Rebecca's Tribute to the Graduates

This spring marked a very special occasion at Villa di Maria: the sixth year graduation, where nine of our most beloved students marked their move out of the VdM community. Their doting directress, Rebecca Callander, went above and beyond to honor them in her speech, which celebrates each individual and what they have brought to the classroom and beyond. Below, her touching words.

Good evening. I would like to open with a quote by Pablo Picasso:

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape of a spider’s web.

Our prepared environment for the school year was held in an international sculpture park, where we have interacted with world-renowned artwork on a daily basis.  Each child has had a chance to respond to Laumeier artistically, environmentally, personally.  The prepared environment of the park has indeed helped shape us from its sculpture to its sky, earth, scraps of paper, and butterfly chrysalis.

And how it has shaped you! You who have worked so hard each day, and it shows.  You have practiced making decisions, learning academic skills, and organizing your time.  You have shown courage, toughing out difficulties like friendship quarrels, a skinned knee, a failed experiment.  You have exhibited tenacity, working hard over long periods of time until understanding has been reached.  You have shown boundless curiosity, researching a whole universe of topics.  You have engineered countless projects and fixed materials, often independently.  You have pondered difficult questions of spiritual, philosophical, and scientific nature. You have shown true acts of compassion for people, expressing disdain for some of humanity’s worst decisions and desiring to make the world a better place.  You have conducted yourself with humor and kindness and have bonded together as a wonderful group of nine sixth years. Each of you has offered yourself to the community as an individual, opinionated and reflective, vulnerable, and has learned to be accepting of yourself and of others.

Picasso also said,

Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain one once we grow up.

I believe that artists are not just painters wearing berets with moustaches using ridiculous combinations of words like chronological ephemeral recontexutalization of the highest ordered sapien organism (Yes, Cameron and Seth, that is for you—do you get it?  It means the life cycle of the person in Artspeak!) I believe true artists are the individuals who can stay clear in their minds, allowing them to record life, to make connections across intellectual chasms, to draw parallels in history, to observe nature and “recontextualize” it as something new.  An artist is curious and responds to need. 

The child is naturally this.  The child is an artist by default without having acquired the ruinous quality of self-doubt, which while a great instinct to help keep us from danger, can atrophy the most inventive and expansive parts of us.  In Montessori, the young person stays an artist-- creative, interested, driven, exponential--yet goes a step further developing the discipline, focus, and perspective necessary to allow big ideas to happen in smaller contained moments, thus influencing all acts throughout the day. I believe that each of you will hold this potential to be an artist, forever and always.

I would like to take a few moments now to offer the audience, who love you and have chosen this Montessori journey for you, a few insights into how each of you is an artist.  I will do this by taking a cue from the prepared environment of the year, by comparing each of you to a sculpture found in Laumeier Sculpture Park.

Simon

To Simon, who is attending his brother’s graduation from West Point, you are Mark di Suvero’s Bornibus, strong and sensitive. Simon has consistently been drawn to the epic struggles of humanity and to how tenuous science and the laws of physics can be.  Simon in the classroom is razor focused doing square root problem upon square root problem, yet also sensitive, laying his head on his friend’s shoulder as a sign of affection. And, Simon has a dry and wacky sense of humor, which Bornibus also reveals, as this bizarre mythic beast crawls out of the forest onto the Estate House Lawn.

Kat

To Kat, you are Eyeball by Tony Tasset. Staring, indeed never missing a beat, you have gleaned so much from our classroom this year, being in lesson after lesson, and observing everything.  But the eye is not strictly for seeing; no, the eye is a symbol for perceiving.  You have been the voice of understanding and knowledge in the classroom and have offered us your wisdom throughout the year. And also, since you have a delightful sense of humor, replete with delightful accompanying laugh, what could be funnier than a giant eyeball randomly placed on a manicured lawn?  Well, maybe poking the eyeball with a stick, but that’s simply against sculpture park rules!

Seth

Seth, rolling along, you are Earthmover by Marie Watt.  There’s a lot going on in this sculpture! When a person first encounters Seth, they immediately sense his humor—giant tractor wheel randomly stuck in the mud?  Yup--ha! But dig a little deeper, and we see that there is way more to this piece than humor alone.  Like an earthmover, Seth, you are not afraid to dig a little deeper too, to work hard. And speaking of movement, Seth is an excellent timekeeper--always aware of schedules and everything going on--Seth has been an outstanding leader and has kept us moving along.

Julia

Julia, standing tall as a leader, you are Aurelia Roma by Manuel Neri.  Serene in your ability to be calm and centered, expressive in your ability to articulate your emotions and experiences, contrasting, like how the smooth marble juxtaposes with the rough-hewn marble, showing a mental toughness and a gentle response to others.  I also appreciate how you embody the traits of the marble sculptor, patient, and seeing a project several steps ahead. A people person, the figure suits you well.

Luke

Luke, you are the conceptual piece, St. Louie Bones by Robert Stackhouse.   St. Louie Bones references the dichotomy of concept: the opposition and merging of two rivers, flowing into each other, a debate of the currents, and, ultimately, a mixed resolve of the waters--a new perspective.  You are our class debater, you have opened our eyes to the other side of an argument and have done it well-- eloquently, logically, and with passion.  Get Luke going on politics or MMUN, watch out, the resultant dialogue will be electric! And, I also had to include this photo of you—it’s adorable. You seem to be holding the piece together, either that, or you are simply just ready to take a nap.

