This year we as a School community are talking through ways to bring cultural celebrations and holidays into the classroom in an authentic and meaningful way. Celebrations and traditions are an important part of personal identity, and as a School, we find this to be a joyous way to learn about people in our community and around the world.
We began this work by asking our faculty and staff about the holidays they celebrate. Many were eager to share their traditions from all over the world. We’ve learned together about Navratri, Sukkot, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Hanal Pixan and Dia de los Muertos, Diwali, and Hanukkah.
This work has also woven its way into our classrooms through true stories, cultural items and artifacts, nomenclature cards, children’s books, and more. It has been beautiful to see the ways our staff and children light up when they feel seen and acknowledged.
We will continue this work throughout the year with holidays including Kwanzaa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Pride Month, and more. If you would like to share a celebration or tradition from your family with our classrooms, please reach out to us at community@greenspringmontessori.org.
Our DEIB work is guided by the four goals outlined in Anti-Bias Education:
Goal 1: Identity
Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable, confident, individual personal and social identities.
Children will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.
Goal 2: Diversity
Teachers will promote each child’s comfortable, empathetic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds.
Children will express comfort and joy with human diversity, use accurate language for human differences, and form deep, caring connections across all dimensions of human diversity.
Goal 3: Justice
Teachers will foster each child’s capacity to critically identify bias and will nurture each child’s empathy for the hurt bias causes.
Children will increasingly recognize unfairness (injustice), have language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.
Goal 4: Activism
Teachers will cultivate each child’s ability and confidence to stand up for oneself and for others in the face of bias.
Children will demonstrate a sense of empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.
“The child has a different relation to his environment from ours… the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul.” – Dr. Maria Montessori
Dr. Montessori saw the outdoor environment as a natural extension of the classroom. Working outside allows children to explore with all their senses, fosters scientific inquiry, and inspires creativity. Over the past several years, the Greenspring community has come together to create truly beautiful outdoor spaces on campus for this growth to take place. They have become a deeply beloved extension to the classroom. Now more than ever, these environments are an essential part of our Montessori approach to education. Below we have outlined what has been happening this year in our Outdoor Environments at each level.
Toddlers
Toddlers are still in the developmental phase that Dr. Montessori said could be characterized by an “absorbent mind,” in which they soak up information through their senses. So we offer rich opportunities in the outdoor environment to see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. Depending on the day, you will see toddlers watering plants, sweeping the sidewalk, washing windows, filling the bird feeder, digging in sand, sorting pinecones and acorns, pouring water through funnels, and more. The toddlers enjoy tasting the herbs and vegetables that grow in their garden!
Children’s House
Students in our Children’s House classrooms also tend to the garden – planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. Children also enjoy additional practical life, sensorial, art, and science activities, such as hammering nails into a tree stump, pumpkin scrubbing, creating geometric shapes from twigs, making collages from seeds, cutting zinnias for flower arranging, and experimenting with scientific concepts such as “sink and float.” On rainy days you might see students in the kitchen making apple sauce or baking pumpkin bread.
A Note on “Bad” Weather
Our Outdoor Environments are open year-round, meaning that rain and snow simply become part of the prepared environment! Children have rain boots, rain jackets, and outdoor gear for all seasons so that the weather becomes another sensory experience. Guides and Assistants in Montessori classrooms are also particularly mindful not to instill learned feelings toward particular weather, keeping language neutral and descriptive.
Elementary
The Elementary outdoor environment includes all this and also complements the science lessons happening in the classroom. Students learn to identify the bird calls they hear in nature, identify different animal tracks, and identify the parts of a plant by dissecting a specimen from the garden. Students conduct science experiments in their garden to learn about plant respiration, soil composition, and photosynthesis. The values of environmentalism, service, and scientific exploration are nurtured through these experiences.
Children are also ready for more exploration into the greater community. Field trips and Going-Outs offer valuable opportunities for children to experience the natural world in a new way. Recently, Lower Elementary students went on a field trip to Oregon Ridge Nature Center, sparking new research of local wildlife.
