Day trip to the stables at Les écuries du Vieux Moulin à Saint Germain

 Friday, 17^th of June 2021 the children of the 3-6 class went on a day trip to the stables at Les écuries du Vieux Moulin à Saint Germain.

It was the culmination of our horse theme semester which we had to defer due to the pandemic, and the health restrictions. This meant that our children were well versed in proper horse terminology and know-how and were very happy to demonstrate it.

The weather was very hot, but the children behaved admirably throughout the day. We met up in the parking lot between 8-9 in the morning, and after putting our yellow safety vests on we walked to the cafeteria where we were welcomed by Laetitia, and we were allowed to put all our backpacks down.

The children were split into three groups so that every child would have an equal amount of attention: one group went to ride ponies, one group went to learn how to take care of a pony, what to feed a pony, where it sleeps, how to clean out its box. This activity also allowed the children to brush and wash a pony, which was a lot of fun! 

The third group did craft with a horseshoe, one horseshoe per two children, so make sure you check out their work when you come to see us at school! The activities were rotated so that each child was able to do every activity.

We all ate our lunch together in the cafeteria. Afterwards, we went to a small park nearby and had a run and a dance, Stéphanie brought the speakers! Some of us had a lie down in the grass and others had fun racing and rolling down the hill.

When we returned to the stables we split into two groups, one group went for a lengthy walk and ride on horseback, they saw a lot of fun nature. 

The other group did acrobatics on horseback! Afterwards, we did a quick swap, and both groups had a chance for a second ride on horseback and little acrobatics.

By this time the children were quite exhausted, but all very happy. So, we took them to a field to have their snack and wait for mum and dads, and that’s where they were all collected!

All in all, a really great day, which we all enjoyed! Thank you to the great staff at Les écuries du Vieux Moulin and thank you to our accompanying parents for the support and the effort!

Gabrielle

Sensorial comparison

After a lot of practice with the sensorial material, we encourage the children to extend their experience with the different available materials with extra exercises meant to help them explore their environment through discovering how interconnected the world around them is. 

In these photos, you see the children compare volume and size, as well as internalize the mathematical properties of cubes.

 

Here the children are comparing the pink tower with the binomial and trinomial cubes, as well as the very joyous discovery by one child that the golden bead ‘one-thousand’ cube can also be placed in the pink tower to complete it. 

 

Gabrielle

Our End of School Year Picnic!

 Although we still had to function within the parameters of social distancing as we ended our summer term of 2019-2020, Stéphanie and I decided to do something special to end the year on a high note and treated our class to an outdoor ‘social distancing’ picnic!

It was a nice day to be in the garden, and thanks to our beautiful green playground with all its tall trees the temperature remains cool even if it gets very hot outside.

 

We brought our tables and packed lunches outside to enjoy together, we sang our songs and wished each other ‘Bon Appetit’! It was a very enjoyable way to have our last lunch together before the summer break.

Fortunately, social distancing does not mean a lack of being social as demonstrated here by our little chatterboxes! They always have so much to share with each other and with us!

After our picnic we had outdoor playtime, afterwards while the older children played games outside the younger took their naps.

We finished our last day with a little demonstration for the mums and dads, and then it was time to say: ‘Have a nice summer, see you in September!’.

Classroom Limits

Limits are the foundation for discipline in the Montessori toddler environment. Limits are clear and simple rules that are consistently upheld in the community. Young children need limits to feel safe and secure in their environment. Limits also help children establish who they are within a community. Adults maintain these limits and model them to the children. 

"The Umbrella Limits" 

The child in the toddler environment is allowed freedom within these three limits:

1. Treat other people with respect, kindness, and peace both physically or emotionally 
2. Treat the materials and environment with care. 
3. Treat self with respect and care.  

In our classroom, as long as the Umbrella Limits are being followed, the child is free to choose an activity and work on it for as long as they desire.

If a child needs help with following a limit, we may model the expected behavior, provide a lesson, or invite the child to the quiet corner.

Expectations:

 There are certain expectations which we set and model in the classroom.

• Use a rug to define your space when working on the floor. Roll and return rug when finished.
• Table works may only be completed on a table.
• Clean up all materials when finished.
• Return work to the shelf so it is ready for the next friend to use.
• Walk in the classroom.
• Maintain a quiet voice level.
• Ask to observe a friend. If they agree, observe silently with your hands behind your back.
• Try to dress self before asking for help from an adult.
• Try each food item at lunch before receiving the next course.
• Clean up dishes from lunch.
• Brush teeth after lunch. 

Expectations grow and evolve along with the children.  As they become more confident and capable with tasks, their expectations will increase.  

Nikki

The beginning of the year

If one superficially observes a classroom one sees chaos. However if you watch closely you will find children at the task of self-constructing themselves by engaging in purposeful work and meaningful engagement. They have moved out of their comfort zones and are trying to adapt to their fellow beings and an absolutely new environment.

A Montessori environment allows children to gain knowledge through self-discovery, exploration and repetition with minimum adult interference. While working with the didactic materials in the casa, the child gets ample opportunities for self-correction which is important for a learner.

The environment challenges the children to come up with solutions to the problems they face, think wisely and arrive at conclusions. They become critical thinkers and doers. This helps them to move towards functional and mental independence. The older children kindly and compassionately help the younger ones to settle down quickly and become an inspiration. It is beautiful to see a six year old offering assistance to a three year old.

This environment gives them an opportunity to regulate their own social interactions and behaviours and become confident within themselves. They have the freedom to choose work and do it individually or in groups. A work habit or attitude also gets established which becomes the solid base for the next phase of development. They learn to collaborate and coexist with each other and to respect other people and objects in their environment. They learn to use their mind, body, and the senses which leads to an automatic love for learning. It builds their imagination and allows self-expression.

Maryam