Learning from Home Archives - Greenspring Montessori School

A Natural Curriculum in our Digital Classrooms

For our students Learning from Home, the connection to the natural world around them is still alive and well. An understanding of the natural world plays a major role in all Montessori classroom, and it has been our big work to bring this curriculum to our students in a digital classroom as well.

“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature, to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature… so that the child may better understand and participate in the marvellous things which civilization creates.”

– Dr. Maria Montessori

Children’s House

In our Tillandsia class, the children were introduced to the parts of a plant, which led to many questions about plants, botany, and our earth. As we learned about the parts of the leaf, we looked at some real plants to understand how the leaf is connected to the whole plant. Why do we care about the midrib and veins? Because they carry water up to the leaf all the way from the roots! Why do we care about the blade? Because its flat shape acts like a solar panel to absorb sunlight! Why do we care about the petiole? Because it can TWIST the blade to face the sun! Why do we care about the stipules? Because they STOP the flow of water through the plant when it starts getting cold outside. What would happen if a plant tried to drink up frozen water? Why is the leaf green? Why does it lose its green color? We have been exploring all these questions in our ongoing study of leaves.

The children have also been making so many globes and maps of the world. Some are creating these maps from memory, and some have chosen to label every country on our continent. We just started exploring the flags of North America, and learned about the United States flag first. Some children chose to create a flag to celebrate their favorite animal, their family, a group of friends they are missing, their neighborhood, or their bedroom! They chose what colors would represent what, and what shapes could be included. Some children added chopstick or popsicle stick flagpoles so they could wave their newly created masterpiece.

Lower Elementary

As always happens at the beginning of the year in the Elementary classrooms, we have begun telling many of our Great Stories. These are stories meant to capture the imagination of the children at the beginning of the year, in addition to opening their eyes to the different disciplines we offer in the Elementary classroom.

Recently, we told the story of The Coming of Life. We spoke about how all the elements in the universe were following their laws, including the elements on earth. The Sun, the Rocks, the Water, and the Wind play as characters in this story, and in order for these four characters to continue following their laws in harmony, life was created. We talk about the first life form probably looking like a microscopic jelly, through the evolution of life in water, to out of water, to dinosaurs, all the way to humans and life as we know it now. Stemming from these Great Lessons, there are many opportunities to learn about chemistry, physics, biology, history, and so much more. There was an interesting hands-on lesson for the children on density and particles that involved water, oil, and honey. These early lessons have sparked an interest among the students to study space and volcanos.

Upper Elementary Elementary

Our Upper Elementary students are in a hybrid class with some students Learning from Home and others on campus in the classroom. This group also began the year with our Great Stories. Each year, as the children get older, they discover new details in the Great Stories that spark their interests in a variety of fields. One of the lessons stemming from these Great Stories was the parts of a river. Outside on campus, Mr. Brad demonstrated to the students how water travels through a valley, carving a river.

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If you are interested in learning more about the Montessori curriculum and whether Greenspring Montessori School is the right fit for your child, please schedule your virtual or in person visit.

Toddler Lessons in Independence: Meal Prep

If you have a toddler, you know they desire opportunities to be independent and explore something new. In the Montessori classroom, meal preparation lessons are a large part of how the toddler learns to care for themselves and others in their community.

Below, we go over four meal prep lessons – washing strawberries, cutting cheese slices, cutting apple slices, and cutting cucumber slices. Each one uses different kitchen utensils that are age-appropriate for young children.

After watching the lessons, you may wish to present them to your child in a similar way. By having the materials laid out neatly and inviting your child to participate, the lesson can become a fascinating new sensory experience for them. Plus, if you have a picky eater, they are more inclined to eat foods that they have prepared themselves.

Initial Lessons

Before beginning with meal prep, your child will need an introduction to work in the kitchen. This would begin with a lesson on how to wash their hands (and a reminder that we wash our hands before working with food every time), as well as a lesson on how to put on their apron. In the classrooms, these lessons build upon each other, teaching children how to complete a sequence of tasks.

