In November we held our whole school Gifts of Autumn gathering. The children shared gratitudes, poems, songs, and nature finds. They “broke bread” together and enjoyed one another’s company. It was such a joy to see all of our children and adolescents together before the Fall Break. Enjoy a few photos below!
We are so grateful to Greenspring Parent, Nila Berger, for working with our Elementary students on mindfulness and movement this year. Nila is focused on several aspects of supporting the children in their growth and development. On the surface, she shares yoga techniques and philosophy to help them ground and center themselves, but the real work she is doing with the children is giving them the tools to help with self-regulation of their nervous system, as well as raising their level of self-empathy and societal empathy as well. Utilizing yoga philosophy, she gives the children activities from breathing prompts to journaling about their emotions especially when those emotions are ones that children (and adults) struggle to grapple with. The benefits of Nila coming into our room are so vast. She gives the children the ability to become more self-aware, regulate themselves, and build self-confidence. Learn more about Nila below!
Nila believes in creating a space where her students can make their practice their own and be their true authentic selves. Along with teaching yoga at various Baltimore area studios, she leads team-building activities for the varsity athletic teams at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) including stress management classes. She lectures on building resiliency through mindfulness at JHU and sits on the task force for overall student wellness at the University. She also built a post-trauma yoga program along with the University’s Counseling Center that launched in 2018.
Our Children’s House elders are participating in the Roots and Shoots program for their Writers’ Workshop this year. Roots and Shoots is a writing program created by Jane Goodall’s daughter Angel in tribute to her mother. The program focuses on empowerment and an understanding that anyone can make a difference if you persevere and care!
Their focus is on learning about and paying tribute to change makers, beginning with sharing the story of change-maker, Jane Goodall. The classes recently completed a group book about Jane Goodall. They read Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell and Jane Goodall: A Champion of Chimpanzees by Sarah Albee and shared their favorite moments from the books. Each writer picked two interesting facts that they learned about Jane and wrote and illustrated them for the book.
They are so proud of their work together and each child will receive a copy to bring home with them. We love this as a journey to practice handwriting and bookmaking, all while demonstrating their knowledge of Jane Goodall and her impacts on our natural world. We can’t wait to see the future projects in store for our Children’s House elders.
Scroll through this post to see what our students have been up to in our Enrichment classes this fall.
Jackie Dorr
This semester in Lower Elementary Art, the students built mosaic nature sculptures. Then they began a unit on drawing where the students had a guided drawing lesson on how to draw scarecrows in a crop field. We had a lengthy discussion where they were encouraged to make their scarecrows unique and their own. After drawing the scarecrows, the students outlined their pencil drawing with oil pastels. Lastly, we had a discussion about color theory as they painted their scarecrows. They were encouraged to create their own shades and tints of colors as they painted their drawing in their own, unique way.
In Upper Elementary Art, we’ve been bringing a lot of nature into our work. Upper Elementary just finished painting watercolor galaxies where they learned very carefully how to blend colors together. Most recently, we have looked at the works of Andy Warhol, specifically his pop art. Inspired by Andy’s work, we’ve been exploring printmaking with sunflowers. In early November, we are going out into nature to collect items to use for our printmaking work. At this point, the students have experimented enough with printmaking to be familiar with it. They are encouraged to experiment, be creative, and really dive deeply into making their work their own.
Coach Bry Huston
In Physical Education class, students at all levels focused on developing throwing skills. We engaged in activities that supported underhand and overhand throwing while still supporting body movements, body awareness, and body control.
Jackie Dorr
Children’s House students have been learning how to sing and play a c major scale on the bells. I can mix up the order of the bells and have the students put them back in the appropriate places to create a scale. We are also focused on developing their singing voices while incorporating songs about nature and Halloween.
This semester in Lower Elementary music classes we’ve been focused on learning how to read music. The classes learned a song on the steel pans by ear, and then learned how to write out the song on a musical staff. (See attached video)
In Upper Elementary music, students have been analyzing the music for Sweet Child of Mine by Guns & Roses. After they analyzed the music, they were asked to go find an instrument they connected to so they could start learning the music they had just analyzed.
In addition, as we have begun preparing for the Winter Show, they have also analyzed some steelpan music and are currently working on how to perform the music they analyzed. There has been a huge focus on note reading as well as rhythmic development and putting pieces together as one big ensemble.
In Adolescent Creative Arts, the students have been working diligently writing their own piece of music together as a band.
Ale Equivel Castillo
Children in our Spanish Dual Langauge Program have been learning about the Mayan celebration of Hanal Pixan, and the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos! The children created decorations for their ofrenda. The Lower Elementary students are also making sugar skulls in honor of the holiday.
