Sunnybrook Montessori School

From snow to rain puddles to sunshine– the seasons are still sorting themselves out!  We enjoyed plowing snow and constructing snowmen on Monday.  We ran in the rain and jumped in puddles on Tuesday.  On Wednesday we played in the mud.  On Thursday we dug in the dirt, and on Friday we enjoyed the sunshine in our T-shirts.  What a week!
Monday students learned how to make pinch pots and coiled pots with clay.  They thought that they looked like bird nests, so they proceeded to make eggs, worms, and birds as well.  Clay was available throughout the week, and many children enjoyed creating a variety of art projects.
The sensory table was full of unifix cubes, which the children used to make patterns and measure things around the classroom, including the classroom!
The children were very anxious to make scuba tanks, so with the four oatmeal canisters that we received, Sue helped them punch holes and attach straps.  There were a LOT of scuba divers swimming with the fish and whales throughout the week.
As all living things require water, we have progressed to learning about precipitation and began to introduce the idea of the water cycle.  We read about water, snow and rain and introduced the vocabulary word “precipitation.”  We started an evaporation experiment for when we return to school.  We filled a large cylinder with water and marked the water line.  We then made predictions about what would happen.  Some children said the water would go down, some said it would stay the same, and others said it would get higher.  We checked on Thursday and there was not a noticeable difference, so we will see how it is looking after a week away.

We also continued to focus on timelines.  We started a class timeline, taking a daily record of what we did, and posting them in order on the wall so we can start to get the concept of past, present, and future, and yesterday, today, and tomorrow, which are very abstract ideas.
On Thursday we had some visitors who came to see what happens in a Montessori classroom.  We pulled out the parachute and did well containing all of the energy so we could safely shake Flash the sloth off the parachute and play the crocodile (aka Great White Shark) game.

Friday students took a walking field trip into town to visit the Polish Princess which, unfortunately, was closed, but we enjoyed visiting the Root Seller and seeing our friend Melissa instead.  On our trip we looked for signs of spring. Although it is still early, we did spy some buds on trees, some green grass shoots popping up, some flies, beetles, and a spider – all signs that spring is on the way! It was such a gorgeous, sunny, warm day, that the children decided that we needed to stay out for lunch and then the afternoon as well, so we had a fantastic outside day together!
Enjoy vacation!  See you in a week.

In the past I have mentioned temperament, and how we are all born with individual temperaments.  As well as temperament, we each also have our own personality styles.  This includes things such as how you learn, what your aptitudes are, what motivates you, how social you are, etc. – in general, what type of person are you?  There are many “tests” out there which can help you better understand who you are.  Knowing yourself is key to understanding others and how you and they think, work, communicate, and socialize.  As a teacher, it is helpful to also know these things about students, and as a parent, about your children.

There are color tests, the Meyers-Briggs, the Enneagram, and multiple others – some free, and others quite pricey.  There is even a book you can purchase that helps you determine your strengths, called Strengthsfinder.   Try out the color test to start (it is fast, easy, and free), and after you have analyzed yourself, think about your child.  What king of person is he/she?

Hockey, basketball, and baseball were popular on the playground.  There was some tree climbing, lots of digging, and messy fun with mud and sand. Monday students used tissue paper to make trees in bloom before heading to the library for the morning with Tammy. We continued to learn about plants.  We read Jack and the Beanstalk and How a Seed Grows.  We planted some bean plants in eggshells, which we will dig up to see how they change.  Many children also planted their own beans in cups with paper towels so we can watch them grow.  We read the book Living or Nonliving and learned that living things need air, water, and food to survive, and that they can move on their own – even plants, which turn to face the sun.  We learned that plants use sunlight, air, water, and nutrients to make their own food.  We then sorted items according to whether they were living – those that need air, water, and food – or non-living – those that do not need air, water, and food. On Thursday we learned the musical terms fortissimo (loud) and pianissimo (quiet).  We read the two stories, The Loud Book and The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska.  Everyone then picked an instrument and played them fortissimo and pianissimo, then we played “Ram Sam Sam” and “ABC’s.” Friday students spent most of the day with Tammy while Lyn held conferences.  We were lucky to get some time outside between the rain showers, and it was fun to see some of our midweek friends throughout the day.
Stories we read:

Jack and the Beanstalk

How a Seed Grows by, Helene Jordan

Grandpa’s Tractor by, Michael Garland

Living or Nonliving by, Kelli Hicks

The Loud Book by, Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska

The Quiet Book by, Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska

As teachers and parents, a major aspect of our work is to help children understand right from wrong, make healthy decisions, learn from mistakes, understand and appropriately manage emotions, and keep everyone safe.

Many years ago, physical punishment was the go to consequence for “misbehaving.”  When research began to show the extremely detrimental consequences of physical punishment, “time out” became the norm, but did you know that it is against NH state early care licensing standards to use “time out” in a child care setting?

If you google “time out as discipline,” you will find a variety of articles discussing the use of time out.  The article “What’s Wrong With Time-Outs” lists many significant issues with time out, and provides links to research demonstrating its’ ill-effects.

Concerns about time out include:

1. Time Out is a behavior modification technique that is used in the absence of actual teaching.  A child who seems to “need” a Time Out more likely needs some instruction, guidance, role playing, re-direction, or attention.  Timeouts, like all punishment, keep us from partnering with our child to find solutions since we’re making the problem all theirs.

2. Time Out usually involves isolation, causing a child to experience stress and discomfort. Isolation teaches nothing of value and does not impart knowledge or experience, and may actually cause long term harm to the brain.

3. Instead of reaffirming your relationship with your child so she WANTS to please you, timeouts fuel power struggles.

4. Time outs don’t help kids learn emotional regulation, which makes more misbehavior likely

So, what do we do instead?  A variety of techniques, including:

1. Time in – spend time with your child to help her calm herself, reaffirm that she is loved no matter what, and get the attention that she needs (this website gives a great description of how to do this)

2. Label emotions – this helps children gain emotional awareness and later self reflection and control

3. Teach strategies – when your child is calm, teach your child what is acceptable to do when angry/upset/frustrated or needing attention

get a hug

take some time alone

snuggle with a stuffy

find a new activity

ask for attention when you need it