Salado Montessori

Newsletter

Happy New Year!

We hope everyone enjoyed spending time with family over the break!

We are so excited to be back in the classroom with all of the students and back to our daily routines! The children have been busy working on new lessons and mastering the ones they received before break. They've also enjoyed being back with their peers and playing on the playground!

 

Announcements

 

School will now be in session February 18th and February 21st.

 

Parents, don't forget to take our Community Support Survey!

 

Parent Volunteer Hour Worksheet

 

This month's PVH worksheet covers chores at home.

Click the button below to access the worksheet.

Each worksheet is worth 2 volunteer hours!

Please turn in worksheets via email or in the drop-off/pick-up line.

 

 
Washing a Table Worksheet

Montessori Materials in the Classroom

Nomenclature Cards

Nomenclature cards are a useful tool for the early writer. These cards can be found in the "Cultural" section of a Montessori classroom and work to build a child's vocabulary.

 

There are three stacks of cards: a "control card" with an image and a label, another with just an image, and the last with just the label. Children practice matching the labels to the images and familiarize themselves with the vocabulary and letters associated.

 

"For pre readers and early readers, they may compile the cards without reading the labels at all, matching the shapes they see on the control card to the shapes they see on the labels. This is a fairly straight-forward task for the very young child, who has a natural ability to notice small differences. For early writers, though, the nomenclature cards offer practice forming letters and meaningful application for that practice."

 

"To an adult observer, the nomenclature cards may seem quite simple: the child is matching pictures to control cards. What’s hard about that? But for the young child, these are often absorbing activities, drawing attention to the small differences between the colored drawings and giving an opportunity for meaningful practice in writing."

 

Adapted from Montessori Daoshi

 

Click the button below to read more about nomenclature cards in the Montessori classroom!

Nomenclature Cards and Purposeful Writing

Slides!

We want to take a moment to say a BIG thank you to our families, volunteers, and donors who made our new mulch bed happen! The children have been so excited about the new addition to the playground.

THANK YOU!

The Importance of a Simple Environment

Montessori Life, Spring 2018

by Olynda Smith

 

Think about how you feel when your home is a mess—unmade beds, toys strewn everywhere, dust on the floors, grimy dishes in the sink. Compare that to when your home is clean and tidy, with everything in its place. Does one scenario bring on stressful feelings, while the other makes you feel calm and settled? Even if we don’t consciously realize it, our environments affect us. Children are no exception and are in fact more sensitive to what’s around them than adults.

 

We Montessorians take this to heart, believing that the student, the teacher, and the environment all work together to form a “learning triangle.” We believe that when an environment is set up appropriately, it can help a child develop independence, coordination, concentration, and an internal sense of order, as well as support well-being and social and academic achievement. Montessori teachers take great care in the preparation of their classroom environments, guided in large part by the idea of simplicity. Everything in the classroom has a purpose and a place where it rests when it is not in use. There is an intuitive sense of order that makes it easy for the children to navigate the space and to clean up after themselves successfully. Teachers keep the environment fresh and engaging by observing how children respond to the environment and changing things as needed.

 

Children don’t stop being sensitive to their environment when they leave the classroom. At home, parents can create a similarly supportive space by also using simplicity as a touchstone. A simple home environment can support your child’s concentration, curiosity, and sense of calm. Simplifying also invites connection between family members, which may help decrease conflict and increase cooperation.

 

Here are a few guidelines to help you create a simplified home environment.

 

Less is more: Children have a chance to enjoy what they have when there is less of it around. When you tuck away 30%–50% of most children’s toys (in a closet, garage, or other storage system), you may find they actually become more interested in what is on their shelves. This leads to longer periods of concentration, easier cleanup, greater independence, and less tension among family members about messy spaces. Think about quality rather than quantity.

 

Practice letting go: Paring down may be easier than you think. Regularly throw away toys that break and donate gently used items that your child has truly outgrown. If you do this with your own belongings in your child’s presence, you can model nonattachment. Practice this on a regular basis with your child; you may find that letting go becomes normal behavior.

 

Rotate: What to do with the half of your children’s possessions you’ve tucked away? One way to delight your children while also simplifying is to create a toy rotation system. Every few weeks, rotate the toys that are “out” in the space, replacing them with the ones you put in storage. This creates a burst of new interest in the things that are available, even when they have been in your child’s possession for years. Follow your child’s cues to know when it is time to switch. When you notice your child losing interest in or getting restless with the “new” toys, it’s time to rotate again. Once you get into a rotating routine, your child will likely let you know when she wants to rotate for some fresh items! Your child will let you know if a certain toy or activity needs to be available all the time.

 

Choose toys mindfully: Choose toys that will engage rather than entertain. If we want our children to develop concentration, we need to surround them with things that encourage concentration. In general, anything with batteries or a screen is grabbing your child’s passive attention. He can play with these things all day and still not develop one iota of concentration (Palladino, 2015, pp. 18–42). Even toys with batteries that claim to be educational will do far less for your child’s academic success than some good old-fashioned analog toys and activities. Seek out toys, games, and activities that are open-ended and invite curiosity, creativity, voluntary attention, and problem solving. Blocks, puzzles, water works, pegboards, books, puppets, and natural objects that can be counted and sorted are a few options.

 

Focus on beauty and order: Think about how lovely it is when you enter a place that is simple, orderly, and beautiful. Something in you relaxes. Adults seek out these kinds of places to help them access creative flow and spiritual insights, or to rest and rejuvenate. Bring a little of that wonderful energy into your home by displaying toys and activities in a way that is enticing and has a clear sense of order. Your children will respond to this simple beauty, just as they do in their classrooms.

 

 

Adapted from Montessori Parent

View Full Article

 

Upcoming Dates

 

February 18th - School in Session

 

February 21st - School in Session - President's Day

 

February 26th - Parent Volunteer Workday

 
Calendar

AmazonSmile

As you browse and shop online, please consider buying your items through our AmazonSmile account!

 

AmazonSmile donates 0.5% to Salado Montessori Inc

when you shop at 

smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4551078

We extend our deepest thanks for all of your support and interest in Salado Montessori throughout the school year!


- The Salado Montessori Team

10880 FM 1670
254-947-4005

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