Bethany

Bethany, how could I not choose Cromlech Glen for you?  By the way, this happens to be one of my favorite sculptures of the park—I love the artist Beverly Pepper! She envisioned the sculpture as a gathering place to present poetry readings, musical performances or, alternatively, a peaceful site for meditation.  This spot definitely allows for reflection with its access to wooded landscapes coupled with the sounds of nature. How does this not perfectly reflect all that is you?  Art, expression, poetry, science, observation! Well, I suppose it’s missing kindness and generosity—but one art piece can’t have everything!

Cameron

Cameron, my poet, philosopher, geometrician, and human calculator!  You’re Dan Graham's Triangular Bridge Over Water, which unapologetically lifted from Laumeier’s website, is “Like a futuristic version of The Bridges of Madison County, as if designed by Albert Einstein, the two-way mirror panels attached to a steel truss reflect and absorb the exterior public space. This arrangement counter-intuitively creates an interior private experience where the self, bridge and woods are simultaneously reflected. The fixed dimensions of the structure are warped by the speed of the viewer who crosses the bridge; what you see is continually altered by the act of seeing.” Need I say more?  And I daresay, Artspeak…you’d be good at it.

Kaylee

Kaylee, one of the first things I learned about you was that your middle name was Acacia. I must therefore choose for you, Johann Feilacher’s Redwood I. Thinking of you trying to hug your arms around the circumference is quite hysterical, but if you could, you would, for your love for science and nature is among the strongest of anyone I know.  I also love how this piece stands tall, which you do at least 1000 feet into the air with your spirit and spunk.  The tree is a symbol of life and giving, with its sturdy woody stem made of xylem and phloem, which allows the water and food to nurtures the organism, like how through you flows friendship and kindness nurturing everyone around you.

Emily

And finally, Emily, for you I choose Tony Rosenthal's House of the Minotaur.  This piece is literally full of twists and turns and surprises, just as you have done for us all—taking your classroom work to the next level, being courageous in social justice, and showing us how many different paths you can take with your theatrical ability!  The bright colors remind me of your bubbly effervescent personality. And I agree with the closing words of your speech--you are definitely not throwing away your shot.

Friends, I am so proud of you. And yes, Bethany, each of you is your own work of art, your masterpiece.  I can’t wait to see what else you will add to it. In the words of Dr. Montessori, "Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create."

And create, I know you shall, for you all shall continue to take the path of the artist, because you have found the way, just as we have found our way back to Villa di Maria!  Full circle.

Are you ready to start your new journey? Please stand as we call your name!

Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your beautiful speech! And please check back for the individual graduates' speeches in the coming weeks! 

Jam Buns: A Summer Baking Adventure

With summer in full swing, the students and staff at Villa di Maria are up to all sorts of adventures! We're peeking in on some of our families to see what they've been up to. Today, Upper Elementary Directress Rebecca Callander shares what her son Winston has been up to (hint: it involves sticky fingers and small victories).Rebecca is full of good ideas, like the violet jelly she encouraged her students to make earlier this spring! Her son Winston has clearly inherited the make-it gene. He came up with the idea for jam buns and planned, prepped, and executed most of the task on his own!He made good use of his family's raspberry-blackberry jam (homemade, of course).The recipe came from Julia Turshen's cookbook, Small Victories. Look at these beautiful photos from the book!

The book also includes many variations of the jam bun, including cinnamon rolls, garlic buns, herb-goat cheese buns, monkey bread, salami bread, or buttery dinner rolls. Are you hungry yet?

The finished product:

Amazing job, Winston! They look delicious!

You can listen to an interview with author Julia Turshen, who talks about taking some of the stress out of home cooking, here on NPR. Thank you, Rebecca and Winston, for sharing a piece of your summer with us!

Spring Concert 2017

This year's Spring Concert was a fantastic production! Every year, parents are treated to songs, dance, music, and drama from the smallest children on up to the sixth-year graduating class. It is always such a treat, and this production was no exception. The Primary students gathered with their specific classes just before the show, all dressed up in their finest spring attire!The Lower and Upper Elementary children and staff met in separate classrooms to prepare for their performances. Here, the Lower Elementary children put on costumes chosen by the "costume crew" in the weeks leading up to the show. All preparations, including set design, costumes, dialogue, music, (and in the case of the Upper Elementary, lyric research and memorization and dance choreography) was conducted from start to finish by the students themselves.

Suspender application

Success!

Waiting so very patiently!

The Extended Day Primary students started the show with the Proclaimers' 500 Miles; Count on Me, by Bruno Mars; and The Way I Am, by Ingrid Michaelson. The rest of Primary joined in to sing This is My School, What's a Friend For?, Simple Gifts, Everyone Makes Mistakes, It's a Small World, and I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing. Nathan Jatcko accompanied the children on piano.

