This Week in the Oak Room

Welcome Spring!  Even though it doesn’t feel like it, the first day of spring was Wednesday!  We all have spring fever and are going outside when the temperature crawls to higher than 32 degrees.  We have enjoyed observing the children keeping track of the temperature throughout the day and making predictions about how high it will get.  The children keep us well informed when it gets high enough for outdoor play. We are looking forward to warmer days and our upcoming spring planting!

Your children continue diligently completing so many jobs in the classroom.  Please remember that your children are particularly sensitive to language development at this age range.  A change of seasons is an ideal time to keep giving them new vocabulary and talk about the changing environment around them.  We all lead such busy lives, but it’s important to model for our children the ability to slow down and notice details around them and assign words to what they see.

After we return from spring break we will be traveling to Africa in our geography area of our classroom.  If any families have any items or artifacts to share or display, they would be greatly appreciated.

A reminder: conferences are next week.  Thank you to all of the families that have already signed up. We look forward to discussing all of the children’s progress with you.

Child quote of the week:

“You can remember a turtle is a reptile cause it will rip your head off.” – Luke

“Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur.”

Maria Montessori

This Week in the Oak Room

Yet another fun week in the Oak room!  These students maintain a level of enthusiasm for their work that is truly fascinating to watch!

We are continuing our study of snakes.  We discovered this week that the shortest snake is called a “thread” snake (4” long) and the longest is called a “reticulated python” (20’ long).  We measured these two lengths with string during circle and were surprised by the difference.

We also saw several slithery artistic creations…

Very nice Collin and Emery!

Some of our older students started their “number rolls” this week.  I’m sure some of our parents have heard a lot about them; they are very popular.  This is a reinforcement exercise for practice writing numbers and place value.

Child quote of the week:

Ava Katona:  “But that’s not real.  It’s make pretend.”

 “ The child’s progress does not depend only on his age, but also on being  free to look around him.”

Maria Montessori

This Week in the Oak Room

We were all so busy in our classroom this week!  The children are showing so much interest in all areas of the classroom and completing so much impressive work!

We took a trip to “Suessville” this week to recognize and celebrate the impact Dr. Suess has had on children’s lives and learning with his exquisite rhyming books. We completed several Suess related crafts and had a fun birthday party in his honor on Friday.

 Young children love the illustrations and occasional silly words in these books and really respond to the cadence of his written word.  Rhyming is an essential skill in language development and word building, so cuddle up with your little one and read some Suess together!

Child quote of the week:

Brady:  “Grandma and Grandpa took me to school today.”

Darci: “Why?”

Brady: “Mom and Dad are going on vacation.”

Darci: “Where are they going?”

Brady: “To the airport.”

“The child, in fact, once he feels sure of himself, will no longer seek the approval of authority after every step.”

Maria Montessori

This Week in the Oak Room

Welcome to our new student, Stella.  We all look forward to getting to know our new friend!

A special thanks to our older children who were very kind showing Stella around our room and helping her with our daily procedures.  A beautiful example of why mixed age grouping is so successful!

We are in for some fun in the Oak room this week!  March 2^nd is Dr. Suess’ birthday!  We will be reading some of his wonderful books, making Suesstastic crafts and having a special birthday party for this very special author.  A lot of the children really enjoy his books, so please take some time to read one of his books together at home!

We will continue to study Asia in our geography area, beginning our focus on the country of Taiwan.

Snakes, snakes, snakes. They are cool (blooded, that is).  We will begin a science unit on snakes this upcoming week.  If any of our families have an actual live snake as a pet, we would really enjoy a visit from them!  We look forward to finding out about what snakes eat, where they live and what kind we could find in our own back yard!

Thanks to all of our families that passed the word about our open house this weekend.  We had a great turnout and were proud to show off our beautiful school!

Child quote of the week:

“Just a minute Miss Holly.  I have to tell some friends they are too loud.” – Grant

“Of all things love is the most potent.” – Maria Montessori