civilization evolves or disappears." -Maria Montessori In 1948 Dr. Montessori earned a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize for her "Education for Peace” curriculum. “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” -Maria Montessori We acknowledge each person in our classroom community as a “peace keeper”. I will write more about how we prepare to create a peaceful classroom in later blogs. On Tuesday we officially welcome Fall/Autumn! We will take advantage of our outdoor classroom as we begin to observe and discuss signs of fall, seasons and the weather. Please make sure your child has a change of clothes (season and size appropriate) in his/her bathroom storage box. Dry socks will be especially appreciated this winter! Seasonally appropriate clothing may not be your child’s favorite clothing; but it is needed each day. A child who refuses to wear a coat, boots or mittens when leaving home in the morning will appreciate having them at school later in the day. Thanks! Have a great week!
September 8, 2009 Greetings from the Puffin’s Nest! The new school year brings new friends, new experiences, and the opportunity for each child to learn and master skills for independence. This school year we welcome children coming to DMS for their 1st, 2nd or 3rd year in a Montessori primary classroom. For children new and returning to DMS, the transition from home to classroom may be their biggest job each day. This separation work is best supported by clear communication between home and school. We want to partner with you to help your child become a confident, independent, curious, cooperative, and an engaged learner. I appreciate the opportunity for a quick check-in on the playground at pick up time; please understand I am also on playground watch. I am happy to set up a mutually convenient time to discuss concerns or questions that deserve more time and my full attention. Our classroom community has 15 children returning from last year, and currently 6 new children. We look forward to welcoming more new friends during the year! When sending in snack for our group, please provide enough for 21 children. We are eating snack as a community to ensure each child has mastered washing hands, cups and dishes before we begin independent snack. At lunchtime we appreciate it if each child has either a cloth or paper napkin from home to place in his/her lap. We encourage each child to eat the “brain food” first (sandwich or other “main course”). We ask that drinks come in a thermos or water bottle, and that you send a fork or spoon when packing items that require utensils. Independence in our classroom depends upon each child following the ground rules: Respect all living things. Respect all non-living things. We have learned that all living things need four elements in order to grow and survive: Air, Land, Water and Fire /sun. Non-living things, such as the jobs in our classroom, require that the child has had a lesson before he/she uses that material. Mrs. Bellows and I look forward to working with and watching your child grow this year!
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