A necessary piece of keeping it all together? The Directresses and Guides on the sidelines, who deserve a big round of applause for their behind-the-scenes work on helping the children memorize all the lyrics to these songs!

Next up, the Lower Elementary, who put on a play about the Titanic, which covered class differences, dancing, a bit of history, and plenty of humor (also, dancing! There was dancing!):

And last but not least, the Upper Elementary, who presented on the graduating class, adding personal touches for each of the nine graduates:Some of the sixth-years got the audience moving (and laughing) with their rendition of Weird Al Yankovic's "Word Crimes," a parody of the 2013 single "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. The song spoofs misuse of proper English grammar and usage.The Upper Elementary also performed Medley of Farmer Refuted and You'll be Back, I've Been Everywhere, and Four Chords. Luke, Ben, Seth, Matthew, Liam, Daisy, Dominic, Emily, Marguerite, and Bella also did percussion throughout the performances, while Ben also did bass; Kamryn, Cameron, Katelyn, Elle, and Chase played piano; Joe and Ella played guitar; Klaus, Julia, and Kaylee played violin; and Lia played flute. What a musical group of kids!The whole show was a memorable, fantastic, tear-jerker of a night. Thank you to all the students and staff who made it all come together!

Happy Last Day of School!

Today is the last day of school here at Villa di Maria, though we still have a lot of fun events to look forward to: from the Spring Concert tonight to Field Day tomorrow, followed by our annual Dad's BBQ to our beloved 6th Years' Graduation. And just like that, summer is here! We look forward to hearing about (and sharing) your adventures, travels, and funny summer stories. Be sure to check back for posts on parenting, introductions to Montessori for those new to our school, and glimpses into summer in St. Louis and beyond!

LE to UE Visits

Some of the most highly-anticipated days this spring have been the visits of culminating year students to the classrooms they will join this fall. During these visits, children have the opportunity to get to know the Directresses and Aides with whom they will work for the next three years, making for a more seamless transition in the fall. And just as important, they experience the current classroom dynamics and have the much-needed opportunity to socialize with the older children they will join in a few months. During this particular visit, four Lower Elementary students visited the Upper Elementary classroom just in time to celebrate one Lower Elementary student's birthday! She brought treats to share with the entire class, then shyly listened as the entire class took turns sharing an adjective to describe the birthday girl. This was such a touching moment, as her peers complimented her friendliness, curiosity, effervescent personality, and athletic prowess. What a wonderful way to feel welcomed into the next stage!Lower Elementary culminating students also have the opportunity to receive lessons from Ms. Rebecca, which exposes both the children and the Directress to each other's personalities and strengths.At the end of the day, all students gathered to listen to a presentation by two sixth-year students. This particular presentation was about cancer, and the two covered an impressive amount of information about the disease. Watching the culminating year Upper Elementary students present also exposed the Lower Elementary visitors to the expectations of this next stage. Especially during this age and stage, modeling appropriate behavior and work is an extremely influential piece of the visiting process that sticks with the visitors long after they leave.Also noteworthy: these kids' commitment to skateboarding is pretty serious!We are all experiencing the excitement and bittersweet feelings that come with watching our children and students grow up and move up. As the end of the school year nears, may we embrace every moment!

Tadpoles!

In every classroom at Villa di Maria are some very tiny, very cute visitors: tadpoles! When Directress Jessie Braud discovered an abundance of the tiny creatures at her parents' unopened swimming pool (and after a month straight of record-breaking rainfall in St. Louis), she took it upon herself to save as many as she could. The mass email exchanges that followed between Jessie and the other Directresses and Assistants was heartwarming; everyone agreed to adopt the tadpoles, giving them homes in every classroom for children of all ages to observe, care for, and learn about. Though difficult to photograph (they are so very tiny right now!), we will document their progress as long as they survive to their next stages of development as the summer wears on.If you are interested in studying the life cycle of frogs, below are some good resources and materials to check out:

Growing Frogs, by Vivian French

Life Cycle of a Frog kit, by Safari 

Simulated Frog Dissection Kit

Also, if you're planning to spend time near ponds and in the woods this summer, be sure to check out Washington University's guide: Frogs and Toads of Missouri on this site. Have a hoppy day!

