Constructive Triangles

The constructive triangles are a sensorial material that are beautiful, versatile, and useful. As with most Montessori materials found in the Children's House, the constructive triangles invite continued repetition by the children and are also used in the Elementary environment. Heather Steinman, P3 Directress, welcomes us into her classroom and explains the work of constructive triangles. The Triangular Box, shown above, consists of:

One gray equilateral triangle, the shape and size of the box

One green equilateral triangle bisected from the midpoint of the          base to the apex

One yellow equilateral triangle divided into three equal pieces by          lines drawn from each angle to the center of the triangle (along          angle bisectors).

The constructive triangles are used to demonstrate that all plane geometric figures can be constructed from triangles. There are five boxes: 2 rectangular, 1 triangular, and 1 large and 1 small hexagonal. Each box contains triangles of different sizes, shapes, and colors. With the exception of Rectangular Box 2, black guidelines are painted in different positions on the triangles to help the child to construct other figures. This should be encouraged as an exploratory work that will provide a foundation for later concepts of equivalency, similarity, and congruency.The gray equilateral triangle allows for a child to check his own work: another example of self-assessment. A child uses this feedback to self-correct during this work.Thank you, Heather, for sharing this work with us!“Under the urge of nature and according to the laws of development, though not understood by the adult, the child is obliged to be serious about two fundamental things … the first is the love of activity… The second fundamental thing is independence.”  (What You Should Know About Your Child)

On Spelling

I have a confession. While driving home from school recently, it dawned on me that our youngest, who is five years old, probably didn't know The Alphabet Song. Though we read to him every night, and he looks at book after book after book just before falling asleep, we don't sit around singing the ABC's in our house. Sure enough, when one of his older brothers started singing it, the youngest chimed in, getting most of it, but definitely not all of it. We worked on it, and it didn't take long for him to grasp the song, but it made me think about how different the approach of learning to spell is, and learning about letters and words in general, in Montessori versus a traditional educational setting.In Montessori, children begin the process of writing before reading. Logically, if a child is not yet reading, but attempting to write, he will not spell words correctly. This is not because Montessori doesn't care about spelling; rather, Montessori seeks to inspire joyful expression in the task. In other words, the expression of the idea and the flow of creativity is more important than the limiting, halting prospect of getting every word right. That will come later, when a child reads and re-reads words over and over again.This is not to say that children are thrown into the gauntlet without any guidance. During their years in primary, children are exposed to the idea that letters make sounds. The sound of "d" is "duh," not "dee," the sound of "b" is "buh," not "bee," and so on. All of the lessons leading up to spelling - the sandpaper letters, the moveable alphabet, and later, phonograms and site words - help a child develop her concept of words. When a child starts story writing, she has not yet mastered reading!Robyn Milos, former Children's House Directress and current Director of Education here at Villa di Maria, adds, "In the Children's house, when children have enter the wonderful word of writing, they are introduced to an in-depth study of phonograms to learn the many ways of making one sound (think, ee, ea, y, e-e all make "ee"). With this study they become aware that there are options in spelling and become conscious of how to spell words when writing. I often hear things like 'which ee is in eating?' as they continue to refine writing along with reading in their culminating year."Lower Elementary students take turns quizzing each other on spelling wordsWhen a child is reading fluently, she begins to recognize words and how they are spelled, and quickly self-correct. Seeing words over and over again during fluent reading is an amazingly effective way of learning how to spell. As children develop their reading, they will start to seek out the correct spelling (this most consistently happens in lower elementary). Gentle reminders from directresses are also effective in correcting spelling as the child develops his skills of self-expression."There is one thing [the teacher] must never do and that is, to interfere by praising a child's work, or punishing him if it is wrong, or even by correcting his mistakes." - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind*Photo credit for the first photograph: Melinda Smith

