Spanish Education Archives - Greenspring Montessori School

Adolescents Travel to Merida, Mexico for Spanish Language Capstone Trip

In March, our Adolescent students ventured to Mérida in the Yucatán region of Mexico for a seven day Spanish immersion trip. The goal of the capstone trip was for our Adolescents to connect with our sister school – Lancaster Montessori – while having a cultural immersion experience. Throughout the week, the adolescents were responsible for purchasing groceries and preparing meals together and they enjoyed many team-building activities and cultural experiences. Some of the highlights of the trip included:

Local Foods and Culture

We had the chance to visit the local market in the heart of downtown Mérida for an opportunity to explore the city with all of our senses. We saw how vendors make fresh tortillas and the many different local fruits that Yucatán has to offer. During the week, the students tried marquesitas, a typical sweet treat from Yucatan that they loved. We also visited Dulceria y Sorbeteria Colon, an ice cream shop that has been open since 1907, where some of the students tried the mamey ice cream, made from a local fruit. They also enjoyed sampling fresh local mangoes and authentic Mexican tacos.

The Natural Environment

The adolescents visited Progreso Beach where they walked around the malecon (boardwalk) and they saw the longest pier in the world – it’s 26,309 ft long! They also visited several cenotes throughout the trip including cenote Ik Kil, one of the most beautiful cenotes in Yucatán. Some of the students were feeling adventurous and jumped 14ft high in the cenote!

Exploring the City

The students rented bicycles and ventured down Paseo de Montejo – the main avenue. It was so beautiful to get to know the city while biking!

History

We visited Chichen Itza, deemed one of the new seven wonders of the world. In the Mayan language, Chichen Itza means, “At the brim of the well where the Wise Men of the Water Live”. While there, we saw El Castillo – the most astonishing Mayan Ruin. I got to be their private guide and students got souvenirs for family members.

We also went to Dondé Cookie Factory for a tour and to learn more about how it started in 1905. The students got to go inside the factory and see the full process of how to make the different cookies. We had a wonderful time getting to see how cookies were made and we all left with many treats.

Visiting Lancaster Montessori School

The Adolescents were eager to meet their peers from our Sister School in Mérida at Lancaster Montessori. The Lancaster students greeted us right from the door and made sure our students were feeling comfortable. Some of the students took private English lessons to prepare for our visit, a lot of students spoke conversational English and had the chance to connect with us. The adolescents worked to immerse themselves in conversation, moving back and forth between both Spanish and English. We all cooked chilaquiles together to get to know one another.

After cooking, the students joined together for a creative math lesson. They were tasked with making a robot that had specific measurements, a name, and a purpose in life. They had very creative ideas! At the end of the day, they presented their robots and their goals to the whole Adolescent Community at Lancaster Montessori.

The trip to Merida was a very wonderful experience – the bond that our adolescents have is extremely special and it was so wonderful to see how they were supporting each other in every step of the trip.

School Partnership with Montessori Lancaster in Mérida, Yucatán

We are happy to announce an exciting new partnership with Montessori Lancaster in Mérida, Yucatán in Mexico. We have been diligently working for two years to identify and partner with an established Montessori school in Latin America to provide children and adolescents at both schools an opportunity to connect with peers across cultures.

As part of our capstone experience, our Adolescent students will be traveling to Mérida this spring to meet students at our sister school for the first time. Throughout the school year, our Adolescents have been diving into a deeper understanding of the Spanish language and cultures in Latin America.

Our Sister School Committee is led by Sra. Ale Equivel Castillo, our Dual Language Guide, and comprised of staff members committed to establishing a global partnership where our children and adolescents can establish lasting relationships across cultures. We thank all members of our Committee including Natalia Torres (Toddler Dual Langauge Assistant), Fernanda White (Lower Elementary Dual Langauge Assistant), Sylvia Glassco (Dual Language Director and Director of the Adolescent Program), and GiGi Gould (Advancement Assistant).

Ale has worked to establish a partnership with Lancaster Montessori in her own hometown of Mérida. She visited the school during a recent trip to Yucatán and I felt in love with the staff and the school. Lancaster has a large Adolescent Program and we are looking forward to visiting their class in the spring for a seven day trip. Our students will have an opportunity to get to know the Adolescents at Lancaster. They will also be visiting Chichén Itzá, an ancient Mayan city named one of the new seven wonders of the world, and venturing into the local community for several cultural experiences!

