Thank you to everyone who joined us this week for our MMUN Comfy Dinner to benefit the Upper Elementary trip to the Montessori Model United Nations Conference in New York. We are happy to share that the students raised $2,033!
To those of you who supported the students in planning, cooking, baking, and marketing this event, we thank you so much.
As part of our Allegiance to Nature at Greenspring Montessori School, our faculty and staff organized our annual Grounds Day event for our children and families.
Our Toddler, Children’s House, Elementary, and Adolescent classes took on various projects around our campus including cleaning, planting, and building a new compost collection bin, along with a special nature-based story walk.
Many families also worked to restore natural spaces on campus and make improvements to the outdoor environments. Thank you all for your dedication and support!
How Elementary Children Transition to Abstract Thought
The journey through Elementary education is a transformative experience. During the Elementary years, students begin a fascinating cognitive shift known as the “passage to abstraction.” This is when they move from learning with hands-on, concrete materials to making the leap to abstract understanding of concepts. Elementary students also develop the ability to think about abstract concepts, such as fairness, values, and beliefs.
The Foundation: Concrete Materials in Early Montessori Education
In the early years in a Montessori school, children work extensively with concrete materials that help them grasp fundamental concepts in subjects like math, language, and science. These materials—such as golden beads for place value or fraction insets for mathematical operations—provide a visual and tactile experience that makes abstract ideas tangible and relatable. Montessori wrote, “What the hand does, the mind remembers”. This concrete learning foundation is essential for students to later build a deep understanding of abstract concepts.
For example, a Montessori Lower Elementary student will first learn the concept of square root by making squares out of pegs on a pegboard. The square root is simply the length of each side of the square! Students practice finding the square root of numbers into the tens, hundreds, and thousands place, and how to record this on paper. At some point along the way, the student will have a solid understanding of the concept of square root and no longer needs the material. They have made the “leap to abstraction” with the concept of square root. But because of their foundation with the concrete materials, they truly understand the concept – can visualize it and explain it to others – in a way that isn’t possible when merely memorizing a formula or series of steps.
Transitioning to Abstract Thinking
By the time students reach Upper Elementary (4th to 6th grade), they are ready to start thinking more abstractly. Their minds are primed to go beyond the “how” to ask “why,” considering questions about purpose, meaning, and connections between different areas of knowledge. This shift happens naturally, and Montessori Guides encourage it by integrating hands-on materials with more discussion-based, reflective, and inquiry-driven activities.
During this stage, students begin exploring big questions: What is fairness? How do my beliefs shape who I am? What values do I want to uphold in my life? These questions arise organically as children study history, geography, and literature, and encounter real-world events that spark curiosity about the human experience. Montessori education supports this progression, blending academic study with moral and philosophical exploration.
Exploring Fairness, Values, and Beliefs
The concepts of fairness, justice, and moral values become particularly significant at this age. For example, a lesson on world geography might prompt students to consider how natural resources impact different communities or how access to education varies across the globe. These topics lead them to ask questions about fairness, equality, and responsibility, sparking discussions on values and ethics.
By studying the impact of historical events, such as the American Civil Rights Movements or the work of influential figures like Mahatma Gandhi or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., students begin to reflect on their own beliefs. This exploration is vital for understanding the diversity of human values and the importance of empathy, respect, and justice.
Abstract Thinking in Mathematics and Science
The passage to abstraction also becomes evident in subjects like math and science. While younger children may have relied on concrete materials to understand operations, older students begin to comprehend complex ideas without them. For instance, they might grasp mathematical concepts like prime numbers, probability, or algebraic equations through mental calculations and logical reasoning, applying these ideas to solve real-world problems.
In the sciences, they start exploring abstract concepts like the interdependence of ecosystems, the properties of elements, or even theoretical ideas in astronomy and physics. Their growing capacity for abstract thought allows them to understand not just what happens but why—fueling curiosity and fostering a deep love for exploration and discovery.
Being in Community
A core part of this developmental stage is the internalization of personal beliefs and values as they relate to their communities. Students learn to navigate the complexities of fairness, cooperation, and shared responsibility. They experience the power of compromise and the need to balance personal interests with the well-being of the group. Community Meetings are an essential part of the Elementary classroom where the students can engage in a democratic process, sharing their feelings, challenges, and accomplishments with the group. This setting offers a safe space for students to explore ideas and share their evolving beliefs, reinforcing a supportive learning environment where all perspectives are respected. Field trips and Going Outs also contribute to their moral and ethical development, as students begin to understand their role within the broader community.
