Special Teachers’ Assistant December 7, 2011

Recently, we had a special teachers’ assistant join us for a couple days of school. As a graduate of Dayspring, our 7-year-old visitor knew the environment and ground rules, and was able to be a great help to everyone.

We start off every day with the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem. The children take turns holding the flag. Our Teachers’ Assistant demonstrates the proper way to hold the flag.

During work time, she helps children with their work. Here, she is showing a 3-year-old how to work with the smelling bottles, and listening to a 5-year-old read.

 

At line time, she looked around for loud or fidgety children, and asked them to be quiet or encouraged them to change their posture. She was very discreet about this, quietly walking behind the children and whispering to just the child in question, so as not to bother others.

 

On one of the days, we had a birthday celebration. You can see our Teachers’ Assistant in her chair, watching the children and ready to jump in to help, if needed.

Here, she is helping the birthday girl find the correct spot to stand.

Our helper’s reading skills were advanced enough for her to read picture books to the children in an engaging way. The children enjoyed being read to by our special visitor.

On one of the days, we had a Thanksgiving Feast with parents and friends. Even during the meal, our helper made sure the children were all settled and eating before helping herself.

Here, she is talking to a child who is a little bit sad about something. She is listening compassionately to her story, and encouraging her to eat.

It was wonderful to have such a helpful visitor for two days. The children learned a lot from her, and she was very helpful to the teachers. She says that when she grows up, she would like to become a teacher. I think we would all agree that she would do a fantastic job. Maybe she will come back and teach at Dayspring!

Dental Health Education November 11, 2011

Last month, the “Tooth Lady” came to school to teach us about our teeth and how to take care of them. Our students watch as she shows how to brush our teeth thoroughly.

We learn that teeth are bones, and are kept strong by eating foods like milk and cheese.

We learn why we have to go to the dentist, and about what happens when we go for a check-up. The presentation is given on dolls, keeping it interesting for the children.

Time for our children to try out being a dentist themselves! Everyone gets scrubs, gloves, and a face mask. With everything on, our children look like real dentists!

 

Our gym has been partially converted into a dentist’s office for stuffed animal friends.

The children check, clean, brush, and floss the teeth of their patients.

     

Learning about dental health will help our students to keep up good dental hygiene, as well as to stay comfortable during dentist visits.

 

 

 

Mixed-Age Groupings November 1, 2011

Many people wonder about the mixed-age groupings used as part of the Montessori philosophy. The early childhood grouping of ages 3 through 6 allows younger children to observe and learn from older children, and builds leadership and teaching skills in older children.

For example, a 4-year-old is teaching this 3-year-old about living and non-living things. This introduces the concept to the 3-year-old, while the 4-year-old furthers his understanding and practices leading others. Part of their conversation went like this:

4-year-old: “What is that?”
3-year-old: “A tire.”
4: “Does a tire breathe?”
3: “No.”
4: “So that means that it’s not alive.”

Here, one of our toddlers is observing a 5-year-old painting at the easel. He stood and watched for almost 15 minutes, without interrupting the painter. The next day, the little boy pointed to the easel and asked if he could paint. Although this particular example involves no direct interaction between the two children, the painter knew the toddler was watching and appreciating her artwork, and this helps to build her confidence. The toddler is prompted to try a new experience after observing an older child do it successfully.

This 5-year-old is getting a refresher in teen numbers by working with a younger child. In helping the younger child, he is able to strengthen his understanding of the work without hurting his confidence and self-esteem.

A 5-year-old is reading to 3- and 4-year-olds. She enjoys being in this position of authority and asks children to raise their hands if they have questions. The children willingly comply and enjoy being read to by a peer. Some children who don’t normally opt to listen to story are eager to hear it from a friend.

Practical life skills are an important part of daily Montessori activities. Older children often help younger children with zipping or buttoning coats and jackets before going outside to play.

The benefits of multi-age groupings extend to the gym and playground. Opportunities for social development abound.

  

Of course, children of similar ages enjoy working together, as well. Sometimes, children partner up with the help of a teacher, while sometimes, they themselves choose to work with a friend. Still other times, a pair of children end up working together spontaneously. Whichever way it comes about, working with children of a similar age helps to build social skills, while also working with and grasping the aims of the materials.