Washing Strawberries

Washing strawberries is an easy activity to start with in the kitchen. Children love the opportunity to turn on the sink and use the water. We recommend having a learning tower or sturdy step stool to make it easier for the child to be independent in this work.

Apple Slicing

Apple slicing is another great meal preparation activity for young children. Using an apple slicer is easy for small hands as they are able to grasp it and put their weight onto the handles. Cutting the apples into smaller slices first makes this task easier for young children.

Cheese Slicing

Cheese offers a harder surface to cut into for the child. By using a chopping tool, the children are able to put their weight onto the top of the utensil. This is a great tool to begin to transition into using knives.

Cutting Cucumber Slices

Using a wavy slicer can create visual interest for the child. This type of slicer can be used for most soft fruits and vegetables, as well as cheeses.

A few items of note:

Before giving these lessons to your child, think about your kitchen space from your child’s perspective. Are there surfaces that are easy for your child to reach? Do you have a way for them to access necessities, such as the sink and the tools they will be using? If you are interested in setting up your kitchen to be accessible, we encourage you to read our blog post A Montessori Kitchen.

If you would like to learn more about kitchen utensils that are safe for your child, we suggest reading the Montessori Toddler Knives and Montessori Knives blog posts from How We Montessori. This blog also shows the progression of knives from one to three years old. These posts provide a good overview of different types of knives that are appropriate for young children and why it is important to expose children early to kitchen safety.

Try it out!

Take some time this week to try one or more of these meal prep activities with your child. If they love a certain fruit or vegetable, you may want to try preparing that in a similar way. Let us know how it goes!

What quarantine has taught me about being a Montessori Toddler parent

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Kimberly Zerfas and I am the Director of Marketing at Greenspring. I am also the mom of an exuberant 18-month old who will be joining the Young Toddler Program in the fall. Two months ago, our life was very normal. Our son was at a traditional daycare and we were beginning to lay the groundwork for his Montessori education. I never would have expected I would be working and parenting from home for months amid a global pandemic.

Now, our days look very different. Amid working remotely and my husband teaching public school online, we are now also responsible for our son’s education and care during those same waking hours. We’ve learned a lot through trial and error, and through books, articles, and just about any means we can get our hands on now. From feverishly scouring the internet on ways to get a toddler to eat to re-evaluating our thoughts on screentime because our son is so in need of any human connection – we’ve been there.

Some days are harder than others, but there have been a few things we’ve learned that have kept things moving along smoothly in our small corner of the universe. In our efforts to cope during these times, we’ve naturally begun adapting a Montessori approach at home. I’m going to dive in to some of the things that have worked, that haven’t worked, and the things that keep us sane during this time.

Before jumping in, I want to take a moment to acknowledge how truly privileged we are during all of this. We live in a two-parent household where we are both able to work remotely while sharing the division of labor. Our employers are flexible with our working hours and are constantly checking in to see what we need and understand what we are experiencing. We have access to greenspace and a number of child-friendly resources that were already in our home. We also have a working knowledge of child development from our careers, as well as a network of other educators to bounce ideas off of. We understand that each parent is going through this collective experience in a different way and not everything that has worked for us will work for you. That said, this is what I’ve observed these past five weeks.

Keeping to a routine

We have been firm believers in a routine for our son since he was born. But since we weren’t with him most days, we didn’t have a set structure for his waking time. On weekends, we would often go out to do things – going for a hike, going to the grocery store, taking swim lessons – anything to avoid boredom. So when the world basically shut down, we were left wondering, what do we do?

At first, we were determined to do a lot of education during those waking moments – learning words, reading books, sorting colors. This quickly diminished into survival mode, and our son actually showed us that he had more of his own internal sense of routine. When we scaled back to look at what pieces of a routine were absolutely necessary, it ended up matching closely to what is done in a Montessori toddler classroom. We focused first on his needs – we observed him to see when he needed to eat, when he needed to go to the bathroom (we are working on toileting – more on that later), and when he needed to sleep. We took our cues from him and then wrote out what seemed to be working best. Now, for about three weeks we have been following this schedule for basic needs.

