5 Montessori Areas to Have at Home
Curriculum, Discover Curriculum, Discover

5 Montessori Areas to Have at Home

Montessori schools encourage, scaffold, and celebrate children’s independence and believe it is an integral part of preparing the child for success in life. Dr. Montessori believed that education should be an aid to life. She believed that the child’s early functional independence in caring for oneself and one’s school and familial environment builds the foundation for psychological independence as the child enters adulthood…

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The Montessori Philosophy: Cultivating Peaceful Independence
Curriculum, Discover Curriculum, Discover

The Montessori Philosophy: Cultivating Peaceful Independence

More than a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori pioneered a method of education rooted in the observation that each child is a unique person who is naturally curious and has a desire to learn experientially. When a beautiful educational environment is intentionally created, children find their passion for learning and are able to fully develop intellectually, socially, and emotionally…

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Another Camping Trip?
Explore Explore

Another Camping Trip?

When I looked at my calendar as February turned to March, this question popped in my mind as I saw our next camping trip approaching. You see, camping trips are a lot of work for us teachers. So when it’s about a month (or more!) out from a trip, it’s time to start preparing…

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Habits
Belong, Community Belong, Community

Habits

During the Thanksgiving break I took some time to rethink actions I have taken, conversations I have had with others and myself, and reminded myself I can only control my actions, not others’. This was all helped by the reintroduction of running into my routine…

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The Process of Creating
Create Create

The Process of Creating

Sitting on the shelf behind my desk in the art room is a box of crayons. This is not just any box of crayons. It is a very, very old box of 64 Crayola crayons with the sharpener built in the back. I keep this box of crayons out where I can see it every day as a reminder of my childhood, where my love of art began…

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April 2018 Class Updates

April 2018 Class Updates

The Otters are exploring the colors of nature on campus, such as the butter colored daffodils and the purple sprouting violets. Annie and Morgan are teaching the kids to play wiffle ball and soccer. They are making dirt tracks with cars, and pretending to be superheroes wearing colored scarves for capes…

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Water Water Everywhere
Discover, Explore Discover, Explore

Water Water Everywhere

Living in a temperate rainforest comes with the good, the bad, and the sloppy. Grab some rain boots, a good book, or settle in for good times inside and out. Snuggling up at home, in your pajamas, with your family and pets is certainly one of the most enjoyable things that come with rainy weather…

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February 2018 Classroom Updates

February 2018 Classroom Updates

The Otters have had several parent guests come to share books and other talents this month. They enjoyed a trip to the local library for story time and a chance to practice their grace and courtesy out in the community. They also painted and decorated shoe boxes to hold their Valentines made for each other by classmates…

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Follow the Child
Discover Discover

Follow the Child

Dr. Montessori did not believe that she invented a method of education. She simply studied children. And what she found was that every human being develops through a unique process of self-construction…

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Planting Seeds
Discover, Owls Discover, Owls

Planting Seeds

After winter break, the children and teachers are all excited to be back at school, in our space, and re-connecting. The children are wearing smiles, greeting one another, and offering hugs. There are exciting stories about what happened during the break as well as remembering shared activities. The teachers are treasuring these moments and share in the joy of the children reuniting…

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Ask the Girl
Belong, Community, Owls Belong, Community, Owls

Ask the Girl

My son is four. He’s known for a lot of things—his boundless energy, his enthusiasm for life and the people he loves, his adventurous spirit and the way he wakes up ready to attack the day with gusto. But self-control? Yeah, he’s not known for that. Impulse-control? Not his strong suit. A gentle, tentative, approach to life? Not my kid…

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December 2017 Classroom Updates
Newsletter Newsletter

December 2017 Classroom Updates

The Otter class is enjoying new homemade play dough and dyed pasta, seashells, and caterpillars for metamorphosis viewing. They are working diligently on their grace and courtesy and respect for self and others. They have been working with tracing paper that they use to create pictures of images from books…

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Lucky Us
Acorns, Discover Acorns, Discover

Lucky Us

I had the joy of taking the Acorn Class to the WNC Nature Center on a field trip.  It was wonderful!!  Breaking the day down into pieces sheds light on so many gifts we have here at Mountain Sun and the region we live in.  The order of this list does not indicate anything other than how the day unraveled in my mind…I am so grateful for the Nature Center…

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Why So Many Bake Sales?
Community, Monarchs Community, Monarchs

Why So Many Bake Sales?

I love baking. Since I can remember, I've always wanted to be a baker. As a child, I spent summers in Iowa with my grandmother on the farm my father grew up on. And we baked. She was your quintessential farm wife and grandma. Everywhere we went, we brought baked goods with us to share…

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