Adolescents
Dr. Montessori envisioned her Adolescent program as a working farm. So in addition to their classroom lessons and studies, our Adolescents honor Dr. Montessori’s vision by tending to a piece of our property called “The Land” – planting, tending to, and harvesting their gardens. The Adolescents also run a campus-wide composting program and give classes to younger students about how composting works and why it’s important. Over the years, we have seen our Adolescents caring for chickens, building a greenhouse, running a CSA, clearing invasive plants, and more. You can learn more about our Adolescents and their work on The Land here.
In September, Adolescents also went on a week-long Odyssey trip to Echo Hill Outdoor School on the eastern shore. This was an immersive community-building experience where the students looked closely at how our food is grown, a great introduction to their first science unit on the biochemistry of food. After returning to campus, students also created apple cider from local apples. They will be studying the process of fermentation and making vinegar.
The more children are outside, the stronger their connection with nature will become. As Dr. Montessori said, “When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their true strength.”
“The hand is the pathway to the brain.” – Dr. Maria Montessori
It may be hard for some parents to believe, but all children have the ability to really enjoy learning math. In Montessori classrooms, mathematics are introduced to children at 3 to 6 years old, enabling the child to form positive associations with numbers to be carried on throughout life. Scientific research supports that the key to developing this positive relationship early is to provide the child with hands-on experiences [source – https://www.hand2mind.com/resources/why-teach-math-with-manipulatives]. Dr. Maria Montessori demonstrated that if a child has access to concrete mathematical materials in their early years, they can come to their own understanding of the concept much faster than if introduced in an abstract form at a later age.
Think back to your own experience as a young student. Most of us learned math in school by memorizing the steps required to solve a problem. For example, when learning to “borrow” in subtraction, we learned to slash through one number and write another number above it, add a tiny number one in front of the number to its right, and then continue with the problem. Many of us learned how to do this without ever really understanding why we were doing it or what it meant. Yet for Montessori students, those mathematical symbols represent very concrete ideas that they have physically manipulated; they fully understand what they mean, how they work, and why.
At a certain point in development, usually around the age of 4, the child enters the sensitive period for numbers, and the child’s mathematical nature awakens. She graduates from purely sensory explorations to interest in specific measuring and counting. Once begun, the child progresses through the math materials sequentially. Montessori materials are scientifically designed to meet the child where they are, allowing for independent exploration. The materials are made to be self-correcting, allowing the child to learn as they go.
So, what are some of the essential Montessori materials for learning math? Here are a few of our favorites:
The Pink Tower
One of the first materials a child encounters in the Children’s House classroom at 3 years old is the Pink Tower. While this material may look like basic building blocks of conventional preschools, it is designed very specifically to introduce the child to the quantity of ten as well as basic experiences of order, sequence, coordination, and precision.
The smallest cube measures 1 centimeter cubed, and the largest is 10 centimeter cubed. In this way, the Pink Tower introduces the concept of base ten, which is also present in other sensorial materials such as the Brown Stair. When beginning the activity, the child carefully takes each cube, one by one, to their work mat. As the child builds the tower from biggest to smallest, they are able to work independently to determine the right order. If they place a cube out of order, they will quickly discover the tower doesn’t look quite right. This control of error is present in all Montessori materials and allows for the child’s self-discovery.
The Red Rods
The Red Rods are comprised of 10 wooden rods differing in length. The smallest rod is 10 centimeters long, and the largest rod is 100 centimeters, with each rod increasing by increments of 10 centimeters in length. The shape, weight, and color of this material is alluring to the child, drawing them in to learn more.
The Red Rods are introduced to children at around 3 years of age after they have become familiar with the initial sensorial materials in the classroom, including the Pink Tower, Brown Stairs, and Knobbed Cylinders.Moving the Red Rods allows the child to perceive the differences in length and weight. The child also expands upon their basic language of mathematics by discussing length, size, and order.
The Number Rods
Children are naturally drawn to the Number Rods after mastering the Red Rods. They are the same dimensions as the Red Rods, however, each 10 centimeters alternates between red and blue, showing the visual representation of each unit. The child is introduced to the number symbols and they learn to associate quantity and symbol.