The Trinomial Cube

Perhaps the best exemplification of the layering that occurs in Montessori is the Trinomial Cube. At first glance, a child appears to be putting together a puzzle in a quiet, playful manner. However, the secondary aim of this work is to introduce algebra to the child in the proof of the formula(a+b+c)³.The Trinomial Cube itself is made up of a lidded box with hinges on its sides, eighteen square-based prisms, six black rectangular prisms, and three cubes in red, blue, and yellow. As children work to first take apart the puzzle, then put it back together just so, they must notice the difference in heights of the prisms.As seen above, upper left, the square of the trinomial is displayed on the lid of the box for reference for the child as she works.The hands-on work so consistently seen in Montessori is displayed here so succinctly; this concrete work is building a foundation for an abstract concept (algebra), and works forward as the child develops the math concepts.“ Whereas most of us had to memorize mathematical formulas, eventually solving the problems we faced, children who grow up with Montessori will understand the problem before they are faced with the formula. ” - Bobby George, Baan DekAnother thing worth noting in the beauty of this work: the design of this puzzle is reminiscent of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian's abstract paintings:"It is through appropriate work and activities that the character of the child is transformed.  Work influences his development in the same way that food revives the vigor of a starving man.  We observe that a child occupied with matters that awaken his interest seems to blossom, to expand, evincing undreamed of character traits; his abilities give him great satisfaction, and he smiles with a sweet and joyous smile." (San Remo Lectures, p. 28)

On the Playground

February in St. Louis was sprinkled with plenty of warm days. As a result, the children enjoyed time on the playground without the winter hats, coats, and gloves they are usually bundled up in during this time of year. Here, a glimpse at one such warm day on the playground at Villa di Maria. Enjoy the photos!The lower elementary children have been kind enough to share with the primary a portion of the tree stumps recently dropped off on the school grounds; the younger children have made all sorts of imaginative games from these loose parts, including rocket ships, volcanoes, clubhouses, and factories. It is often a talking point at pick-up: Guess what we made on the playground today!The daily outdoor time is often the highlight of a child's day, and a much-needed time for socialization as well as exercise!Here's to glimpses of spring!

Vegetable Cutting

One of the most impressive sights in the Montessori classroom is observing a young child cut food with a real knife, on a real cutting board, all by himself. For parents, it is sometimes the most cringe-worthy moment, especially if they are viewing a small child complete this task for the first time, never having witnessed this ability before. It is also a testament to the trust we Montessori enthusiasts have in children and their abilities.  Cutting with a knife is a complex skill; the two hands must do two different things at the same time, and careful movement must accompany concentration during the task. One hand must hold steady the celery or other food item while the other holds firmly to the knife. One hand must avoid the fingers of the other hand, the knife must be held and remain perpendicular the entire process through, and finally, just the right amount of pressure must be applied while the sawing motion of cutting is perfected. If it seems complicated, that's because it is! And yet, children as young as 18 months old can be taught this skill safely (though it is more consistently used with 3 - 4-year olds). If you are starting this at home with a toddler, consider using a dull knife and a banana at the beginning.In the primary classroom, this work often results in a bag full of green beans, celery, or cucumbers, but the ultimate purpose is obvious; someday, this child will be in his kitchen at home preparing himself a snack, or helping his family make dinner to feed the whole family. There can be a strong sense of responsibility, purpose and community when the end result is to feed oneself and others.There is also the purpose, consistent with so many Montessori primary works, of enhancing concentration through specific order and sequence. At the end of the work, the child has something physical to show for his hard work: a bag of freshly cut vegetables to take home to show his parents. What a pleasure to see such intense concentration result in such tangible results!"The child has to acquire physical independence by being self-sufficient; he must become of independent will be using in freedom his own power of choice; he must become capable of independent thought by working alone without interruption.  The child’s development follows a path of successive stages of independence." (The Absorbent Mind, p. 257)

