Celebration of Holidays

Kareem shared Eid al-Adha, which translates as the "Festival of the Sacrifice".  It is also known as the Greater Eid.  It is a holy time of sacrifice and generosity to friends, family, and the needy.

In our classroom environments, celebrating holidays and festivals is an important and exciting study for the students that focuses on the tradition and rituals of celebrations.

Our students retain the joy of holiday celebrations as they learn about a variety of cultural observances. Learning about the holidays of different cultures embraces the Montessori principals of inclusion and peace and helps students understand that celebrations have had a great significance to people throughout time and across all cultures. Holidays are a way that people come together to worship that which they hold dear, to rejoice, and usually to feast with their community and families. The message is clear: it is wonderful to be different and honor what is unique about each culture and person, but let us celebrate our humanity together.

Mountain Mania!

"Travel stories teach geography; insect stories lead the child into natural science; and so on.  The teacher, in short, can use reading to introduce her pupils to the most varied subjects; and the moment they have been thus started, they can go on to any limit guided by the single passion for reading."  ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

In Room 107, we are busy learning about geography.
Currently, we are learning about mountains. Of course, the children ask many of questions like “What is a mountain?” “How high do you think mountains are?” “What types of plants/animals live in/on the mountains?” Such a fun way to learn. 

Lots of questions and lots of answers set the tone for an interesting discussion. We show the children some REAL images of famous mountains to get them more interested in the topic. Then we read one of my favorite books: A Day on the Mountain. The publisher has a fantastic guide for teachers and parents. We also viewed some great educational videos on Youtube like “Where Do Mountains Come From?” and “Plate Tectonics for Kids“.

Imaginary Island - A Rite of Passage for our 3rd Year Students

"We especially need imagination in science.  It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

The Lower Elementary third year students are getting ready to complete their Imaginary Island Projects.  

The Imaginary Island 3rd year curriculum reflects many aspects of a third year student’s Montessori Education: math, geography, culture, science, language and literature. The students design and create an island with a self-sustaining civilization that encompasses all the “Needs of People” learned throughout their Montessori education. The physical characteristics will be drawn from their knowledge of geography and the study of world biomes in science. The maps are calculated to scale relative to the longitude and latitude chosen and the available area. Written work will reflect the geography, daily life, culture and government of the inhabitants along with a fictional “creation myth” or legend indicative to the culture/island. This is always a much-anticipated end of the year project and the end results are quite imaginative and impressive.

"The first essential for the child's development is concentration.  The child who concentrates is immensely happy."

Room 106 has been hard at work in the classroom.  They have been working in all areas of the curriculum, from Mathematics and Language to our Cultural Studies.  Our Kindergarten friends have also recently begun visiting the classroom, as well.  The Lower Elementary students are excited to be role models and buddies to their younger friends.  

Adam hard at work on his cursive

Ben working on the Stamp Game

Yonatan working on Test Tube Division

Caleb

Greysen working with a language material

Navya

Owen and Amelia

Zoey working on the grammar box

Hebah

Malak

Amelia working on a research project

Owen working on his multiplication facts

Xanthippe

Navya working with her kindergarten buddy, Lilleana

Adam working with Henry H.

Greysen working with Ben

Ben

Xaiver working on Stamp Game

Michael studying the verb

Peter learning his subtraction facts

Rebecca with her sister that was visiting from out of town

Montessori Academy's Annual Science Expo

"We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

The Lower Elementary students enjoyed learning about the scientific method to explore some of their many questions about the world.  The children began the six-week process in early January in preparation for the presentation of their discoveries on February 8.  The Science Expo not only allows the children to share their discoveries with others, but also to begin building their self-confidence for speaking with others of all ages.  The format of our Science Expo was an open house.  All families, friends, and relatives attended and shared in the enthusiasm of the scientists.  Ribbons that distinguish one as being better than the other are not presented.  It was exciting to see all presenters leave as confident and enthusiastic as they were when they arrived.  

Exploring our World!

Lower Elementary and Land & Waterforms

"At a given moment a child becomes interested in a piece of work, showing it by the expression of his face, by his intense attention, by his perseverance in the same exercise. That child has set foot upon the road leading to discipline".

Having grasped the concept of continents and oceans using our globes, Lower El is now learning about land and waterforms.  

The more we look at the globe and maps, the more questions the children have about the details they see.  

Identifying land and waterforms draws a keener eye to maps and encourages looking at details and drawing connections as well as teaches basic geography facts.

The Great Lessons

The Third Year Students With the Timeline of Life

“The beauty of the elementary years in a Montessori school is that the curriculum is geared to the sensitivities of the children, rather than to the demands of the adults.”*

At Montessori Academy Edison Lakes, our Elementary program provides learning experiences and activation that nurture the older child’s sense of wonder, appealing to his expanding interests, and support the sensitive periods of the elementary child so often ignored.

If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest; it will create in him admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying.

Elementary Montessori is different in many ways from the experience of the early childhood program. It is designed to meet the changing intellect and personality of children of ages six to twelve. While different, elementary Montessori is built upon the foundation of the earlier years. This is the time when we see Montessori children begin to blossom into “joyful scholars.”

“It is self-evident that the possession of and contact with real things brings, above all, a real quantity of knowledge. Instruction becomes a living thing. Instead of being illustrated, it is brought to life. Experience is a key for the instruction given inside the school.

There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all of the life to be found around them in a real forest.”*
– Dr. Maria Montessori