Children’s House students have been learning colors, family members, animals, numbers in Spanish. Children’s House elders (kindergarten year) create booklets to strengthen their Spanish reading and writing as well.
Sherry White
Every Children’s House class has a weekly story time visit followed by a book checkout. Students are introduced to the skills and concepts needed to navigate the library, such as selecting a book, check-out procedures, book care, and the parts of the library. Library books are circulated for a period of one week. Each class has a scheduled library day and books need to be returned the following week in order to check-out additional books. Each library visit includes a purposeful read-aloud. Some of our stories this month have been My Autumn Book, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin, The little Blue Cottage, and In the Middle of Fall.
Lower Elementary students visit the Media Lab once a week to build their keyboarding skills using edclub.com. This online resource is used to teach correct finger-to-key movement across the entire keyboard. It is a highly effective tool that helps students at all skill levels improve their typing ability through guided lessons and engaging assessments. The student experience is designed to be clean, straightforward, engaging, and fun. It is a highly effective tool that helps students at all skill levels improve their typing ability through guided lessons and engaging assessments. Students are provided with continuous feedback on their progress every step of the way and are motivated to repeat each lesson to master each step prior to proceeding. Students are provided with an optional virtual keyboard and virtual hands on their typing interface to assist them when using the correct fingers when they are practicing each lesson. The carefully designed lessons include instructional videos, educational games, cross-curricular content, and other interactive experiences.
Learning to be – this is every toddler’s goal. It is both simple and richly complex. Between the ages of 2 and 3, the child is newly aware of possessing their own identity separate from their family, and they are ready to truly be that person, with full independence.
A critical element of this self-realization is the ability to communicate. The toddler is beginning to understand conversational language and they are working to express their own thoughts, experiences, and feelings. They are yearning to label every object in their environment and know every detail of the work they find in the classroom. They are reaching for the words to seek help effectively in moments of struggle. In the Montessori method, we approach the toddler’s sensitive period for learning oral language strategically to help ignite their understanding of language and the world.
One of the most crucial elements of a toddler’s journey in language is conversation. In Montessori, we believe that the most powerful way to learn a skill is through practice, and conversations provide the ultimate “learning by doing” experience. The conversations that toddlers have with adults in the classroom provide them with richness – the knowledge that they are respected and seen, they feel valued for their opinions and feelings, and an opportunity to practice articulation with someone who can echo words back to them with exact pronunciation. These conversations provide them with a model of conversational etiquette and flow. It is through conversation that the young child learns the confidence to express their heart. Through this process, toddlers learn the functions of conversation—conflict resolution, self-expression, storytelling, clarification, and so on. In the Montessori classroom, we aim to converse with children throughout the morning—upon arrival, between a child’s tasks in the work cycle, and especially at the snack table. Any item in the room, event in our day, or thought from a child becomes a worthy and captivating topic.
Conversations between adults and children are spontaneous and natural in our Toddler classrooms, with the adults focusing on receptive and expressive language. Receptive language refers to what children can understand, such as following directions. Expressive language refers to what they can communicate with words and/or gestures. Adults minimize directive language (e.g., “Put your shoes here. Sit down. Wipe your nose.”) to provide space for meaningful, rich conversation.
We also use poems and songs to introduce new language to children. Rhythm and cadence can help children hear words more clearly. Poetry and music can also bring concepts to the child’s mind in a manner that connects them with his heart. We often give toddlers the option to sing or review poetry as a group, and these activities are available in the classroom for individual work or lessons.
With all these language tools in his belt, the toddler is ready to take on the world and build himself into the world citizen that he was meant to be. He will take with him all his accurate knowledge, confident self-expression, and the songs in his heart, and will approach the world with compassion and curiosity.
Accurate language is another crucial tool for building a toddler into an effective communicator. Children create themselves from the tools they are given, so it is fundamentally important to communicate with children clearly and accurately. As we model speech, we enunciate as precisely as possible, and echo back correct pronunciation of the child’s mispronounced words in natural conversation. Beyond enunciation, we strive to give the child exact names for the elements of his environment and a detailed understanding of his world. In our Montessori environments, we provide children with exact names for every item in our environment, and for each of its parts. Baskets on the shelfs contain unique pictures and objects, exposing the children to new and interesting things.
Additionally, true stories give toddlers a unique learning opportunity. They provide details about the world the child would not otherwise have, as well as an understanding of the concepts of beginning, middle, and end. These stories help children understand how life happens in the real world – an understanding that they desperately crave. We also gift children with the opportunity to tell their own stories. Nothing is more beautiful than hearing the story about his baby sister that he is bouncing in to tell us. Storytelling is a daily part of our community life, and anything can serve as inspiration, from our family and friends to our breakfast.
