“As soon as children find something that interests them they lose their instability and learn to concentrate.” -Maria Montessori
We finally have snow. Oh, what fun!
Introducing the life cycle of a butterfly to a pair of first year casa students!
Real specimens are an important part of the Montessori method, which emphasizes hands-on learning and direct interaction with the environment. Montessori classrooms use real specimens to help children learn about science, botany and zoology.
Here one of our lower elementary teachers introduces a lesson on the skeletal system using several real animal bones, a skull and a life size model of a human spine, immediately sparking the interest of her students!
Glass polishing is always a favourite practical life activity in our casa classrooms. The direct aim of this work is to show the child how to clean glass objects in their environment and the indirect aim of this activity is the development of concentration through order and sequence and the development of fine muscular control.
Our upper elementary students began a unit of study on sculpture in art this week by making these fantastic paper sculptures! They had a blast and were very proud of their work.
In this zoology lesson, a casa child matches animals with their tracks!
We had an interesting, thought provoking and inspiring day of professional development at the C.C.M.A. National Fall Conference at Centennial College today. It is always wonderful to connect with other Montessorians, spend some time together outside of the classroom, hear from incredibly knowledgeable and experienced keynote speakers and rekindle our love for what we do!
Here we see two students examining items on their classroom nature table.
The purpose of the nature table is for children to observe and explore anything that has been brought from nature into the classroom. The children are encouraged to bring in items of special interest from nature. For example, interesting stones, bird nests, old egg shells, pinecones, feathers, acorns, leaves, anything that takes the child’s interest. Displaying their objects on the nature table makes them feel proud.
The nature table fosters an interest and respect for nature and helps to develop observational skills and vocabulary.
Some of our lower elementary students made sundials and took them outside to see if they could use them to predict the time based on the shadow from the sun.
Kew Park students have been out on several fun and interesting field trips this month. Our first-year casa friends took a big yellow bus to Riverdale Farm! Our second and third-year casa students spent a morning doing printmaking at Harbourfront Centre. And our lower elementary classes enjoyed a day outdoors at Tommy Thompson Park learning about animal habitats and searching for animal clues. A great time was had by all!
Congratulations to several of our elementary students who competed in this week’s cross country meet with the Independent Schools Athletic Association. We had beautiful weather and all of our runners did amazingly well and we had many medal winners! We are always so impressed with their effort and their sportsmanship - the children are so supportive of one another and cheer each other on! Thank you so much to all the parents who accompanied us to the meet who made it safe and enjoyable for all.
Our upper elementary students have various mentoring responsibilities within the school, including greeting and walking the casa children down to their classrooms every morning. Aside from being extremely helpful, this opportunity develops confidence, empathy and leadership skills in our upper students and the casa children are always happy to walk and chat with them. It is such a joy to watch their interactions and listen to their conversations!
Our lower elementary classes are learning about the primary, secondary and tertiary colours in art class!
In a Montessori elementary classroom, many lessons are given in small groups. Here we see a group of grade one students in a lesson on the provinces and territories of Canada.
The small group lesson is a powerful tool that allows a teacher to interact with each child and assess their understanding. The kind of interaction a small group lesson provides is very authentic. Unlike a teacher calling on a student with a raised hand, the conversation flows naturally. The children also have the opportunity to learn from each other, by asking questions and sharing ideas, insights and experiences. Maria Montessori recognized the importance of social interaction for the elementary child, which is why much of the work in elementary is done collaboratively and many lessons are presented this way.
Our school participated in our annual Terry Fox walk on Wednesday! After a short warm up, everyone dropped their money in the big shoe and walked around the block. In the afternoon our upper elementary students collectively ran the equivalent of two marathons at Greenwood Park. They also made and sold Terry inspired bracelets to the lower elementary classes throughout the week to earn more funds for @terryfoxfoundation. A great effort and thank you to all of our families for their generous donations!
Kew Park Montessori Day School acknowledges this land, now known as Toronto, or Tkaronto, as the traditional territory of many nations. Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Wendat peoples have all lived here, either together or at different times. We recognize the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples who continue to call this land home. Peace on this land is achieved through treaties, including Treaty 13. We commit to uplifting the voices of Indigenous people, teaching and learning with Two-Eyed Seeing and encouraging reciprocity and respect towards Indigenous communities.
On their final morning at Kinark, our upper elementary students packed up their cabins, had a blast doing flying squirrel and shared their thoughts as they debriefed on their experience there.
While the main purpose of our annual 3-day trip to Kinark Outdoor Centre is for community building, it is always so much more than just that. It is also an opportunity for the students to spend quality time in nature and with each other outside of the classroom. It is a chance to try new things and step outside of their comfort zone and into their growth zone, with Kinark’s “challenge by choice” approach. It is a time to build confidence and independence being away from home, often for the first time. And it is an opportunity to have a tonne of fun, building memories that will last a lifetime!
Today was a very full day at Kinark Outdoor Centre for our upper elementary students. This morning we went on a beautiful hike and did some archery. This afternoon we had a thrill on the high ropes and then went peddle boating, dip netting and made candles. We ended our day by the campfire with songs and marshmallows and did some stargazing.
Our upper elementary class had a great first day at Kinark Outdoor Centre! We did fun ice breaker activities, went rock climbing, made slime, played games and Enviro Stockticker and had some free cabin time. Looking forward to tomorrow!