Unexpected opportunities create “fruitful” experiences in the classroom
- At August 29, 2017
- By CGMontessori
- In Blog, CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
Unexpected circumstances stepped in this week and provided a learning opportunity to demonstrate that if you are flexible and creative, you can truly be grateful for all the food we have and minimize waste of these precious resources.
The children in our classroom have a “snack day” on a monthly calendar so that they may bring in food to share with their classmates. This week (and last) we received a bounty of fresh fruit. With the addition of a donation from one of our teachers, we ended up with ripe bananas, grapes, pears, and several pints of raspberries. Because I always try to stress that we never want to waste food unless absolutely necessary, I had to alter plans for cooking and snack preparation. And I’m OK with that. Keeps me on my toes!
The children requested pancakes, so the raspberries became a delicious sauce. The grapes and pears became a yummy fruit salad, and the bananas were perfect for a loaf of banana bread.
(Additional teacher challenge: We have numerous dietary restrictions this year, so I am getting to know all about cooking with gluten free ingredients. I am currently running into consistency issues, but I will keep at it and post my results.)
Enjoy the following photos from out “waste not, want not” week.
New Recruits and Old Pros: Cooking again!
- At August 24, 2017
- By CGMontessori
- In Blog, CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News, Oak Room
- 0
We’re back for another school year in our Montessori community, and these kids are ready to cook! Our returning friends went straight for the kitchen to see if anything had changed, while our new students followed to explore the tools and gadgets.
Given the success of our cooking endeavors last year, I changed very little in the environment. I found a bigger shelf in the garage, and after a quick coat of fresh paint, we had a much more flexible storage area…
I also added a few more child-sized stools to keep under the counter so the children could just pull them out for a visit with friends while waiting for items to bake. This was a really “social” time last year!
Since my veterans were ready to jump right in, I asked them to choose what recipe would be good to show our new students. The answer, of course, was muffins. We settled on blueberry.
Cooking: On Their Own
- At February 28, 2017
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
I made a decision this week. I have a couple of 5 year olds that are reading well and able to complete large projects on their own. So the logical step is taking their math and reading lessons to the kitchen.
(A side note: My older children have small daily work plans to assist them in constructing their work cycles.)
I surprised Carson and Amy with “Bake Banana Muffins” for their “math” section of their daily plan. They were even more excited when I informed them they would be on their own with the baking, the only assistance being with the oven.
I was confident they could handle this. The results were great, but the best part was what we all learned during the process.
I had all of the ingredients they would need out on the counter with all of the utensils and bowls ready as well. I decided to eliminate the step of fetching all of the needed supplies, feeling it wasn’t the lesson we needed to be focused on. My goal in this exercise was to have them read, measure, complete the recipe, and enjoy the result.
First, let’s start with the recipe. I hand-wrote the cards, laminated them and put them on a metal binder ring to keep the pages in order.
My notes during my observation:
1. There was a long discussion about who would be reading the recipe. One of these students is a stronger reader, one is a new reader. Strong reader thought they should read all of it. New reader said that was not fair and they should at least have a chance. After some consideration, they decided to have the new reader try first and ask for help if they needed it.
2. This recipe called for coconut oil, which is solid in the jar. They tried to pour it into the measuring cup, but realized that it was not liquid. They then tried to put the measuring cup into the jar but it wouldn’t fit. They were truly perplexed and asked for my help. I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled. It took over 5 minutes of frustration and a little arguing before Amy had her “a-ha” moment and grabbed a spoon.
3. A snack break was needed after the coconut oil measuring.
4. There were a lot of questions about terminology. What does a “smashed” banana look like? What does “combine” mean? What is a “mixture?” I soon realized that I wrote these recipe cards with my knowledge of cooking vocabulary and not theirs.
5. With numerous breaks, this recipe took 1 1/2 hours to complete. I won’t bore you with the cleanup process and the complaining that went with it. However, they were able to finish. The muffins were delicious and they were so pleased to have made them all by themselves.
This week we also began some discussion about spices. The end plan is to put together a garam masala spice mix to make an indian dish. We started with cinnamon. we examined the spice in stick and ground form. I accompanied this exploration with a lesson about how cinnamon is grown and harvested, where it grows and how we use it. Next week, cardamom.
Cooking in the Montessori Classroom: Everyday Food
- At December 06, 2016
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
Or should we say: “Every day, we made food.” That’s right, the kitchen was working this week! We kept it casual and got messy every day last week. As I reflect on the lessons we covered, I’m really glad I just decided to go with the flow, so to speak.
Read More»To Montessori….or not to Montessori
- At February 04, 2016
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG
- 0
2016, can you believe it? We have started a new year. My mom always said it would go by fast, I now am starting to believe her. I will have a freshman in High school coming this August, and I just cannot believe that.