The Best St. Louis Summer Camps

Are you ready for summertime? It's just around the corner for Villa di Maria students - can you believe it's the very last week of school?! If the end of the school year has snuck up on you (as it has for many of us), and you're scrambling for summer camp ideas, rest assured that the St. Louis area is full of them. Below, a comprehensive list of the best summer camps in the area. Camp PegnitaWe may be biased, but we are very proud of Camp Pegnita- not only its rich history (it has been going strong for 70 years!) but also its dedication to keeping many of the great camp traditions alive over all these years. This is an old-school camp in which children spend nearly every moment of the day outdoors, enjoying archery, games and weekly themes, swimming, and more on the beautiful 6 acres of Villa di Maria's wooded green campus. This year is going to be even better, with new facilities and a beautiful big playing field!ArtScope St. Louis's Art of NoiseArtScope's most popular 4-day camp, Art of Noise, will explore sound, the idea of music, instrument making and alternative instruments in Tower Grove Park from 9am to 3pm daily for children ages 5 - 11. Sign up soon, this camp starts May 30th and runs through June 2nd! Check out ArtScope's other summer camps, including Planes, Trains, and Rickshaws, Magic and Mystery Camp, Printastic, Culture Club, and more here.The Magic House Summer CampsThe Magic House offers three different summer camp themes from which to choose: Electrify and Energize, Booms and Blast Offs, and Fantastic Feats. They also offer art-based sessions: Camp Artist and Camp Make-It. For the 4-5 year age range, there are Storybook Adventures, Fantastic Five Senses, and Naturally Curious sessions. Check out more here.Chess Summer CampSt. Louis is home to many Grandmasters (the highest level chess players), and we are lucky to be close to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, a non-profit, educational organization committed to making chess an integral part of the St. Louis community. Chess is a valuable educational tool that helps teach important lessons including problem solving, critical thinking, sportsmanship, patience and goal setting. Camps are offered all day, or mornings or evenings only. Check out the details and register here.Circus Harmony Performance CampLocated at City Museum, Circus Harmony Summer Performance Campis an amazing experience. Campers learn actual circus arts, including trapeze, juggling, wire-walking, and more! Then, these aspiring circus stars perform in the Circus Harmony ring daily during the second week of each session. After seeing these guys in action at our annual Circus Night, we're ready to sign up!COCA Summer Arts CampCOCA is one of St. Louis' premiere organizations for new artists and masters alike, creating an innovative environment for campers to learn, perform and appreciate the arts. This summer, the camps available include poetry, dance, drama, sculpture, songwriting, videography and much more. Options include week-long full or half-day sessions. COCA camps are held at two locations: at COCA's University City campus and in Creve Coeur at Whitfield School. Before and After Care is available. Check out the camp guide here.Dave Simon's Rock SchoolFor the musically-inclined, Dave Simon's Rock School is the place to go! Campers are placed into rock bands as they work together to record and prepare for their end-of-camp concert. Campers take private lessons on their instruments as well as every instrument in the band (guitar, bass, drums and piano). Summer Camp also includes workshops in songwriting, improvisation, and percussion. They have programs for kids ranging in age from 4 to 18. Check it out here.Endangered Wolf Center Summer CampFor your animal lover, check out The Endangered Wolf Center for their summer camp program. Located in Eureka, this camp provides children with the ability to explore the world of the wolf by visiting these amazing animals, playing fun games to learn about wolf behavior, and making crafts. Exciting hikes explore nature and some of the interesting places at the Tyson Research Center. There is also an option for younger campers, ages 4 -5, through the new Summer Pup Camp. Read more here.J Day CampsIn addition to swimming, lunch, field trips, and traditional sports, arts, and gymnastics, the J has added STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) Academies at and in partnership with Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School.  The J offers eleven weeks of camps and programs for kids ages 3-10th grade. Sign up here.Laumeier Sculpture Park Summer Arts CampA place that has become very near and dear to our hearts, Laumeier provides opportunities for campers to learn about artists throughout history, explore Laumeier's woodland trails and find inspiration in the artworks on view for drawing, painting, sculpting and more.Each weekly session features a different theme, and an Extended Day option is available for full-day sessions. Summer Art Camps are taught by local, experienced Artist-Instructors and are structured to encourage artistic development and self-expression through social and individual skill-building experiences. Check it out here.Summer Science Blast at St. Louis Science CenterSummer Adventures include flying a real airplane, building a robot, developing your own video game and much more! They offer eight weeks of programming for Pre-K through 10th grade. Half-day, full-day, and flexible extended care options.Whatever you decide to do this summer, be assured that there is plenty to do in our neck of the woods!

Gardening with Children

It's officially planting season in St. Louis! The risk of frost has long since passed, along with a very wet early spring. The benefits of gardening on people of all ages are many; getting out into the garden on a regular basis keeps you active and improves hand strength and dexterity, can boost your mood, reduces stress levels, and even help regulate your immune system. Gardening teaches responsibility and cause-and-effect, as well as a great appreciation for nature and its workings. Plus, if you decide to grow vegetables, your children are more likely to eat them if they aided in planting them in the first place! Below, some tips on getting into the garden with young children. Lower your expectationsWith young children, expect a big mess and not much actual help. Drop the goal of having your toddler or preschool-aged child help you do every single thing. Instead, set up most of the job ahead of time, and let them enter to do a certain task. Expect that they will become distracted and want to play in the dirt instead. This is okay, and actually quite healthy!Start with a SeedA great way to introduce children to gardening can happen indoors! Start a "growing jar" by placing a few wet paper towels into a large jar, gently tucking a few fast-growing seeds (pole beans are a great option) between the side of the jar and the wet paper towel, and placing the jar by a sunny window. Leave the jar lid off, and keep the paper towels moist, adding water every day if needed. Your child can check the daily growth of your bean plant by simply observing what happens as it sprouts!Invest in Child-Sized Gardening ToolsJust as there are child-sized dustpans, brushes, brooms, and other Montessori materials, there are plenty of child-sized gardening tools*! Avoid the cheap plastic versions that won't actually do the work of digging and hoeing, and instead provide your child with smaller versions of the real thing. They will enjoy using real shovels to help dig holes for small plants, a small wheelbarrow for transporting dirt, or hoes to break up tough soil. Teach them how to use the tools safely, and demonstrate what each tool is used for. *If you plan to order these tools, be sure to talk to the school, as there are benefits to ordering through your local school instead of online!Consider Starting with ContainersYou don't need a big yard or plot of land to teach children about gardening. If you're new to it yourself, consider filling a few big pots on a patio or porch with tomatoes, strawberries, lettuces, or a variety of herbs. If you decide to grow a container garden, be sure to use big pots, as the soil will dry out much more quickly than if it were in the ground. Enlist your child to be in charge of watering the container plants every morning (avoid watering at night, as it attracts mold, slugs, and snails). Giving her the responsibility of a daily chore in the morning can boost confidence and make a child feel important.Get Out into the Garden Yourself!Children watch us constantly, mimic what we do, and take cues from how we spend our time and the attitudes we have surrounding the tasks we engage in. If you show delight and joy in gardening, chances are, your children will too! 