With this work, the child is not simply memorizing 1-10 to recite back. They are learning that each quantity is a separate entity, known as one to one correspondence.
The Golden Beads
The presentation of The Golden Beads gives a visual and a very concrete experience of the decimal system and place value. With this material, the child learns the terminology of units, then tens, hundreds, and thousands. The child can literally feel the heft of the thousand square and see visually the relationship between the unit bead and the thousand cube.
The use of tangible materials allows the child to tap into mathematical concepts much earlier than in a conventional education setting. By physically exchanging (ie, carrying ten ten bars to the shelf and trading it for a hundred square), students as young as four quickly learn that ten tens are equal to one hundred. Montessori students discover that the “square” of a number (10 squared = 100) is literally the shape of a square and the “cube” of a number (10 cubed = 1,000) is literally a cube.
The Bank Game
Once a child is able to build a visual representation of a number, the Golden Beads are used to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers into the thousands. When students start using this material, one subtraction problem may take 20 minutes! But because it’s physical, social, and interactive, it doesn’t feel like work.
Children are given real-life examples of math problems, such as dividing a sum between their peers. This is a way to introduce them to solving increasingly complex problems while still maintaining a playful approach. A five year old may learn to divide 6,540 three ways to share with their peers.
The Stamp Game
When a student is ready to progress to a new challenge, either in Children’s House or during Lower Elementary, they are introduced to the Stamp Game. Instead of holding a large cube that actually shows the relative size of one thousand as they did with the Golden Beads, they use a representational material. These small square stamps are all the same size, but are differentiated only by their color and number label represent units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. Like the Golden Beads, the Stamp Game material is used to teach all four operations, with children adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing into the thousands. The Stamp Game is still hands-on, but slightly more abstract that the Golden Beads.
Since the elementary age child now craves variety more than repetition, other hands-on materials, such as the Bead Frame, Checkerboard, and Racks and Tubes are also introduced for computing all four operations.
The Trinomial Cube
The Binomial and Trinomial Cubes are three-dimensional puzzles that are introduced to children at age 3 or 4. The Trinomial Cube is made up of 27 color-coded blocks which fit together in a very specific way. Assembling the puzzle uses the child’s fine motor skills and requires the ability to observe the different characteristics of each block. Like other Montessori materials, the Cube is self-correcting. When it is assembled properly, it forms a cube that fits back into the wooden box. While the primary aim of the Trinomial Cube is to build a puzzle, children only later discover that it is a concrete representation of the algebraic formula, (a+b+c)³. You may recognize this formula from your own school days, but very few of us had the opportunity to interact with it in such a hands-on material. Through this process of discovery, children are able to grasp a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
Moving into Mathematical Abstraction
When the student is ready, they are shown how to record their work with the materials on paper. The paper is used to record the process completed with the concrete materials.
Having started with the Golden Beads, moved on to the Stamp Game, and then the Bead Frame, Checkerboard, and Racks and Tubes, at some point during this progression through the materials, the child experiences an “Aha!” moment and is able to “see” the answer without using the materials. The student understands the process so well, she can see the materials and can compute the answer in her mind. This moment is always thrilling to observe. The student feels pride and a sense of accomplishment that can not be matched by any lecture or quiz.
These are just a few of the many Montessori materials that are utilized daily in the classroom. By laying the foundation in the 3-6 year classrooms, Montessori students are able to understand mathematical concepts earlier and utilize problem-solving skills with more complicated math in high school and beyond.
To learn more about Mathematics materials in the Montessori classroom, take a look at this webinar from Greenspring Children’s House Guides, Lydia Farmer and Emily Shattuck – The Magic of Children’s House.
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.
Learn More About Our Programs!
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.
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.
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!
Beginning a new school year is a time of excitement and uncertainty for many new children. For some, it is their first time being away from home for a stretch of time. It is common for students (and parents) to experience feelings of anxiety; this is perfectly normal. These feelings are often caused by a fear of the unknown, as the child has no point of reference to draw upon when faced with a new environment or experience.