A 2.5-year-old and 3-year-old trace the sandpaper letters together.

A 3-year-old watches as another 3-year-old works with the knobless cylinders.

Two 4-year-olds are working on the teen board together.

Two 4.5-year-olds are working on the 100 board together.

Two 5-year-olds are working on 4-digit addition (bank game) together.

Two toddlers are stringing beads together.

Welcome to the New School Year! October 13, 2011

The 2011-2012 school year has been in session for about a month and a half already. Here are some things we have been learning!

Discipline: The first few weeks include many disciplinary lessons, including how to behave in the classroom, how to ask for help, using words like “please,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry.” Here, they are being introduced to some of the gym rules.

Practical Life: Most children enjoy doing practical life activities, which help to build independence and a sense of accomplishment. Every day, each child washes his own plate after lunch.

Sensorial: Children use all of their senses to experience and learn about their environment. Montessori’s sensorial materials were created to be attractive to the child, to build self-confidence, and foster a love of learning. The pink tower is just one of these wonderful materials.

Our returning students were ready to jump right into academic work. Language: Two children are working together to build words with the movable alphabet.

Math: The red and blue rods teach counting in a very visual way, as the lengths of the rods are a concrete representation of  the numbers 1 through 10.

Science: Among the science materials, there is a sandpaper globe, which introduces children to many concepts, including the solar system, the Earth, land and water, and the continents.

Cultural: The cultural area can seem broad and complex, but a lot of the cultural lessons can be given as a part of the daily routine. We learn about the calendar, months of the year, days of the week, the passage of days and history, the future, and the numbers 1 through 31 through state the date every morning.

Music: Dayspring has a wonderful music program, and our children love music! We include music in many parts of our day, including at transition times.

Gross motor: Growing children need to practice using their bones and muscles in large motor activity every day. In addition to our playground and gym, we have two large open fields that are great for running.

Stay tuned for more updates on what’s going on at Dayspring this year!

Dayspring Summer Camp August 6, 2011

Our ten-week summer camp is almost over. Look at all the fun and learning we’ve had!

Welcome to Summer Camp! - In the first few weeks of summer camp, we decorated a new summer-camp-themed banner in the hallway. Everyone enjoyed drawing pictures of playgrounds, trees, flowers, people, and even insects.

  

Art Projects - From coffee filter hats and tile paintings, to finger-paint flowers and paper windmills, we have created a lot of art this summer!

   

 

Cooking Projects - Eating something made by themselves gives children a strong sense of accomplishment. Many children’s eyes will light up at the words “cooking project.”

 

Swimming and Water Activities - The best way to cool off on a hot summer day! Every Tuesday and Thursday, our children cannot wait to get their swimsuits on and into the water. We always start with warm-up laps and stretching; then it’s splish splash fun!

     

 

Taekwondo - Our children enjoy putting on their uniforms to practice punches and kicks. Taekwondo also fosters perseverance, self-confidence, and discipline.

 

Bike riding - We have a very large parking lot, which gets cordoned off to allow children to ride their bicycles and tricycles. It is amazing to see how much some children improve their biking skills throughout the summer!

 

Games - What is summer camp without some group games? Our gym is the perfect place to play some fun games.

  

Montessori Work - Summer camp isn’t all about just fun and games. We incorporate Montessori work into the daily schedule, to allow children to keep their sense of order and love of learning.

    

 

Outdoor Exploration - Nature provides us with so many learning opportunities. A game of soccer encourages teamwork and courtesy, while a pinecone hunt builds a love of nature and science.

  

Family Picnic June 9, 2011

To wrap up the end of the 2010-2011 school year, we had a family potluck picnic at the playground.

 

It’s great to see parents and siblings mingling, and the children love having the chance to play with their families and friends.

   

Thanks to all who attended – it was a wonderful event! Special thanks to our parent volunteers for coordinating the wonderful event.

 

 

Montessori Olympics June 9, 2011

Let the games begin! May 19th marked our first annual Dayspring Montessori Olympics. Despite a rainy forecast, we were blessed with a beautiful day. The children got to show off their physical and intellectual prowess with specially designed Montessori-style games.

We started things off with a map race. Instead of the usual “ready, get set, go!” the teacher called out the name of a country or state. The children run to the map, find the correct country or state, run to the blank map, place their piece on it correctly and run back.