The Role of Pets in the Montessori Classroom

At Villa di Maria, there are plenty of living, breathing creatures who spend their time in the classrooms, and they aren't only the children! We shared the role of plants in the Montessori environment here; today, we will discuss the importance of our furry, scaly, shelled, and feathered friends. In every single classroom here at Villa di Maria, there is at least one pet. There is Monti the bearded dragon in P2, the new tortoise Syrup (RIP dear Molasses, you are missed) in Upper Elementary, Florence and Ulysses the leopard geckos in P1, Elvis the guinea pig also in P1, fish and hermit crabs and the budgie in P3, and many more! Coral, the axolotl (originally left out of this post - Sorry, Coral!)Aside from being cute and interesting to watch, pets bring a lot to a classroom. Having pets to care for helps teach responsibility, compassion, empathy, and an understanding and respect for other living things. Pets teach children to value life other than their own, in addition to teaching them about the natural growth and life cycles of many different species which they can observe on a daily basis! Another benefit is the stress reduction that occurs as a result of observing and petting the animals, from which both the children and the animals can benefit.The children at Villa di Maria care for their pets every day, including feeding them and providing them with fresh water, grooming them, and making sure their cages are clean and healthy. Most of this happens with the assistance of the adults in the classroom, of course, to make sure no one gets lost or hurt through over-excited handling. Two- and three-year-olds still need some guidance in how to be gentle, after all!Studies have shown that watching fish swim in an aquarium has actual health benefits, including a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate. Additional studies have shown a reduction in anxiety and stress when people gaze at fish swimming in a tank. This information has the potential to help a young child who may feel anxious about separating from his parents to be in school during the day.Especially if a child has no experience at home with pets, exposure to a wide range of animal life in the classroom can benefit a child: from touching, observing, caring for, and making connections to the natural world, to understanding the delicacy and uniqueness of all life.

The Beauty of Montessori Materials

I remember vividly the first time I set eyes on a Montessori classroom. It was during a tour of the school when I stepped into a primary classroom while the children were quietly working away. I was struck by the quiet hum of lessons and work cycles, but what really stood out to me was the true beauty and visual appeal of the classroom, both in the individual materials placed neatly on the shelves, and as a collective whole. It was so unlike any classroom I had seen before. My experience was not out of the ordinary; the beauty of Montessori materials is often the first thing a new observer to the Montessori classroom notices and comments on. There are rich blue geometric solids, a wide array of brightly colored materials - including the pink tower and the bead frame - and even more natural wood materials, including chairs and shelves in a warm natural wood hue, as well as trays of the same rich tones. Montessori materials are made from natural materials when possible: brass, wood, wicker, cotton, metal, and glass. All of these materials provide a multi-sensory experience for the child, and part of that is the visual appeal that results in a calm, prepared learning environment. The beauty of the Montessori classroom lies both in its simplicity and its thoughtful set-up; each uncluttered space reflects a tranquil, peaceful invitation for learning.Above: One Hundred Flowers, by Harold Feinstein - a beautiful book from Lower Elementary Directress Anna Schwind's personal collection. Books and materials like these, that highlight the beauty and delicacy of the natural world, draw young learners in and encourage them to respect and take awe in the natural world around them. Real glasses, plates, silverware, and utensils not only encourage real work, they are also beautiful all stacked up neatly on the shelves! Imagine the difference if they were plastic sippy cups instead - not only would they be treated less carefully, they would surely contribute to sensory overload! Yes, sometimes these items break, but if nothing ever broke, how would a child learn to treat things with care? Children in the Montessori classroom treasure their materials and learn to treat them with care, especially after the Directress models handling the materials slowly, carefully, and respectfully, former Primary Directress Robyn Milos says, "As if they were made of gold."Surrounding a child with beauty in his daily life has an incredible impact on his absorbent mind:"The child has a different relation to his environment from ours... the child absorbs it.  The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul.  He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear." (The Absorbent Mind, p.56)While there is artwork hung in a Montessori classroom (at eye-level for the children, not the adults), it is not overwhelming or distracting. There are not brightly colored alphabet charts, big cartoon animal borders, or bulletin boards filled with reminders and charts. Many walls are bare, except for the occasional piece of artwork or class photo. And for good reason; studies conducted in traditional kindergarten classrooms have found that "when kindergartners were taught in a highly decorated classroom, they were more distracted, their gazes more likely to wander off task, and their test scores lower than when they were taught in a room that was comparatively spartan." The more calm and uncluttered the environment, the better.Natural light is also ideal in the Montessori environment. Classrooms are flooded with sunlight streaming in from different directions depending on the time of day, supplemented with the warm glow of lamps placed throughout. It truly is a comfortable, appealing place to be.