Squirt Guns

Mr. Leo, the PE teacher at Villa di Maria, sure knows how to get these kids moving! A favorite activity during the warmer days has been squirt gun tag, which really speaks for itself...Half of the PE class runs to hide, while the other half fills up their squirt guns.Then, the countdown begins!

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

And they're off!After everyone has been found (and squirted), they switch sides.I can imagine we will all be playing some form of this game when the summer months are here! Thanks for the great ideas, Mr. Leo!

Yoga in the Classroom

The many benefits of yoga have been well established over the years. Practicing mindfulness and relaxation through yoga can calm and clear the mind; relieve tension, anxiety, and stress; improve concentration and attention span; expand imagination and creativity, and even stimulate auditory processing and responsiveness. It's no wonder that yoga is a favorite among the Lower Elementary children at Villa di Maria! Some of the benefits of doing yoga in school can be seen in the almost immediate change in the energy of a classroom; a bustling, busy, light-filled room quickly transforms into a quiet, peaceful place as tables and chairs are moved aside and non-participating children move to other rooms to work quietly. This is the perfect opportunity for children and adults to "reset" during the day.In fact, the benefits are just as great for the Guide leading the yoga class as it is for the children participating in it! Recent research suggests that providing educators with training in yoga and mindfulness skills may have several beneficial effects for those educators, including increases in calmness, mindfulness, well-being, and positive mood, improvements in classroom management, emotional reactivity, physical symptoms, blood pressure, and cortisol awakening response, and decreases in mind and body stress (Harris et al., 2016; Jennings et al., 2013; Kemeny et al., 2012; Nosaka & Okamura, 2015; Schussler et al., 2016; Sharp & Jennings, 2016). Even short classes can have a big impact!For some students, practicing yoga can help them become more self-aware, especially when it comes to managing their emotions and tuning in to their bodies' stress signals. The practice of yoga can help children identify how their bodies feel as they become anxious or stressed, as well as teaching them how they can quiet and calm their bodies when these signals arise.Villa currently offers Lower Elementary students two sessions of yoga back to back in order to offer enough spots for everyone who chooses to join. Session One clearly enjoyed the class thoroughly!Mindfulness training from an early age can provide children with good tools for dealing with the stresses of a fast-paced world, as well as helping them slow down and notice the everyday beauty in that world. Hooray for yoga (and yoga teachers)!

May at Villa di Maria

The Villa di Maria campus is bursting with color - especially all shades of green - thanks to all the rain that has fallen this spring. There are some wonderful changes happening on campus. Check in below to see all the beauty of spring here at VdM! Five beautiful young saplings have been planted on the west side of the Elementary building!There's also a new gazebo on the playground, the perfect spot to find some shade on those extra sunny days!The flowers, fruits, and veggies the children and guides planted last month are filling in and ripening up. We're surprised this strawberry hasn't been gobbled up yet!Here is the new Magic Circle, complete with sturdy benches and plenty of new green sod. We're hoping it lasts, but we'll settle for wood chips again if it doesn't!

A snack in the afternoon helps the transition from nap time to playground time

The outdoor prepared environment is the perfect place to work these days!

All the children, from Primary all the way up through Upper Elementary, have been busy preparing for the Spring Concert right around the corner, as well as the graduation ceremony at the end of the month. There's a lot to look forward to as the school year comes to a close, and to celebrate what a wonderful year it's been!

Circus Night 2017!