Toddlers have a need to understand the world, and part of that is learning to differentiate between facts and opinions. In our classroom, we introduce both concepts on a daily basis. We let the child know that the details provided in lessons are facts, and ask them what they think of pictures in books. We help them understand the difference between those true details learned in lessons and the opinions that are expressed.
Our Toddler Montessori Program serves children ages 18 months to 3 years at Greenspring Montessori School. Click here to learn more.
A Planet Like Ours by Frank Murphy
Our planet Earth is as individual and special as each one of us. It’s ability to sustain and nurture life is unique in our solar system–and beyond. In this book, celebrate all the wonderful, miraculous, astounding qualities of our Earth while learning how to protect her for future generations. Afterall, “If not us, then who?” From award-winning author Frank Murphy and Here Wee Read blogger, Charnaie Gordon.
What’s That? By Karen Chan
Jax loves the food his family cooks. But when his grandmother packs his favorite Chinese dishes for his first day of school, Jax discovers his lunch looks very different from what the rest of his classmates are eating. Embarrassed to eat his food, Jax finds himself sitting alone. When Meena sits next to him, the two strike an unexpected friendship over their lunches, sharing a mutual joy of time spent in the kitchen and the delicious meals they eat with their families. What’s That? is a heartwarming story about the foods that make up who we are and how the meals we eat can bring us together.
Silence by Nivola Uya
Silence visits me at the riverside. Then he hides. What if I can spot him between the waves of cool water? Or does he rest in the high mountains? Maybe inside the trees? What if I could go find him?
A quiet river, a special girl’s gaze and the wise natural world invite us to listen soundlessly to what cannot be heard. The illustrations with paper cutouts and candy lighting create a symbolic adventure between dream and reality.
Making Happy by Sheetal Sheth
When Leila’s mother gets sick, lots of things change for her family. But one important thing stays the same: they still have each other, and they know how to find joy and laughter when they need it most! The poetic, uplifting story and hopeful ending are based on the author’s own experience battling cancer as the parent of young children.
Together with You by Patricia Toht
For one grandmother and grandchild, keeping dry in spring showers is easy when dashing through the drops side by side. In summer they stay cool with a squirt of the hose, then savor frozen treats in the shade. In autumn, snug in sweaters, they fly a kite while leaning into each other against the wind. And winter finds them nestling under blankets, sipping cocoa and watching the snow quietly fall. Narrated as a kind of love letter from a young child to a grandparent, this picture book pairs Patricia Toht’s safe, tender text with gentle art from Jarvis that meets it at every turn. An ideal gift from grandparent to grandchild (or the other way around), this charming story makes it clear that “no matter the weather, whatever we do, every day’s better together with you.”
Pond by Jim La Marche
When Matt is out for a late winter hike he sees a trickle of water in the old deserted and junk-filled dirt pit at the edge of his neighborhood. With quiet appreciation, Matt can imagine the pond that must once have been there, shining in the early spring light, freezing in the winter for skating, and the perfect place for swimming in the summer.
Can Matt’s discovery transform a forgotten pond into its natural wonder? With his idea of making the pond whole again, Matt rallies his friends, Katie and Pablo, and together they work through the spring, clearing debris, moving rocks to hold the water, and looking for leaks. But would there be enough water to fill the pond? Can they bring the pond back?
The Book About Turtles by Sy Montgomery
Everyone loves turtles. And no wonder: long-lived, unhurried, and ancient, these shelled reptiles are fascinating.
Turtles are also endlessly surprising. There are turtles with soft shells, turtles with googly eyes, turtles with necks longer than their bodies, and turtles whose shells glow in the dark!
And each turtle, of each of the more than 300 kinds, is an individual. You’ll meet some of them here: Lonesome George, the last of his kind on Earth. And Myrtle, the 90-year-old green sea turtle, who has more than 7,000 followers on Facebook.
What questions might you ask a turtle? You’ll find many of the answers in this gorgeous compendium—and perhaps be inspired to help at a time that these reptiles, who evolved at the same time as the dinosaurs, face the deadliest dangers of their more than 380-million-year history.
Wild Colt by Lois Szymanski
Join a wild colt as he follows his herd through long summer days in the wetlands of Assateague Island. Light, rhyming verses and beautiful oil paintings carry the reader along, sharing the sights and sounds these famous ponies experience daily. See the colt run along the ocean, buck and kick, chase mosquitoes, and eye turtles and deer at the water hole. This picture book introduces the reader to the life of a Chincoteague pony colt in his coastal habitat beginnings until he is rounded up during the famous wild pony auction and Pony Penning on Chincoteague Island. Educators can bring the wild colt experience into the classroom with the included wildlife identification guide, discussion topics, and facts about wetlands.