Valentine's Day Celebrations

It was a lovely day to celebrate Valentine's Day at Villa di Maria! There were more shades of pink than ever, and it was a bright and sunny day full of plenty of regular work in addition to a few parties! Below, some photos from around campus and inside classrooms. Lower elementary students decorated for an afternoon dance party while the primary students played on the playground (and fell asleep on car rides home) after having their own morning celebrations. The creativity of the Valentine boxes never ceases to amaze us!While one elementary classroom made their own sweet and heartfelt in-house Valentines, the other classroom played a very funny game of "Telephone."They also toasted to a Happy Valentine's Day with sparkling grape juice, apple juice, and water. The dance party was a blast, and as usual, the kids were still talking about their fun days well into the evening. What a special place to share the love with friends!Happy Valentine's Day!

Practical Life: Washing Cloths

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Villa di Maria! Though we'll share some special photos of our Valentine's celebrations tomorrow, today we'll take a peek into Heather Steinman's primary class and the work of washing cloths. Cloth washing is a lesson in concentration and practical life, but it is also a way to contribute to the entire classroom, much like the work of folding cloths, which we discussed here. The cloths that were seen in that post were a variety of cloths: those used for cleaning up spills, those used for dusting or polishing, or for many other activities in the classroom. The used cloths are then placed into a basket for a child to wash later.The pitcher, soap, scrub board, and bucket are all set up for the child to complete the work. The child pours clean water into the basin, then places the washboard in the center. She lathers up the cloth with the bar of soap and rinses the cloth out before ringing it and hanging it up to dry on the drying rack.This child took such delight in the work, she hardly noticed me taking photos! And perhaps her favorite part, aside from working intently with her hands in the water (what child doesn't love the amazing properties of water?) was the end, when it was time to pour the dirty water into a bucket below. So much of this work interests the child: the water, watching the dirt come out of the cloths, the motion and sound of the bar of soap on the scrub board, right down to the clean-up. All of it comes down to the child's sense of ownership over her work and her classroom. The care of the environment is a necessary and enjoyable part of a primary child's daily work."A child who has become master of his acts through long and repeated exercises, and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline." (Dr. Maria Montessori, 'The Discovery of the Child', Clio Press Ltd, 92)

Painting in Primary

In pretty much any preschool, you will probably find an easel with paints, paintbrushes, and paper ready for artistic expression. In the Montessori primary classroom, the finished painting is secondary to the experience of painting. The acts of holding a paintbrush, dipping into the selected color, bringing the brush to the paper, and the motions needed to create the desired painting all take fine motor skills, coordination, and concentration that we adults tend to take for granted. A lot of the painting process, in particular, the cleaning up that occurs afterwards, is also good at reinforcing sequences. The finished painting must be untaped, clipped up to dry or placed on a drying rack, and then the easel as well as the area around the easel must be cleaned (which is what the green bucket, sponge, and towel pictured above are for). The apron must be removed, sometimes hands need to be rinsed off. It is an involved process for little minds to remember!As with many things young children do, the process itself is as important, if not more important, than the finished product. The process of painting can bring a child much satisfaction. They practice, practice, practice, while living in the moment, then tend to move on. Many times the child may not even recognize his or her own work later on! This does not detract from the joy a child feels while engaging in the art."The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself."               - Dr. Maria Montessori

