Hi-ho, Hi-ho it’s into the desert we go!

We have continued to embark on our desert studies and are learning about different kinds of deserts, as well as the different types of animals, people, and plants that can be found in each one. We live in the Mojave Desert where there are lots of cacti! The Sonora Desert has huge saguaros and wildflowers. The Sahara Desert is waaaay over in Africa and has huge sand dunes where nomads travel on camels. The Queen Victoria Desert is waaay over in Australia and is home to kangaroos and the Uluru rock! Wow! Ms. Jessie has been busy teaching us the Spanish names of things in the desierto like the plantas, animales, and cacto.

We are also learning about all of the different animals that live in the desert. We’ve learned about different kinds of snakes such as the cobra and the rattlesnake. We have learned about the kangaroo rat, armadillo, coyotes, lizards and big horned sheep.

In preparation for Thanksgiving we’ve also studied the parts of a turkey and the history of Thanksgiving.

We LOVED making December’s calendar art using marbles, paint, and glitter. Ms. Julie always comes up with such fun ideas for us.

A friendly reminder to PLEASE label your child’s belongings! This includes their sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets, hats, mittens/gloves, and MASKS! Since there isn’t a lost and found for parents to look through this year, it is imperative to label belongings so we can ensure things go home with the right child. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A7FHvm_EZDA9iU3tTc0PQf-NI0nmD2rT?usp=sharing

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

Discovering North America… and reptiles!

Hi everyone! Who else is LOVING this cool weather? Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor clothing as the outdoor classroom is quite chilly in the morning. Thank you!

This month we are discovering all of the wonders that the continent of North America has to offer. We learned about how North America is made up of three different countries. Ms. Jessie showed us lots of pictures of different animals that live in North America and we are learning their names in Spanish! We are having so much fun! Mapache = raccoon, bisonte = bison, castor = beaver, and perrito de la praderas = prairie dog. We even learned that alce have a papada or a double chin! Ms. Sadie showed us lots of neat pictures of the United States that showed how different our country is from coast to coast. She also taught us about different landmarks in the U.S. like the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge.

November is reptile month and we are learning about the different kinds and learning the characteristics of one. We learned that they are cold blooded, they hatch out of eggs, and they have dry scaly skin. Some reptiles include turtles, snakes and lizards. We’ve really enjoyed our sorting work where we have to separate the reptiles from the mammals.

We’ve been revisiting the book “Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda” by Lauren Alderfer and talking about how to be mindful. When we have a monkey mind, we’re so busy thinking about everything EXCEPT what we should be thinking about (like our work). We’ve been practicing making silence and practicing mindfulness.

November Book Suggestions:
Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer
The Bad Seed by Jory John
The Mitten by Jan Brett

Please click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/177QrNRzLPVeoXGXpdz_vAjW2yYueoCli?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
November 19th: Picture Re-Takes
November 25, 26, 27: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break

Love,
The P2 Team

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”
~ Maria Montessori

Calabazas y Calabazitas!

October is almost a wrap! The weeks are just flying by. The second half of this month we’ve been learning about pumpkins and squash and what the difference is. Do you know what the difference is? They’re mostly the same, except we eat most varieties of squash whereas we only eat Sugar Pie Pumpkins. We cut open a variety of different squashes to look at the seeds and the insides of them. Ms. Jessie taught us how a pumpkin grows and we were each given a pumpkin seed!
We’ve also been learning about our bodies and our main organs. Ms. Sadie taught us that our main organs are really important to making our bodies work well. We can do things to help our main organs; exercise makes our heart happy whereas water makes our intestines happy! We also learned that bones can be x-rayed to see if a bone is broken.
We have been learning about mammals and what makes an animal a mammal. We now know that mammals have hair or fur, are born alive from their mothers, and drink milk. We are mammals! Do you have any pet mammals at home?
Our kindergartners are beginning to meet for grammar study every morning after recess. We just started to talk about nouns. The children were encouraged to label our classroom with all of the nouns they could find. Many of our friends found themselves labeled!
On Fridays, we encourage our older students to be mentors to our younger friends. This is a great opportunity for students to work with someone new. By teaching material to a younger friend, it helps to solidify the knowledge in the older child’s brain. Sometimes receiving a lesson from an older friend instead of a younger friend is more interesting. We’re very proud of the mentor role our older friends are taking on. It’s a big responsibility!
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, each child has their own container of play-doh to work with. 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.
PLEASE remember to send your child to school with a labeled jacket! The outdoor classroom is very chilly in the mornings. If you have not, please switch out your child’s extra clothing for season appropriate attire.

Click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17uIyxSQ-YVxD6DpTER-m8udk_suDhgzd?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
November 11: NO SCHOOL

Love,
The P2 Team

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

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!

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.

This month we are learning all about our incredible bodies – what they do and how they work. We’ve learned about our five senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. Ms. Jessie taught us that our eye isn’t flat, but a big ball. We learned about the iris too and how we all have different colored irises. We’ve learned the spanish words for hard – duro, and soft – suave. We got to feel many different items that had different textures and feels to them. Our sense of taste can taste things that are bitter, salty, sweet, and sour. We learned that some things smell really nice like baked cookies, or laundry, but other things smell yucky like garbage or rotten food! Lastly, we learned how our ears work and how we respond to loud or soft noises.

Our esqueleto or skeleton! We learned all about our bones and how they give our body structure. Some living things like worms or jellyfish are invertebrates and don’t have skeletons. 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 our Mr. Esqueleto and we got to see all of the bones in our bodies!

We’ve also talked about our main organs and how they help our bodies work. We learned about our heart, brain and lungs! Wow! Our bodies are incredible!

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/1wS5bX9wh9E37HzjCfd9Dd1a24KAhufKY?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
October 29: ICD (International Children’s Day), Half Day
October 30: NO SCHOOL

Love,
The P2 Team

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

Who are the Helpers in our Neighborhood?

We are so happy to be back to school and teaching everyone in person. We missed you all! Thank you for your support and commitment the last two weeks.

At this young age, communication is such an important skill to learn. Sometimes we don’t do it often enough. We tend to get 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 gather 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. Keep questions simpler, such as, who did you eat lunch with today? What part of today made you happy? What part of today made you feel sad? 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.

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’ll also be talking about firefighters and mail carriers. We learned that there are lots of ways that we can help out in our neighborhood too. We can help by picking up garbage outside, or by saying thank you to those who are helping us.

For our October calendar art we had fun making pumpkins using our knuckles! What a fun and different way to make art!

Click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks. 🙂
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dS-T91TWmQ74z8ZEtCoTq27x_6Pd3D34?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
October 2: NO SCHOOL (Parent Teacher Conferences)
October 6: Picture Day

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

Love,
The P2 Team