Ahhhhh, Practical Life, the heart of the Montessori classroom……. The Practical Life area of the Montessori classroom is much more than meets the eye. An observer of the physical layout of the classroom sees the beautiful, ordered physical skills works laid out sequentially on the shelves. He may also observe the methodical pouring, squeezing, scooping, spooning of these works, as the child works so carefully left to right, practicing time and time again so he doesn’t spill

During the first few weeks of school we have been singing the song, “Five Little Ducks”. This song allows children to practice a finger play song and develop their awareness of numbers. One material in the Math area allows children to practice this independently. A basket on the shelf contains a set of tiny rubber ducks with a blue felt “pond of water” and a book. This activity promotes rote counting, counting with 1:1 correspondence and storytelling. At worktime one mornin

“When I make silence I breathe deeply, I imagine my breath is like an ocean’s wave gently rolling in, then out.” During our first Peace circle of the school year, the concept of silence was introduced to the children. A small book called When I Make Silence by Jennifer Howard was shared with the children to help explain the importance of having silent moments of reflection. A candle was lit in the middle of the circle. The children were invited to close their eyes and listen

The first days of school are filled with excitement and uncertainty. Everything is new, from people to activities to eating snack; we ask so much of these children and they amazingly rise to the challenge and succeed, gaining independence and confidence in their abilities. During the first week of school, some of the older children were pouring water for themselves from the pitcher at the snack table. Two of our first year friends observed their older peers getting themselv

The Kindergarten classroom hums with activity on the first day of school. “I’m going to show William a BIG work!” exclaims one boy as he excitedly begins to pull out the golden bead math materials. A simple example of a returning student putting to good use what he learned last year by teaching it to a younger student who is new to the classroom. Another child moves from work to work with focus and purpose, almost as if she had a list in her mind of all the works she wanted t