Practical Life: Buckle Frame

In any Montessori Primary classroom here at Villa di Maria, you will find a sturdy, handsome buckle frame. Part of the Practical Life curriculum, the buckle frame encourages independent dressing by mimicking the sequence and dexterity needed to buckle and unbuckle a belt or even a backpack strap. The coordination of movement that comes from buckling, then unbuckling all of the straps on the buckle frame is quite satisfying for little hands.The activities related to care of self, such as those having to do with dressing frames, buttoning, lacing, tying bows, hand-washing, and shoe-polishing help the child to become independent, self-reliant, and self-assured. These activities also increase control of movement, attention span, and concentration.Important to note is that each step is done in a sequence with each buckle as opposed to completing all steps with each buckle. For instance, the child will pull the strap from under the ring for each separate strap from top to bottom (as seen in the first photo) as opposed to completing the whole task with each strap separately, thus reinforcing each step and its repetitive movement as a part of the whole. "It may be said that we acquire knowledge by using our minds; but the child absorbs knowledge directly into his psychic life. . . . Impressions do not merely enter his mind; they form it. They incarnate themselves in him. . . . We have named this type of mentality, The Absorbent Mind."—Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Stamp Game

The Stamp Game is a fixture in the Primary Classroom, a much-coveted material that reinforces knowledge in the mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The Stamp Game engages both the hand and the mind with its moveable wooden squares to represent different units of measurement (green units, blue for tens, red for hundreds, and green for thousands). Part of this lesson is to move a child from a concrete method of thinking to a more abstract one (and follows the more concrete lesson of golden beads). Stamp Game itself has evolved since Dr. Maria Montessori originally developed it. Dr. Montessori created the game using actual postage stamps (as collecting postage stamps was popular in that time), then gradually phased out to mosaic tiles, and finally, the wooden tiles that you see today.The first column is where the child writes the units; the second column tens; the third column hundreds, the fourth column thousands. After the directress writes a number, she will then read the number as, for example, if the number is 3289, 9 units, 8 tens, 2 hundreds, and 3 thousands. The directress will then read the number 3289. So much can be learned with stamp game, including abstract thinking, mathematical operations, coordination (those tiles are tiny, and look at the pencil grip!), order, and sequence, to name a few. Besides, it is fun, evidenced by the children's desire to do the work over and over again.

5 Reasons to Get Your Kids Outside in the Winter Weather

It may be cold outside, but that's not stopping the children at Villa di Maria from running, playing, climbing, jumping, swinging, digging, balancing, chasing, and burning some energy! We shared why kids need recess here; now let's talk about why it's important in any weather. Below, 5 reasons to get your children outside even when it's cold!It is true that the winter months are the times when we see the most illness. It's flu season, it's cold season, everyone's noses are dripping and little mouths are coughing. But unless your child is very ill, it is still important for him to get outside and running around even in the cold weather. The CDC said, "It strengthens the immune system by allowing your child to escape from indoor germs and bacteria and helps form a resistance to allergies." When children spend prolonged time indoors where the windows cannot be open for circulation (such as during the winter months), germs pass easily from one person to another. The more time you spend indoors, the more exposure you have to germs recirculating in the air. So despite common belief that your child will "catch a cold" out in the cold, it's really the other way around; the fresh clean air is good for him!Playing outside in the winter months, even just for half an hour, can help boost Vitamin D levels, which in turn increases the amount of serotonin in the brain, and together these things can help boost a person's mood. Even a little bit of sunshine can help with that!Another reason to get your children outside during the cold months is for socialization! There is a kind of play that happens outdoors that is different from the kind that happens inside. Children are more creative, imaginative, and active outdoors, especially when their friends are available to join them!Of course, the obvious reason to get outside even when the weather is cold is for the exercise! It's important to remember that children are still growing during this time, and benefit greatly from moving their muscles and getting their hearts pumping. According to the California Childcare Health Program, playing outdoors in the winter "gives children an opportunity for a change of environment, a balance in play and routine, and large muscle activities (gross-motor development)."  And finally, a good reason to get outside during the cold months of the year is for the connection to nature and the observations that cannot be made at other times of the year. The child above fell onto the wood chips, then happened to look down and discover some frost that had formed on one of the larger wood chips. He looked at the ice crystals for some time, clearly happy and interested in what he had discovered, before shouting for his friends to come see it for themselves.As Villa does, just bring your tissues with you!And parents, don't forget to send your children to school with warm coats, hats, gloves, boots, scarves, and even snow pants for the winter weather. Also, Villa encourages your children to bring sleds and other snow-related fun things to share with their friends on extra snowy days! So over winter break, be sure to get outside and play!We'll have some great new blog posts up for you after holiday break. Happy New Year!