Circus Night at Villa di Maria has been a favorite event for many years for children, parents, and staff, and luckily, this year was no different! Magically, despite record-breaking rainfall leading up to the event (and immediately following the event), we were graced with one sunny, warm day to have our Chipotle, and eat it too! Below, a plethora of pictures and the low-down on our very popular Annual Circus Night at Villa di Maria.The days leading up to Circus Night were full of trepidation, as flood waters kept rising around the St. Louis area, shutting down roads and completely flooding areas near the Meramec River, including the original site chosen for Villa di Maria's off-campus location. Thanks to the quick-thinking VdM staff, the last minute location change turned out to be perfect (and dry)!The evening started with free standing stations for children to try as they arrived, including hula hoops, plate spinning, juggling, tightrope walking, bean bag toss, and ball toss games.There was also a temporary tattoo booth that parent volunteers helped run smoothly. Thank you, parents!There were also a few new additions this year, including a photo booth, where children could dress up and use props to take funny photos:The ball toss, a leftover from last year's event, sadly did not make it through the night, as it kept blowing over, then finally succumbed to the stomping feet and giggles of the masses.But perhaps the biggest hit of the night? The Upper Elementary's fortune-telling booth, which they worked very hard on leading up to the event. They managed to raise a good amount of money for their upcoming Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) trip.The fortunes were clever, and the children particularly enjoyed the process of the palm reading combined with the dramatics by the Upper Elementary children. What a fantastic idea!The small circus tents were a hit with all ages, and ended up rolling down a few hills as the night wore on!Face painting and balloon animals are always a big hit with the youngest children:Parent volunteers made the dinner portion of Circus Night a huge success, and it ran even more seamlessly than last year, with shorter lines for food and a reduction in food waste. Fantastic job and shout outs to everyone who helped with the planning, transportation, and execution of the delicious dinner from Chipotle!The final portion of the evening included a fantastic show by Everyday Circus, an offshoot of Circus Harmony. The three performers juggled, did a contortion act, performed acrobatics and chair balancing, hula-hooped a ridiculous number of hoops at once, and made the crowds laugh, cheer, and bite their fingernails with worry!Thank you, Villa di Maria, for putting on another fun night, and thank you, Jay, for taking many of these beautiful photos for our special night!

The Hat Game

Children in the Lower and Upper Elementary were treated to Mr. Justin's fun-loving ways on their trip last month to the Sheldon, then Forest Park for lunch and recess. Below, some fun photos from their game.Thank you, Mr. Justin, for the endless sources of entertainment! These kids sure do adore you!

Spanish with Mrs. Schwind

At Villa di Maria, children have more than one option to learn a foreign language. There's French with native French-speaker Sophie Andre, and also Spanish with Lower Elementary Directress and fluent Spanish-speaker Anna Schwind, who spent 16 of her formative years in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Below, a glimpse into one of her Spanish classes. Anna makes an effort to include all of her students in some exposure to Spanish. Each morning, she greets individual children with a handshake and a Spanish greeting, and sometimes an entire conversation in Spanish if they are open to it! However, choosing a foreign language is completely up to the child. For both Ms. Sophie and Ms. Schwind's classes, all Lower Elementary children are free to attend, or not attend, on a weekly basis.This means that some children attend both French and Spanish, while others choose not to attend either. Some students choose to attend one week, then not the next. And still others switch between attending French one week, and Spanish the next. Allowing for this flexibility can keep children excited and motivated to learn the language, rather than feeling forced into it.In this particular Spanish class, Anna presents the names of a wide variety of food and drink, while the children repeat (quickly and with impressive pronunciation) each word after her. They were all listening so intently, and so focused on the task, which can be seen by their body language below: all leaning in and effectively tuning out any distractions around them.We are so lucky to have such international diversity at Villa di Maria. Thank you, Anna, for your hard work, patience, and for sharing your childhood language with these lucky children!

Violet Jelly: Foraging + a Recipe

This spring, wild violets have been abundant. After picking a bunch during recess one day, some Upper Elementary girls decided that they would like to make something. After some research, they decided they would try their hand at violet jelly! Below, the process, along with the recipe.Upon Directress Rebecca Callander's recommendation, the girls directed their foraging attention to a spot near the Meramac River in Greentree Park (before the entire location flooded last week! The entire area we visited above was/is under several feet of floodwater!). We were able to pick 4 cups of violets* in just under an hour.

Six out of seven violet harvesters (one preferred not to be in the photo, so she took the photo!)

After bringing the violets back to the classroom, the girls sorted through and removed any stems that had been missed, then measured and rinsed the violets.

Interesting fact: the salicylic acid found in all parts of fresh violets is an active disinfectant and is also fungicidal! The spring pseudo-flower is what we see (the true seed-bearing flower is green and appears in the fall), and it is edible in all forms. Try sprinkling some on a fresh salad for color!

After removing the stems, the students poured boiling water onto the violets to steep overnight.The water almost instantly turned a beautiful blue color!The following day, the girls got back to work, following this recipe from Taste of Home. 

That's a whole lot of sugar!

Straining the liquid

Look at that beautiful color!

Violet Jelly (from Taste of Home)

• 8 cups fresh violet blossoms
• 3 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 package (1 3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 cups sugar

Directions

1. Rinse and drain blossoms; place in a large heat-resistant glass bowl. Pour boiling water over the blossoms and let stand for 2 hours (up to 24 hours), stirring occasionally.
2. Strain and reserve violet liquid, pressing with a spatula to extract all possible color. Discard blossoms.
3. Measure violet liquid; add enough water to measure 3-1/2 cups (liquid will be blue-green). Stir in pectin, lemon juice and sugar (the liquid will turn a violet color).
4. Pour into a large stainless steel saucepan; bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute.
5. Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot liquid into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 5 half-pints.

The finished product, which has a subtle, sweet, slightly lemony/grape-y flavor. Delicious and beautiful!*Only pick common wild violets for consumption from spaces that are chemical-free woods or lawns.  

