We have continued to embark on our desert studies and are learning about different kinds of desert animals. We learned about the desert tortoise, the rattlesnake, the coyote, and bighorn sheep. We are also learning about the different ways that animals are able to adapt to live in the desert.

In preparation for Thanksgiving, we discussed why we celebrate Thanksgiving and what things we have to be thankful for. Some of us were thankful for having lots of energy, while others of us were thankful for school and our pets. We discussed how not everyone is as lucky as us – not everyone has a cozy bed, lots of food, and friends. We also had fun learning about the different parts of a turkey. The day before Thanksgiving break, we got to make our own apple snack turkey. We chose from blueberries, marshmallows, gumdrops, raisins, and cubes of cheese to decorate our apple turkey with. The children enjoyed having such a fun snack!

In the Montessori classroom there are a wide range of works that focus on fine motor skills such as pin punching, pouring, tracing, and the knobbed cylinders . On the flip side, gross motor skills are equally important. While at recess, children have the opportunity to stretch their legs and arms and focus on activities such as climbing, running, rolling a tire, or kicking a ball. These are equally important to a child’s development. At home it is important to give your child the opportunity to practice both their fine and gross motor skills. Make sure your child has plenty of opportunities to ride a bike or scooter, go for a walk, jump on a trampoline or climb at a playground, as well as color, use silverware to eat, and practice pouring cereal.

We LOVED making December’s calendar art using our fingertips to make holiday lights. We always enjoy our calendar art projects with Ms. Julie.

Please click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Om59tKbDZ6RpZQqC4tfiJdEG2J-vs717?usp=sharing

Dates to remember:
December 17: FULL DAY!
December 18 – January 3: Winter Break
January 4 – School Resumes

Love,
The P2 Team

“The little child’s need for order is one of the most powerful incentives to dominate his early life.”
~ Maria Montessori

Calabazas y Esqueletos!

October is almost a wrap! The weeks are just flying by. The second half of this month we’ve been learning about pumpkins. Ms. Jessie taught us the life cycle of a pumpkin, and we also looked at the inside of a pumpkin. We examined the fibrous strands which give nutrition to all of the seeds, looked at the flesh or pulp of the pumpkin, and checked out the skin and learned how it protects the pumpkin. Ms. Sadie showed us the pumpkin and we got to smell inside it, mmmm! Most of us liked how it smelled, but some of us were a little grossed out by it!

We have learned about our five senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. We played a game where we had to close our eyes and listen carefully to identify the sound that was made: cutting paper, ripping paper, the bell, pouring grains, snapping fingers, and pulling off a piece of tape. We also learned that sometimes people do not have one of these senses, or their sense works a little differently – such as color blindness.

Ms. Julie has been working with us to make little skeletons of ourselves! We’ve had our pictures taken, and then we glued them onto little bodies and used Q-tips for our skeletons. We look spooooooky!

For young learners who are still developing a three finger pincer grasp with which to hold a pencil, play-doh and clay are wonderful tools to help strengthen hand muscles. On Fridays, Ms. Julie makes us a special batch of play-doh! We encourage them to roll the dough, shape it, and create with it. All the while, they’re building those muscles! You can encourage them to use play-doh and clay at home as well since they do have limited opportunities to use it here.

When our friends want to talk to us or interrupt us, we encourage them to place their hand quietly on either our shoulder or on our hip and wait quietly. When they do that, we lightly touch their hand so that they know we know they are there. This way, we are able to finish what we are doing without being interrupted. You can encourage your child to do this at home too. When you are busy speaking with someone else, whether that is another child, your partner, or on a phone call, encourage your child to place their hand on you and wait. This teaches children that other people are important too and that sometimes we have to wait our turn, patiently! You’ll be amazed at how quickly they pick it up and how refreshing it is to not be interrupted!

If you have not already, please switch out your child’s extra clothes for pants and long sleeves for the cooler weather.

Click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13Q-PB1tJCB4Jfoivyn-8Ndg4tig3kCJ1?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
November 11: NO SCHOOL
November 12: NO SCHOOL

Love,
The P2 Team

“What the hand does, the mind remembers.”
~Maria Montessori

We first want to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with us and discuss your child. We loved getting the chance to get to know you and your families better and talk about your amazing kiddos! Thank you for trusting us with them.

Our October studies have started by studying mammals. We learned that a mammal has fur or hair, is born alive, drinks their mother’s milk, and is warm blooded. Ms. Sadie taught us all about horses; their different sizes, what they are used for, and how they are taken care of. We also explored different kinds of marine mammals such as dolphins, manatees and even the platypus (the only mammal that lays eggs!).