Gingerbread Cookies for the Holidays: A Recipe and Some Tips

The holiday season is a wonderful time to bake with your children, not only for the learning experience, but also for the sharing experience; delicious cookies make a wonderful gift for friends and family. Here, we share a favorite holiday cookie recipe (chewy gingerbread cookies) and a few tips about baking with little ones. While a stool at the kitchen counter works well, a small child-sized table is even better! We carried this one into the kitchen for these two Villa primary students. Having a small table at which to work makes it possible for more than one child to move freely around, and to easily measure, stir, and break eggs at a comfortable height. They're also steadier on their feet!Another tip: set up all the necessary measuring tools and ingredients before asking your child to join you. It gives a good visual of what all is needed, as well as saving time. Show them each step, then let them do it on their own. It's okay if the measurements here are a little off!Cracking eggs: while your child is still learning how to do this, let him crack the eggs into a small container rather than directly into the recipe mixture. That way, if any eggshells find their way in, you can easily fish them out before adding them to the mixture and losing them.

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 4 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugar together for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate. Mix dry ingredients with a whisk, then add to wet mixture. Mix well. Place into refrigerator for 10 minutes so that dough will not be too sticky.Roll tablespoon-sized amount of cookie dough until round, then place on cookie sheet with parchment (or use nonstick, or grease cookie sheet), being sure to space out evenly, as the cookies will spread in the oven. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from cookie sheet. Enjoy, and don't forget to share!Another tip: if you have more than one child helping, be sure to divvy up the tasks so that everyone gets a chance to do each step. We alternated adding dry ingredients and using the whisk to mix it up.A true Montessori moment: cleaning up without being asked!Another opportunity for independence is operating the stand mixer: under supervision, let your child experiment with the different speeds (of course, remind her to never ever put her fingers into the mixing bowl while it is going!).And anything involving an opportunity to get hands messy is a plus…… especially when the mess tastes as great as these gingerbread cookies!Happy Holidays, and we hope you enjoy this recipe!

December at Villa di Maria

 It's December at Villa di Maria, and judging from all the singing going on in the Primary and Elementary classrooms alike, the Winter Concert is going to be great!

Yes, these flowers were still blooming in mid-December; can you believe it?! 

There was still plenty of color in the gardens tucked in around campus at the beginning of December. Those flowers held out far longer than usual! It was such a special treat to see them still green and pink and purple before the frost came mid-month.As mother nature does her thing, the cold and frosty weather has arrived...We look forward to all of the fun holiday activities that will take place within the Villa classrooms — from celebrations to practice for the big performance, to pajama day and beyond! We hope you and your families are cozy and well!