PE in Lower Elementary

Every week, the Lower Elementary students are treated to Physical Education with Mr. Leo. The students are split into two large groups, with one group attending PE on Wednesdays, and the other group attending Thursdays. This keeps the groups more manageable as our school grows larger! Though the children have recess every day, during which they exercise, run, play games, and just generally get sweaty and dirty, PE is an opportunity for more structured physical activity. Mr. Leo is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to fitness! All of the children begin PE by running laps around the school, followed by a wide variety of games and sports. It's hard work, some report. "It's torture," explains one child, as she huffs and puffs on a particularly warm day after completing her laps.But rest assured, most of the children look forward to and thoroughly enjoy PE. Here, they learn about the rules of certain games, about the importance of physical fitness to the growing body, and perhaps most important, sportsmanship.Some take the games more seriously than others, but in the end, everyone has smiled or laughed out loud at least once or twice!And when it's all over, they are healthier and, in general, happier. Thank you, Mr. Leo, for doing such an amazing job coaching and teaching our children!

A Montessori Moment

During a recent visit to the Upper Elementary classroom, a Lower Elementary student approached Upper Elementary Directress Rebecca Callander with an insect she had found outside on a stick."What should I do with it, Ms. Rebecca?""Why, look at it, of course! Maybe you can identify what kind of bug it is!"After she and another student looked at it under a microscope, then researched insects in an insect identification book, she determined that it was a green lacewing. She then took time to draw the adult insect. Then, in Ms. Rebecca's words, "released the creature back outside, but not in the garden, because that would be bad for the garden."Truly a Montessori moment - the freedom and space for curiosity, investigation, and truly inspired, hands-on learning!

Practical Life: Making Coffee- Grace & Courtesy in the Primary Classroom

There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly ground coffee early in the morning, and thanks to the Montessori work of making coffee, the Directresses and guests of the Primary classroom are treated to these smells of home on a daily basis! If you happen to be a guest in a Primary Montessori classroom early in the morning, don't be surprised if a child approaches you to offer you a fresh cup of coffee - say yes, and observe the hard work and pride that goes into each cup!The grinder itself is an old fashioned hand grinder that was generously donated to the class, and is perfect for learning about simple machinery. It has a small drawer under the grinding mechanism to catch the ground coffee beans. The handle takes some serious wrist and arm strength to operate, so this lesson is often reserved for older Primary children who have built up their strength through other work. It also directly follows the tea making lesson. In Reghan McAuley's Children's House, only one child has been given the coffee lesson; however, that child has given the lesson to three other children on her own. It's an impressive transfer of knowledge, as there are many steps to remember!The child begins by setting up all of the necessary items and choosing a safe spot to work. After grinding the beans, the child removes the little wooden drawer, dumps the ground coffee into a jar, and replaces the drawer in the grinder.This process must occur over and over again, until the desired amount of grounds is measured (in this case, enough for three small cups of strong coffee: one for the Directress, one for the Assistant, and one for the guest/photographer!). Above, the child's left hand and wrist grip tightly around the base of the grinder to hold it steady while the right hand grinds."I like to use my right arm to grind. My left is too hard," she explains, after demonstrating the difference between doing it left-handed versus right-handed.The next step requires the child to boil water. This is done safely with the use of a glass electric tea kettle. The child flips a switch on the side, then goes to clean up the spilled grounds while she waits a few minutes for the water to boil.She also prepares the coffee filter while she waits. When the water is boiling, she notifies the Assistant, who pours the water into a glass receptacle with a lid, for safety. The child is extremely careful and aware of younger children around her, gently warning them to stay back from the hot water on the table where she works.A major tenant of the Montessori method is teaching and modeling Grace and Courtesy. This includes placing great emphasis on social interactions and thinking of others. In making coffee, the child does so partly for the joy of the work that makes her feel grown up and important, but she also engages in the work knowing that she cannot drink the coffee herself; rather, she makes it for the adults in the room.In this case, the child shares with with great pride her knowledge of how the other adults take their coffee. Without asking, she knows who likes it black and who prefers three spoonfuls of sugar and just a dash of milk! Serving food or drinks to others is a way of showing your care and respect for those around you. This type of work and mindset carry over into many real-world situations outside the classroom: holding the door for a stranger, greeting others, using quiet voices in quiet spaces, etc."Grace and Courtesy lessons give the child the vocabulary, actions, and steps required for him to build his awareness and responsiveness of those around him. This in turn gives the child a better sense of orientation in his social structure."  -Montessori Primary GuideThe tenets of grace and courtesy extend into the wider community from this moment on. They begin early, in treating others with respect and dignity, and move on to thinking of others and prioritizing their needs. Eventually, as the child grows, this service aspect extends to all parts of her life, as an integral part of how human beings should treat one another. It's a huge part of being a social creature, and one that cannot be ignored during the school day."It is interesting to see how little by little, these [children] become aware of forming a community which behaves as such… Once they have reached this level, the children no longer act thoughtlessly, but put the group first and try to succeed for its benefit."                                       -Dr. Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Upper Elementary Observations in Primary