The Guide’s Role in Fostering Abstract Thought
By blending concrete learning tools with open-ended questions, complex discussions, and real-world connections, the Guide in the classroom helps students develop a strong intellectual and moral foundation. In this way, Montessori education nurtures not only academically capable learners but also thoughtful, compassionate leaders.
At Greenspring Montessori School, we’re proud to be part of this journey, watching students blossom as they bridge the gap from concrete to abstract, from understanding how things work to contemplating why things matter. The passage to abstraction is an extraordinary developmental milestone, and Montessori provides an environment to meet the evolving developmental needs of students during this transition.
Students in our Children’s House Outdoor Environments have been immersed in a rich journey of discovery. Since the first day of school, we have been enjoying our explorations of the beautiful grounds on campus. Strolling by the dogwood trees, pine trees, fig trees, and colorful zinnias brings the children so much happiness and they are able to explore the campus with all of their senses. We were grateful to experience two weeks of rain, which welcomed an abundance of salamanders, slugs, worms, and even an amazing giant toad! The rain was a welcome gift for our plants as well. We eagerly await the stunning array of colors that autumn will unveil!
The children have been discovering the art of effectively using our garden tools, which can be quite a journey for our youngest Children’s House students. Through dedication, guidance, and the help of elders in the classroom, the children discover a passion for digging, raking, and utilizing garden tools.
With regular visits to the nature center, we enjoy feeding and engaging with Ivan, having snake-handling lessons with Nessie, and discovering the many different creatures that reside there.
The children in the Dogwood and River Birch class have been nurturing our Oak Tree Nursery, with four white oaks grown from acorns that are thriving in pots. They also have been enjoying the process of herbal tea making, with herbs from our herb garden! Mint tea with honey is a fan favorite.
Sit Spots
Starting in Children’s House, students participate in Sit Spots outside in all weather – a place where the child can sit for five minutes away from distractions to observe nature and enjoy time in quiet reflection. Sit spots are a way for our children to try out a new way to enjoy the world around them – observing the sights, sounds, smells, and touch of the natural world.
Our Elementary and Adolescent students have been exploring the Outdoor Environments, our campus, and even venturing out to learn about the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Lower Elementary
In Lower Elementary, students grew a large harvest of radishes as the weather began to cool. They sold the radishes to the community to benefit the victims of Hurricane Helene. Now they are setting their sites on the colder winter months ahead and working to build a low tunnel over their raised garden bed to protect their winter lettuce.
Lower Elementary students continue the practice of Sit Spots, heading outside each morning in all weather conditions for five minutes of reflection and observation.
Upper Elementary
In Upper Elementary, the students visited Echo Hill Outdoor School for an immersive three day trip. They had the opportunity to explore the Chester River by boat, complete a ropes course, and enjoy many team-building activities. See photos and learn more about their trip here.
Adolescent Community
Our Adolescents have been working to improve our campus rain garden, pulling invasive weeds and making way for native plants to thrive. They also ventured out into the Baltimore community to volunteer with NeighborSpace Baltimore to clean up local pocket parks, add native plants to rain gardens, and run tests in a local stream. The students loved meeting a local Baltimore artist and learning more about these communities. They had an opportunity to see firsthand how environmental justice can serve city residents with improved access to multi-use green spaces.
Upper Elementary students in fifth and sixth grade participate in the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) as an After-School Program at Greenspring Montessori School. MMUN is an international group that seeks to empower young leaders through research, cultural studies, critical thinking, and problem-solving. MMUN works directly with the United Nations and implements elements of the Montessori Method to create an enriching experience for students and faculty.
In the past, Greenspring students have represented the countries of Ukraine, Bolivia, Guyana, Central African Republic, Vatican City, Kenya, and Congo-Brazzaville speaking about topics such as reliable energy, women and development, people’s right to self-determination, racial discrimination and xenophobia, and conflict in the Middle East.
Elementary students meet after school for months in preparation for the annual MMUN conference in New York City. This year, our students will be representing United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and Croatia. The topics they are researching range from food security and water scarcity to gender equity and disarmament.
The MMUN program provides students in Upper Elementary the opportunity to learn about cultures, governments, and peoples of nations throughout the world. They put their research skills to the test, preparing a detailed speech and many written components. They discuss and debate as a group and develop critical thinking skills, trying to think from the perspective of representatives in their respective countries.
This experience culminates in a week-long trip to New York to visit the United Nations Headquarters and engage in dialog with other Montessori students from around the world. They learn together the need for peace and lasting conflict resolution, skills that will follow them through life.
Click here to learn more about our Elementary Program and here to learn more about Montessori Model United Nations.