A Birthday Celebration

A birthday is a very special day, especially to a child who has only experienced life on Earth for three or four years! A special day deserves a special celebration, and Montessori knows how to honor the child while creating perspective on what a year means in the grand scheme of the universe. The beauty of the Montessori Celebration of Life lies in its tradition; each child is celebrated in the same way: with a candle, a birthday walk around the sun for every year of the child's life, and the child's choice of a song afterward. Below: one Villa di Maria child's birthday celebration in P2. She celebrated her third birthday with loving friends who honored her for the special human she is!The celebration starts with the Directress calling her up to the front of the class. The Directress (here, Jessie Braud) invites the child to retrieve the special birthday candle from its place and carry it carefully to the front table. The rest of the children are gathered upon the rug to watch.The Directress ceremonially lights the candle and invites the child to pick up the globe, to represent the world that will travel around the sun for every year of life. The lighting of the candle signifies the moment at which the child was born. There is a hush around the room as the gentle glow takes form.In preparation for the birthday celebration, the parents are asked to provide pictures for each year of the child's life. This child was born in Paris, a significance that is discussed with the other children. After discussing each year of life, the child walks around the sun (signified in some classrooms by a large rug with the sun at the center and a path around it to represent Earth's orbit; in this case, signified by a large circle on the floor marked by tape). The child walks with the globe around the "sun" while the Directress and her classmates sing: The earth goes around the sun, tra la, the earth goes around the sun, tra la, the earth goes around the sun, and then (the child) was one (then two, then three)!" Each year of life is celebrated in this way. Here, the Directress speaks of this child's first trip to China, where her father is from.And here, the child's favorite instruments: there are a lot of them! She says, "I like the violin best." Here, she gets ready to carry the globe around for her second year of life.At the end of the celebration, the child blows out the candle and the children sing "The Ladybug Song," per her request.And in case you were curious, Maria Montessori was born on August 31st, 1870!"We should 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

A Bucket and Some Wood Chips

Though children in a Montessori school can be found within the classroom doing real work rather than imaginary work (cutting real vegetables with a real knife instead of pretending, doing real laundry, tending to real plants and animals, pouring real water into real glasses, and so much more…), on the playground, they are full of imagination and fantasy.The staff here at Villa di Maria have provided a wonderful loose-parts play area including a simple house-like structure (that can be a store, a house, a prison, a hospital, a pizza parlor, an ice cream shop, or anything else the children can imagine) among other objects that encourage open-ended play — all of which we visited in this blog post. For now: buckets. Briefly observe a group of Primary children playing so intently they don't notice the adults around them (even when those adults are taking photos!), and you will see on any given day the filling and dumping and refilling of large buckets with wood chips. These children carry the heavy buckets all around the playground and engage with each other about their play. I asked a few of them what they were playing, which varied depending on the day or group of children."We play ice cream factory.""We play hang up the bucket and then fill it up. Then we dump it out. We can hang it from a hook over there." "He's the bad guy and we have to keep the treasure away from him!" "This is my bucket! I dug a hole!""We play factory. We make chocolate. We poor dirt in the bucket and water. We mix it, then it is chocolate!""Robbers! Wood chips are the money and we steal the money from the people! We fill up our buckets to a million dollars. More than a million dollars! Then we run away and don't get caught!""Pizza makers. The wood chips are cheese, and the dirt is pepperoni, and the other wood chips are the vegetables. We make so many pizzas that are delicious."The power of imagination; it's a wonderful thing."We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry." — Maria Montessori

Practical Life: Hand-Washing

"A three-year-old educated according to Montessori pedagogy becomes a master of his hand and undertakes with a joy a variety of human activities. These activities allow him to develop the power of concentration."     - San Remos Lectures, p. 27Hand-washing is one of the earliest complex Practical Life activities introduced in the Primary Classroom. Robyn Milos, former Children's House Directress and current Education Director at Villa di Maria, shares the magic of hand-washing:"In the Children's House, this activity is not the utilitarian version that is used throughout the day at the sink, but a stand-alone table with a pitcher and basin. The activity becomes more of a meditation of the hands. The water, bubbles, and nail brush entice the young child. The many points of interest - the nail brush, scrubbing and drying each finger, pouring water, and waiting for the last drop, and applying lotion afterwards - guide the child as she lengthens and strengthens her concentration on this lesson in caring for the self."The hand-washing activity was born in the first Casa di Bambini and was introduced out of necessity. It was shown to elicit tremendous concentration, focus, and joy far beyond the point at which their hands were clean. Maria Montessori, in her keen scientific observations, noted that something about this activity was satisfying an inner need of the young child.Heather Steinman, Directress in Primary Three at Villa di Maria, shared in a previous blog post, entitled Mini Montessorians, that she imagines that as a young child, she would have been drawn to hand washing:"As an adult, I have watched many a child completely lose themselves in the process of hand washing. It is always fascinating to observe them as they meditate on the preparation of their most useful tool: their hands."As with many things in the Montessori environment, there is so much more going on than initially meets the eye. What beautiful, thoughtful work!