In addition to that schedule, we determined that there were a few other things we wanted to focus on during this time: outdoor time, human interaction, and independent play. So, we returned to our schedule to intentionally add in when we would go for walks around the neighborhood, enjoy free time outside, and provide opportunities for him to see other people (even if it meant being on a screen). We also set up a space for him to work independently – bringing up an unused end table from our basement and a few child-sized chairs. Having this space did so much for his desire to sit for longer periods with a toy or something that he was interested in. It doesn’t always mean that I am able to finish the dishes or craft an email – raising him is still very much hands-on – but we can see how it is helping with his concentration and independence.

In between all of these scheduled moments, we create new learning opportunities out of day-to-day activities, such as folding the laundry, making a meal together, washing hands, and so on. One of the things that has really struck me was reading that just about anything is a teachable moment for this age. And we have seen it with our son – in just over a month, he has learned so many new words and gestures – not because we are practicing flashcards as we were in the beginning, but because we are conversing with him throughout the day about everything we are doing ourselves. Like in a Montessori classroom, we’ve been able to slow down and include him in more of our day-to-day activities, giving him some ownership.

As we move forward, we approach each day with flexibility – we may not be able to do everything we planned and we try to be kind to ourselves, even in those moments.

What’s worked well

For us, setting up the independent workspace for him was imperative. We are now seeing all of the areas in our home that have been inaccessible to him – we had to hold him up to get on the toilet or wash his hands; he had no way to access food on his own; even his toys were primarily kept in a trunk that we opened when it was time to play. We are already brainstorming things we need, such as a learning tower in the kitchen, but we are also making our own solutions, such as using a step ladder in the bathroom for him to easily access the sink. This shut down has encouraged us to find new ways to use what we already have to meet our new and evolving needs for our son.

What we’ve adapted over the weeks

We entered into this new arrangement not only with some rigidity around learning and scheduling, but also around our expectations of ourselves. It is a stretch for any parent to manage work and raising a toddler during the same waking hours. By giving ourselves more grace to make mistakes and learn from them, we have really been able to reframe this time in our lives. It is still by no means easy, and we are ever-changing and evolving to his needs.

One example would be with toileting. We have been gradually introducing our son to toileting since January. We have been using a toddler-sized seat on the toilet and we have been taking him throughout the day. Early on in our stay at home, we decided we were going to switch to underwear cold turkey. But with this new added pressure of going every half hour, he began to resent going at all. We had more accidents during this time than any other. As soon as we relaxed our expectations and focused more on making the experience easier for him, the accidents stopped (most of the time). We still have toileting on our daily schedule, but we go hourly and we try to take our cues from him. He is now beginning to tell us when he needs to go, instead of us telling him!

What we most look forward to during our days

I honestly look forward to our walks around the neighborhood and anything active we can do together. From singing and dancing on a Zoom call (I’ve never known the words to so many kids’ songs in my life!) to waving to passing cars, I’ve found that my son really needs consistent and meaningful human interaction. He has begun telling me some of the things he sees on our walks – “dog”, “duck”, and “flower” – just another example of how much he is growing during this time.

I also love all of the little in-between moments. Before, I would find myself waiting until late at night to do laundry or other chores, but I’ve realized that he really enjoys helping. From pouring the dog food in the morning to prepping lunch, we are now always looking for ways that he can contribute meaningfully at home.

The parenting resources we’ve used

I was in the process of reading No Drama Discipline by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson when schools closed. This was a timely book for us and my husband decided to read it as well. In addition to that, I’ve been looking at resources from Hand in Hand Parenting, Aha! Parenting, and the Greenspring website. I’ve found that using the tools of a Montessori guide – observing the child, having a prepared environment, providing the time and space for independence, and embracing the day-to-day or “Practical Life” activities has served us especially well during this time.

We know that there is still a lot we will learn and we have a long way to go until life returns to “normal” – if that is even a word that can be used anymore. We know that things will be different once we get through this, and for us, that means having a better understanding of our son’s needs and how to support him in his ongoing development. It means that we will have a greater appreciation for each person who touches his life – from teachers and friends to his very special grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

How are you getting through this? What has worked well for you and your family? What do you most look forward to each day?