letter love

One of the things I love most about the Montessori philosophy is that each activity is given equal importance.  There isn't separate play time and work time and this allows the children to engage in whatever they are drawn to.  Lately the children have been really excited about practicing printing letters.  

I wish you could see his excitement more clearly.  He was so proud of his 's' - and rightly so.

building blocks

The benefits of building with blocks are numerous - fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial skills, creative problem solving skills, and cooperative skills.

care of the environment

After the children finish eating their lunch they wash their dishes.  This has become very popular!  I can't guarantee that even as teenagers they will be this enthusiastic about dishwashing, but in the meantime it's pretty wonderful watching the children serenely perform this task.

The girls are folding the cloths that we use in the classroom.

classroom pets

Here are our two African dwarf frogs.  They are great pets - low maintenance but very entertaining!

solos

"The child's development is concentration.  The child who concentrates is immensely happy." 

- Dr. Maria Montessori

old friends, new friends