Separation anxiety can also be attributed to a child’s stage of development. Separation anxiety is a normal part of development, and most common for children aged eight months to two years; however, it can affect children of all ages. The first day of school, in a new room or level, can bring on a reoccurrence of separation anxiety in children who were previously settled. It takes time for young children to build relationships and establish a sense of trust with their new guides, so that they come to understand that their new environment is a safe and happy place. This is not uncommon, and is likely to settle once a new routine and relationships have been established.
Below you will find a number of strategies published by the Montessori Academy to help Montessori parents settle their children into preschool. Remember separation anxiety is a phase, it is perfectly normal, and will pass in time.
Positive Behaviors and Attitudes
Modeling positive behaviors and attitudes plays an important role in the success of the first day of school, and the weeks thereafter. Keep discussions about school positive, and focus on things that your child is likely to enjoy. Children pick up on parent’s feelings, behaviors, and emotions, and are likely to emulate them if you are feeling upset or uncertain.
Morning Routines
Establish a positive and happy morning routine for preschool days. For children over two, this may include encouraging your child to pack their own school bag or sing a happy ‘school day’ themed song. Always give yourself plenty of time to get ready and arrive on time. Feeling late or rushed can cause children to feel additional anxiety.
Acknowledge your Child’s Feelings
It is important to accept that your child’s unhappiness at being separated from you is real, very normal, and temporary. Reinforce that you understand that leaving your child makes them unhappy, but that it is important that you leave, and they will have a good time. Avoid offering your child bribes for good behavior or not crying as this is only a temporary solution. Learning to cope with sadness is an important part of your child’s development and learning about emotions.
Positive and Prompt Goodbyes
When you drop your child off, don’t linger outside the classroom or stay for “just one more minute.” As a parent, the best thing you can do is give your child a hug and a kiss as they get out of the car, let them know you love them, and reassure them that you will be back soon. It is important for your child that you do not delay the inevitable.
Establish a Goodbye Routine
Montessori parents who establish a consistent goodbye routine typically have better luck with successful goodbyes. Take a special moment with your child to say goodbye, and do it the same way, every day. This may be as simple as a kiss and a cuddle, giving your child a thumbs up, or establishing a ‘secret’ hand shake. A special goodbye is a great way for your child to start their day feeling happy and reassured.
Encourage Friendships
Make a point of getting to know your child’s friends and classmates at school, and encourage friendships outside of school. These friendships will help make your child’s transition to the new Montessori environment easier.
Pick Up Routines
It is important to be punctual when picking up your child. It easy to lose track of time, but no matter who is picking your child up, always be on time. If you are late, it can cause your child to feel more anxiety, and makes drop off the next time much harder.
Positive Daily Reflections
On the way home, establish a routine where you talk to your child about their school day. Focus on the positive aspects of their day, such as their favorite activity, or playing with their best friend. By consistently reinforcing the positive aspects of their school day, your child will learn that their new environment is a fun and happy place, and their feelings of anxiety will decrease over time.
One of the first materials a child encounters in the Children’s House classroom at 3 years old is the Pink Tower. While this material may look like basic building blocks of conventional preschools, it is designed very specifically to introduce the child to the quantity of ten as well as basic experiences of order, sequence, coordination, and precision. 
The Red Rods are comprised of 10 wooden rods differing in length. The smallest rod is 10 centimeters long, and the largest rod is 100 centimeters, with each rod increasing by increments of 10 centimeters in length. The shape, weight, and color of this material is alluring to the child, drawing them in to learn more. 
Children are naturally drawn to the Number Rods after mastering the Red Rods. They are the same dimensions as the Red Rods, however, each 10 centimeters alternates between red and blue, showing the visual representation of each unit. The child is introduced to the number symbols and they learn to associate quantity and symbol.
The presentation of The Golden Beads gives a visual and a very concrete experience of the decimal system and place value. With this material, the child learns the terminology of units, then tens, hundreds, and thousands. The child can literally feel the heft of the thousand square and see visually the relationship between the unit bead and the thousand cube.
Once a child is able to build a visual representation of a number, the Golden Beads are used to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers into the thousands. When students start using this material, one subtraction problem may take 20 minutes! But because it’s physical, social, and interactive, it doesn’t feel like work.