The Flora in a Montessori Classroom

Look around a Montessori classroom, and you will find lots and lots of plants. Plants make up an important part of the indoor environment and not only provide an opportunity for children to care for their environment, but also provide a calm, relaxing atmosphere, clean and purify the air children breathe. Plants kept indoors even enhance productivity, according to Norwegian studies of worker productivity and the presence of plants kept in work spaces. Other studies, including one from the University of Michigan, show that simply being around plants improves memory, concentration, and productivity for children and adults alike. On top of it all, they are beautiful to behold, and enhance the appearance of a classroom. They also provide a little privacy! Here, a child reads to himself within the comfy shelter of some big green leaves.Within the primary and elementary classrooms, there is also the important lesson of caring for the environment. Children are shown how to dust leaves, remove dead leaves, water, and otherwise care for the plants within their classroom. There is also the flower arranging lesson, to be covered in a future blog post. The flowers below were picked from one of Villa di Maria's own fall gardens.The thought and care that goes into each Montessori classroom continues to amaze and inspire. If you'd like to introduce some plants into your child's home environment, here is a list of easy-to-care for varieties:

1. Succulents (a jade plant is a wonderful slow-growing plant that thrives in bright light with little water, and a snake plant, also in the succulent family, grows more quickly)
2. Spider Plant (which does well in medium to bright light and likes to be kept moist)
3. Rubber Plant (grows quickly and enjoys medium to bright light)
4. Peace Lily (favors low light)
5. Philodendron (there are many varieties, most prefer indirect light)
6. Tradescantia (which has beautiful purple leaves - requires brighter light to maintain its color)
7. Norfolk Island Pine (shown above, which has a lovely soft texture and can grow quite large - up to 10 feet tall indoors!)

Happy growing!

Primary: Polishing

One lesson in the Primary classroom that deserves some attention is polishing. Jessie Braud, Directress of the P2 classroom at Villa di Maria, invites us into her classroom to observe a child engaging in the activity (and using some serious concentration). In Jessie's words: Polishing is one of the best activities there is for a young child! There is nothing quite like taking some tarnished silver or brass and working hard to make it shiny once again. The polishing work in the Children's House allows the child an endless cycle of activity; the object can be polished again and again and again… even more than once in the same sitting! There are some favorite classroom objects that may find themselves being polished daily (like our little silver hippopotamus, for instance!). This particular child really struggled with squeezing enough polish into the bowl, but she tried and tried and tried until she succeeded. Success!Another reason polishing is so wonderful is because, like many Practical Life lessons, it allows for the child to develop her logical sequencing. Every time the child polishes, the sequence of the activity is reinforced (first you lay out the materials, then you open the bottle, then you put just a little polish in the bowl, and so on). Polishing also allows the child an incredibly conspicuous result of their labors. The tarnish on the cotton ball and polishing cloths are a good indicator of their work, as is the shininess of the polished object.All of this unlimited work allows the child to continue lengthening and strengthening her concentration as well, which is another key component of a Practical Life activity. It also gives the child opportunities to tend and care for her environment. While the youngest children are unconsciously caring for their environment (because at their age, they are just polishing to polish), an older child is definitely polishing to make his environment more beautiful and pleasant for his peers and himself.Thank you, Jessie, for taking the time to explain the wonderful activity of polishing!