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»Montessori Community Services
- At February 09, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
Join us Wednesday, February 11th at 3:30 pm at Indiana Montessori Community School to discuss how you can help raise money and spread the word about Montessori.
Click on the link below to see their next fundraising idea, and how you can help.
Montessori Community Resource Meeting
- At January 21, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
We are trying to build a network of individuals who strongly believe the Montessori Method is the most natural way of bringing up children. This group will support through fundraising, volunteering, board membership, program planning, donations, scholarships and community involvement.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
White River Branch- Johnson County Public Library
Community Room
We will be planning out the ENTIRE year and discussing the following:
Business
Reports
Upcoming Events
Monthly Events
Annual Events
Programs/Activities
Fundraising
And MUCH MORE, so bring ALL of your ideas, questions and input.
ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND AND JOIN US.
Montessori Community Resource Meeting
- At October 30, 2014
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
Come join us!!
Montessori Community Resource Meeting
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Johnson County Public Library- White River Branch
Community Room
6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
We are trying to build a network of individuals who strongly believe the Montessori Method is the most natural way of bringing up children. This group will support through fundraising, volunteering, board membership, program planning, donations, scholarships and community involvement.
NOMINATIONS will remain open until further notice, so please if you or you know someone who wants to be an officer or committee chair or whatever way you’d like to contribute your time, or talent, let us know ASAP!
HELP WANTED!!! We need someone to volunteer for the following, at least until, nominations are over:
1. Note-Taker- Taking Notes and Minutes at our meetings and distributing them.
2. Communicator- Communicating to entire group any notifications, updates, cancellations, changes, etc., via emails, texts, phone or other.
3. Scholarship Research/Grant Writing
4. Fundraising Ideas
5. ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF TO HELP OUT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
Conferences and Small Hands Orders
- At September 26, 2014
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM Parent News
- 0
Conference week is October 6th – 10th. Sign up sheets are on my desk. Stop by and sign up.
Small Hands orders are due by October 6th. Please bring in your orders soon!
Photos
- At September 25, 2014
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM Parent News
- 0
Dear CG Montessori Parents,
CGM’s pictures are done! You can view and order these on a password protected site. http://tonyahendersonphotography.shootproof.com/CGM the password is Montessori.
Orders will be due 10/17/14, they will all be placed at the same time, and delivered at the same time on or before 11/3/14.
If you have any questions you may contact Tonya at 317-502-2382.
Smile!
Tonya
- At September 15, 2014
- By CGMontessori
- In CGM Parent News
- 0
Hello Families!
Wanted to make sure you where aware of a few things happening in the school this month!
Non for profit organization needs your help – We are proud to introduce to you the, “Indiana Montessori Community” and we need you to be a part of our mission. Indiana Montessori Community is envisioned as a non for profit organization, which would help provide support to families who believe in Montessori and similar education systems.
To learn more, please join us for our first meeting on Thursday, September 18, 2014
10:00 am, at the White River Branch of Johnson County Public Library in the Community Room. Plan now to attend and hope to see you there!
Lesson Walk Thru on Cosmic – Join us Monday, September 22nd at 6:30 pm to learn about cosmic in the classroom.
– Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential.This, simply stated, is Montessori’s statement and reason for her idea of Cosmic Education. Cosmic in this sense means comprehensive, holistic, and purposeful. “Cosmic Education” differs from traditional education as it goes far beyond just the acquisition of knowledge and developmental growth, to encompass the development of the whole person. Montessori believed that children who are given a Cosmic Education have a clearer understanding of the natural world and, thus, themselves. She believed that those children who receive a Cosmic Education in childhood are better prepared to enter adolescence as independent, confident, responsible, emotionally intelligent individuals, balanced in physical, intellectual and social achievements. They are also prepared to make responsible decisions and act on them in a responsible way; to recognize limits and give, ask for, and receive help, as needed.
Please join us in learning about cosmic in your child’s classroom.
Thank you!