Happy May 1st! This school year is winding down quickly, with many fun events on the horizon, including the sixth year graduation! As an exercise in reflection and preparation for this transition, the sixth-year students at Villa di Maria have been going back to their roots and participating in observations in the Primary classrooms. Below, some reflections from the sixth-years before and after observing the Primary students. Villa di Maria: What are your thoughts going into this observation?Kat: I remember a lot about Primary. I really liked it. I've never observed before, so I'm going into it with an open mind. Luke: I'm going to stay curious. I've been in Montessori my entire life. I remember my Primary classroom in Chicago really well. I especially liked the bells.Cameron: I don't have any memories off the top of my head; I'm just planning to see what the classroom is like, to see if I can relate to the Primary kids.The observations, which took place for an hour, left the sixth-years with an excited buzz on their way back to Upper Elementary. From identifying an overlap of materials to noticing how busy the Primary children were, to their shared amusement with the children who were curious about them, or the sheer amount of spilled water there was to clean up - the Upper Elementary children had plenty to say about their observations.Luke: There was so much I had forgotten about, things I had forgotten even existed, like the button frames and the smelling bottles...Kat: There were a lot of the same materials between Primary and Upper Elementary. These kids learn the materials at such a young age! I remember really struggling with safety pins when I was that age; I could never get them open, I guess because I didn't have the hand strength yet. Now it's easy for me. I have no idea when that happened...Cameron: I think some kids outside of Montessori could get really bored if they couldn't work ahead. The independence allows us to work at our own pace.Kat: I prefer working independently. I observed a lot of kids who wanted to work on their own, at their own pace. I'm still that way.Thank you, Kat, Cameron, and Luke, for letting us in on the observation! We can't wait to hear your graduation speeches later this month!

On Screen Time

Beginning this Monday, May 1st, Villa di Maria will participate in our annual "Screen-Free Week," during which we ask our parents to spend the week engaging their children in activities that do not require a TV, smart phone, computer, iPad, or other electronic device. It's a time to get outside, or go to the library or museum, to go for a bike ride, or explore a new playground while leaving the screens behind. Screen-free week is the perfect excuse to reset the screen time rules in your household if you feel they have gotten out of hand - just blame it on us! Below, why it's important to rethink screen time, and several suggestions for how to spend your screen-free week! It's such a sensitive subject these days: how much screen time should our children be exposed to? It turns out, the age of your child is an important factor in making this decision, but experts agree that too much screen time has a detrimental affect on a child's brain - even the developing brain that continues to change rapidly until the mid-twenties.Research has shown that too much screen time actually damages the developing brain, including gray matter atrophy (a shrinkage or loss of tissue volume in areas of the frontal lobe, which governs executive function), compromised white matter integrity, reduced cortical thickness, impaired cognitive functioning, and impaired dopamine function. It turns out, we parents really should be setting limits for our children when it comes to screen time."The first five years have so much to do with how the next eighty turn out" - Bill GatesIt is an interesting, well-known fact that Steve Jobs, Apple chief executive and creator of so many of the devices we now use on an hourly basis, strictly limited screen time with his own children. After first launching the iPad, Jobs was asked whether his children liked the new device. Jobs replied: "They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home."Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, limited screen time for his children to 45 minutes a day, stating that his daughter had already expressed a strong draw to the technology:"She became very avid and discovered a lot of computer games, including one that runs on the Xbox 360 called Viva Pinata, where you take care of your garden," he told a business audience in Ottawa. She could spend two or three hours a day on this Viva Pinata, because it's kind of engaging and fun."Gates and Jobs are not alone; "Especially in Silicon Valley, there is actually a trend of tech execs and engineers who shield their kids from technology. They even send their kids to non-tech schools like the Waldorf School in Los Altos, where computers aren’t found anywhere because they only focus on hands-on learning," states one parenting piece.photo credit: Melinda SmithResearch supports that children under the age of 10 seem to be most susceptible to becoming addicted to screen time, so limiting time spent on devices is most important within this age group. It is particularly important to note that during a young child's most sensitive periods of brain development, hours spent looking at a screen equal hours lost in building the important neural connections gained when children interact with the world through playing, reading, listening to or playing music, learning to navigate the physical world with their bodies, talking to adults and other children, building relationships, observing nature, and just generally exploring the world around them.Setting limits around screen time can be easy, as long as parents are consistent. Adults often grossly underestimate the amount of time they themselves are on their electronic devices, and it's just as easy to lose track with children (especially when they are quiet!). Setting a specific time of day or even a couple of designated days for screen time can help monitor children's screen use.Here is a list of activities you can engage in with your child during screen-free week here in St. Louis:

• Join us at the book fair, held before and after school next week!
• Go to your local library
• Explore a playground you have never visited
• Go for a hike (here's a list of places near St. Louis)
• Join us for Circus Night this Tuesday evening!
• See a concert or show
• Go to the Science Center, Magic House, City Museum, History Museum, The Butterfly House, St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Zoo, The St. Louis Gateway Arch, or have a picnic dinner in Forest Park
• Take up a new hobby with your child!

Join us next week as we celebrate springtime in St. Louis and go screen-free! You may be surprised by how little you actually miss those screens!