  

The younger children played this game with an animal puzzle.

Then came the egg-in-a-spoon relay race. This familiar game really helps build balance, coordination, and concentration, as children must move quickly without dropping the egg.

 

Next was a math race. Similar to the map race, the teacher calls out a number and the children run to grab that number of rings. They then run to their cone and drop their rings onto the cones and run back.

Older children were given addition or subtraction problems to solve in their heads, with the answer being the number rings to put on the cones.

Snack time! Running and thinking makes us hungry! We had a wonderful picnic snack. Special thanks to our parent volunteers for bringing water, juice, and a great selection of healthy snacks!

After snack, the children had some free time to play on the playground.

And now, time for the language game. The teacher calls out a letter and the children run to the table and find the correct one. They run back to the teacher as fast as they can.

Older children spell out simple words.

 

Tray relay! Another combination of keeping a steady balance while moving quickly.

After lunch and nap, we had a rug-rolling relay race. Our students are great rollers!

 

What’s a day of outdoor fun without some prizes? Everyone also received medals for a job well done!

 

A quick soccer game to wrap up our Montessori Olympics.

And afternoon snacks for our hungry tummies.

We are already looking forward to next year’s games!

 

 

 

Fire Drill and Birthday Party May 18, 2011

Yesterday was a busy day here at Dayspring Montessori School. In the morning, we had a fire drill right in the middle of our work time. The children were startled by the loud alarms, but quickly and obediently followed the teacher’s instructions. Once everyone was safely outside on the far side of the parking lot, we noticed something at the entrance of the school. A fire truck!

And real firefighters! They were very kind and showed us around the truck, explaining all the different compartments, valves, and equipment.

 

Each child got a chance to step up on the passenger side and take a peek inside.

Up close, the fire truck was really big! The tires were taller than some of the children.

Special thanks to the Northbrook Fire Department and their wonderful firefighters!

Once everyone was settled back inside, it was party time!  We set up our birthday celebration in the gym. The birthday girl holds the Earth and walks around the candle (symbolizing the Sun). The months of the year represent the passage of time as the Earth circles the sun.

The children sing about the Earth going around the sun, and when she gets back to her birth month, she is one year old. The teacher prompts her to recall and share what she did when she was a year old.

Then they sing again and talk about her at two years. This is repeated until we get to five, her current age. Then, everyone sings Happy Birthday, and she blows out the candle.

Time to go back to the classroom to have birthday cupcakes with our morning snack. Yum and fun!

Spring Sing and Recognition Ceremony 2011 May 18, 2011

Our annual Spring Sing is always a hit, and this year was no exception! The stage and decorations have been set up in the gym for the big event.

 

The hallway has been decorated as well, with new drawings by the children.

Final rehearsals on the morning of Spring Sing. You can feel the excitement in the air!

 

Most of our children dressed up in their best outfits. It is their time to shine!

And we begin! The gym is packed with an engaged audience. The children were well-rehearsed and excited to perform for their parents, siblings, relatives, and friends. It is a great experience for children to stand up in front of a crowd and perform.

Orff-music is a large part of the program. The children show off their musical abilities on recorders, xylophones, and glockenspiels, as well as on a variety of percussion instruments, including triangles, rhythm sticks, and hand drums.

   

We have two Kindergarteners this year, and they were awarded their Certificates of Recognition.

 

A lovely poem written by an alumnus and friend.

Followed by a few words from our parent representative.

Refreshments and mingle time in the hallway. What a great wrap-up to a wonderful afternoon of fun and music!

Gardening Days May 4, 2011

Our Gardening Days were scheduled for last Wednesday and Thursday, but the rain kept us indoors. So we improvised, and did everything on Friday for 5-day children, and today (Tuesday) for 3-day children. The weather was beautiful and the flowers and plants look wonderful as well.

Everyone is lined up with their gardening tools, aprons, and gloves. Let the digging begin!

First things first: the garden has to be weeded.

 

Some children really have a knack for weeding already!

 

Someone found a worm. Of course, then, it had to be passed around. Some of the older children pointed out which side was the mouth and which side was the anus.

  

Finally, planting the flowers and vegetables.

 

All done! Special thanks to our parent volunteer!