Celebrating the International Day of Peace with our Dual Language Community

On September 21, 2023 children and staff at Greenspring Montessori School celebrated the International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by a unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.

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“Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.”

– Dr. Maria Montessori

Together we celebrate the International Day of Peace, or el Día Internacional de la Paz as we refer to it in our Spanish Dual Language classes. Children joined together to celebrate this special day with music and wishes for peace. They sang songs including “Paz Como Río/Peace Like a River” and “Paz y Libertad/Peace and Liberty”. Our Toddler, Children’s House, and Lower Elementary classrooms made peace doves and pinwheels that they displayed on a parade around campus. Lower Elementary students also reflected about the meaning of peace. Enjoy photos of this special day below.

As Dr. Montessori so eloquently wrote, “…an education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking.” Needless to say, this undertaking requires an unwavering commitment to children and their development into their full potential and self-understanding. Thank you to each and every one of you for your deep dedication to our children, our families, each other, and our school community – and to the creation of a better world. YOU are making the world a better place!

Learning about Monarch Butterflies in our Dual Language Classrooms

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During the first two months of the year, the younger Children’s House students have been learning about the lifecycle of the butterfly in Spanish.

Sra. Ale has also been working with the Children’s House elders to learn more about the monarch butterfly’s life and its journey to Mexico. Together they planted milkweed seeds in our pollinator garden and are participating in the Symbolic Migration program through Journey North.

In the Willow class, children have been observing small caterpillars eat milkweed, grow, then enter a chrysalis. So far, the students have released two adult monarch butterflies and are waiting for the last one to emerge from the final chrysalis!

International Day of Peace in our Dual Language Classrooms

International Day of Peace - Greenspring Montessori School-3

September 21 is known as the International Day of Peace. Declared by the United Nations General Assembly, it is a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace around the world. At Greenspring Montessori School, students in our Dual Language classrooms joined together to celebrate this special day with music and wishes for peace. Together they sang “Paz Como Río/Peace Like a River” and “Paz y Libertad/Peace and Liberty”. Lower Elementary students also shared some remarks about the meaning of peace.

Sra. Ale has been giving lessons to the Dual Language classrooms about paz/peace and helping the children make Pinwheels for Peace.

See photos of this special day below.

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”

— Maria Montessori

Dual Language Learning about Monarch Migrations with Journey North

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, our Spanish Dual Language Children’s House and Lower Elementary students joined students and scientists across North America to track the monarch butterfly’s migration to Mexico with Journey North.

In October, the children learned about the monarch butterfly’s lifecycle and migration, then sent butterflies to other schools and wrote about what they’ve learned in English and Spanish. Many of our classrooms were home to monarch caterpillars. Children learned about what the caterpillars eat, bringing them fresh milkweed. It was a wonder to observe the amazing life cycle of the monarch! One crafty caterpillar managed to escape the enclosure and decided to attach itself to a shelf and enter the chrysalid phase. The children were so careful not to disturb the chrysalid, which hung precariously suspended on the shelf. They later watched the caterpillars form chrysalises and later emerge as butterflies. ⁠
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As the butterfly migration progressed from September to November, students began learning about the migration. They discovered that a fragile butterfly can travel hundreds of miles to find its winter home deep in central Mexico. Students learned how monarchs connect people across North America as they migrate across international borders.⁠

The Willow Children’s House class has been working to create a garden for pollinators and to serve as a Monarch Waystation. They planted the monarch host plant swamp milkweed, along with goldenrod and purple coneflower. Most recently, they sowed sunflower seeds and zinnias to supplement the perennials in the garden and boost the nectar available for pollinators. They hope this garden provides a nourishing habitat for many pollinators, especially the amazing monarch.

The Dual Language third year Children’s House students and the Lower Elementary students worked with Sra. Marcela and the Journey North program to participate in the symbolic migration of the monarchs. They made and sent a Symbolic Ambassador Monarch to the children who live near the monarch’s overwintering sanctuaries in Mexico. We hope that our Symbolic Ambassador Monarch will build bridges of communication between youth across North America. These Symbolic Monarchs represent our shared love of monarch butterflies and shared interest in protecting monarchs.⁠

As a culmination of their work with the monarchs, the children celebrated Mariposa Day in April! They recently received butterflies from children from different places around the US. To celebrate, they made 3D butterfly cards!

This is just one example of the interconnected curriculum in Montessori classrooms, uniting language, art, and science together in a tangible way for our children.