We are all starting to think about our children’s educational future this month, it’s that time of year. Wanted to touch on this subject, as it is on our all our minds. Speaking of my freshman, I did what some of you do. Pulled him out, before his Montessori kindergarten year, despite that I was advised he should stay another year. I did it for a few reasons, the school he attended did not have first grade. It was over after kindergarten, so why wait? Seemed like a better time to transition. I was anxious for a little bit of kid-free time, and wanted to enroll his little brother ASAP, and do the grocery shopping ALONE. I later regretted this decision.
Read More»Breathe
- At December 11, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG
- 0
It is HERE! The holidays! From Halloween to Christmas, we feel it. The start of the planning and stress of the holidays. From the turkey baking to the Christmas cookies…it’s HERE! Some, including myself, dread the holidays. I LONG for my childhood years. When my dad was alive, and all I had to worry about is what everyone was going to get ME! What I was going to open, WHEN will I get to open presents, and how much food and treats could I stuff in my stomach without getting sick!….yes, I really do miss that.
Read More»Priceless Presents
- At December 03, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG
- 0
Christmas time is apon us. Busy with, dinners, presents, shopping, Santa….etc. CRAZY time of year…but I love it.
Wanted to share an article with you today from Maren Schmidt, a Montessori teacher, Girl Scout leader, Sunday School teacher, Montessori school owner and administrator, parenting coach and workshop leader. I enjoy her advise and articles. http://marenschmidt.com/
This one is perfect for Christmas, enjoy.
Priceless+Presents
Happy Holidays!
Gratitude
- At November 11, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG
- 0
November is the month of giving thanks. We see it on social media, “the 30 days of thanks” and all the buzz about Thanksgiving. The turkey, the obligated family gatherings, the pilgrims which we are thankful for finding this great land, the Indians for sharing their land with us. (Not really sure HOW the Indians feel about this holiday, they may regard it as something COMPLETELY different, but I digress) We are being thankful this month, and I want to jump on the band wagon for a minute.
I am thankful for so much in my life. Health, happiness, family, friends, love, forgiveness, and my CGM family, just to name a few.
But really, we should be doing this every day, every moment. Thanking and giving gratitude to people around us, in our everyday lives. That is one thing that has kept my marriage strong, I believe, is gratitude. I learned it from my husband, really. I was a stay at home mom for a few years. That came with a lot of joy, work and regret. I felt bad I was not contributing to the family finances like I should. He thanked me, nearly every day, for staying at home and raising our boys. That meant a lot. He was recognizing that it was a job, a hard one, and expressed his gratitude. That gave me a since of pride, and an understanding between us, that he appreciated me. This goes for all things, big and small. Taking out the trash, running the vacuum, laundry, fixing the car, playing with the boys, getting up and going to work….anything and everything we would exchange a thank you. Not every time, but often. It may be our “job” or it may be expected of us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show that you are grateful for them doing it, and recognizing the effort it takes.
This goes for your children as well. Just remembering to do their chore, or put their glass in the dish washer, I try to recognize it, and throw a “thanks” their way. I may EXPECT them to do all these things, but letting them know I saw their effect, really makes a difference. I am always trying to pull my boys aside and thank them for being kind and having patience’s with the little ones at family parties. I think this took a lot of effort for my son somedays, and I thanked him and hugged him for his awesome patience that evening. He had a smile as big as a cantaloupe across his face when he realized I was acknowledging his effort.
…and the BEST is when you get it back! Nothing makes your heart swell, and eyes tear up, then hearing your child thank you, without being prompted.
Like, when your child is so excited to take you out around the neighborhood to sell some pizza cards…and it is a cold, rainy night. No complaints, and as you are nearing your last house, they say, “Thank you for supporting me while I did this tonight.”….be still my heart. Or, you are going to basketball practice, 2 nights a week, every week….since….forever, driving 20 minutes there and back. Not to mention the countless games in various places. When returning home, they look at you and say” Thank you so much for taking me to practice every night and going to my games. I know it is a lot.”….I can’t breathe…pulls at my heart strings.
We have always been quick to point out, at said sports games, to thank the aunts, uncles, friends and grandparents that attend your game, and cheer you on. We point out that their grandmother could probably use some help unloading the groceries from the car, and they jump on it. They see their dad hold doors open for people, or their mom unload a stranger’s grocery cart that is in a wheelchair behind them. They hear us thank each other for our daily tasks, and chores.
Live by example.
Montessori follows this in many ways. In the teachers training, they are instructed to talk quietly, walk slowly and move gracefully. Grace and courtesy. Greeting a person, walking around a rug (rather than stepping on someone’s work), speaking quietly indoors, and waiting quietly rather than interrupting, are all examples of important grace and courtesy skills. As the year progresses, we see the children in the classroom doing these things without being reminded…most of the time =)
If children see and hear your gratitude, it WILL come back around. Not all the time, and not every time, but when it does….watch out, it gets you right in the heart….and it feels amazing.