Next we have started to study the esqueleto or skeleton. Our bones protect our internal organs and we have bones of every size! BIG bones like our FEMUR, and little bones like our stapes in our middle ear. Ms. Julie brought out Mr. Esqueleto and we got to see all of the bones in our bodies! We learned that bones are made of different kinds of marrow. The cranium is made up of eight different bones and serves a very important function: protecting our brain! We have learned about the rest of our skeleton as well as all of our organs. Our bodies are pretty amazing.

Fall is in full swing! We are all enjoying the cooler weather. In the mornings our friends have the opportunity to spend time in the outdoor classroom. This classroom is in the shade all morning, and is veeerrry cool. Your child will need to wear a jacket or sweatshirt/sweater in order to use this classroom in the morning. If your child does not have appropriate clothing, he or she will not be able to go visit the outdoor classroom. Please make sure that this jacket/sweatshirt/sweater is labeled!

If you’re looking for something new to read with your child, check out our October book suggestions:
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Please click here for some pictures from the last two weeks!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jmXU2KKY2RZo4NhcH9V6DWNVSB1RUFz1?usp=sharing


Dates to Remember:
October 28: Celebrate America Day – ½ Day Dismissal at 11:15
October 29: NO SCHOOL

Love,
The P2 Team

“The senses, being the explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”
~ Maria Montessori

We have been talking about different parts of a plant with our students. We have learned about the seeds, leaves, flowers, stems, and roots. We have also studied the different parts of an apple: the exocarp (skin), endocarp (core), and mesocarp (flesh). Our friends loved learning these big scientific words!

Currently, we are wrapping up September by talking about helpers in our neighborhood. Ms. Jessie taught us some different signs we might see and what they mean. We learned that an octagon has eight sides, and that a stop sign is an octagon. Ms. Sadie taught us about police officers and the different ways they can help us. We also talked about firefighters, mail carriers, doctors, dentists, farmers, and gardeners.

At this young age, communication is such an important skill to learn – both sharing information AND listening. Sometimes we don’t do it often enough. We tend to get so caught up in our favorite television shows, tablets and smartphones that sometimes we forget what it’s like to have an actual conversation. Having conversations during dinner is one of the best ways to come together and share your day. Asking your child “How was your day” or “What did you learn” are large scale questions that children tend to answer with one word – “good” or “nothing”. Keep questions simpler, such as: Who did you eat lunch with today? What made you happy today? What made you feel sad today? Even if you don’t talk about school you can talk about what the weather felt like that day, how dinner tastes to you, and don’t forget to tell your child about your day! Car rides are another easy time to squeeze in some chit chats and sometimes children are apt to tell you more in the car because you’re not face to face.

For our October calendar art, we had fun marble painting with Ms. Julie! We always look forward to our calendar art project with Ms. Julie 🙂

Click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks. 🙂
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14UR8VcpSOWR9TM-I1-yfboDdkxSdeEEh?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
October 8: NO SCHOOL – parent conferences
October 28: Celebrate America Day – half day
October 29: NO SCHOOL – Nevada Day

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and strength, use it to create.”
~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team

Chicken, peaches, broccoli, cereal and milk all belong to different food groups. We’ve learned about each group and what foods might be in that group. For protein, we discussed how we can get protein from many different sources, not just meat. We have taken a look at our lunches and figured out what food groups we see! Some of our work this month has included sorting foods into the right food groups, as well as looking at the different names of foods in Spanish.
We’ve learned about the differences between fruits and vegetables; fruits have seeds. Some foods that we were pretty sure were vegetables, like eggplant and bell peppers, turned out to be fruit!

While inside we have learned about our love lights. Ms. Sadie taught us a peace lesson on how every single person is different, but we all have a light inside of us. Sometimes that light is shining bright (like when we’re happy), but sometimes it gets very dim (like when we’re angry). We were taught that taking deep breaths can help our love light to shine bright again. There are love lights for us to pin punch out and tape to our chests if we want to show everyone how bright our love light is shining.

One of the foundations of a Montessori education is independence. We encourage children to do on their own what they are capable of. Children are expected to put their work away where they found it when finished, as well as clean up after themselves after lunch or snack. This may look like throwing out a granola bar wrapper, or it might look like sweeping underneath their table. You can continue to foster independence at home by having your child bring their plate over to the sink or dishwasher after a meal. Children can also put away their toys or books. Include your child in different activities around the house such as vacuuming, sweeping, wiping off countertops, and feeding pets. Children thrive when they are given responsibility and it helps to nurture their sense of independence!

Pictures from the last two weeks can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eFcEqUpxRA-BbJtY8c0iSaSgcEB40K9h?usp=sharing

Dates to remember:
October 8 – NO SCHOOL – Parent Conferences (link will be sent on Monday 9/22 to sign up!)

Joy, feeling one’s own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul.
Maria Montessori
Love,
The P2 Team