When your little brother starts school with you…
Everyone was very interested in and entertained by the construction on our street last week. What a thrill to have a front row seat to all the action!
Reading Buddies has begun for another school year! Every Friday afternoon, our grade 2 & 3 students read with our 2nd & 3rd year casa children. This special time builds connections and fosters friendships between levels. The casa children always benefit from listening to stories, developing their reading skills and hearing new vocabulary. The lower elementary children are able to practice their reading and build confidence and leadership skills. It’s a valuable and cherished time for all!
The Montessori nuts and bolts is an engaging practical life activity in the casa classroom. This work develops fine motor skills, concentration, coordination and independence. It also helps in strengthening hand muscles, control of movement, size differentiation and teaches patience and accuracy.
Most nut and bolt work is made of metal and wood and they come in different shapes and sizes. Children are especially drawn to this work because of the opportunity to use “real life” fasteners!
“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.” -Maria Montessori
When you pick up your child from school and ask, “How was school today?”, you very often don’t get much information and you usually hear responses like, “I don’t know,” “Good,” “I forget,” or “It was fine”. Naturally, you want to hear all the details of their school day, but after a long day, full of new experiences and challenges, your child might find that question overwhelming. It’s simply too big and too general for them to answer. Instead, try asking more specific questions that invite your child to share details about their day. By narrowing the question to be more focused, your child will be more likely to share meaningful insights, remember details and they can reflect on their experiences in a manageable way.
Here are a few questions to ask instead of “How was school today?”:
“Who did you spend time with during recess?”
“What was something new you tried today?”
“Who did you sit with during snack today?”
“Did you have any tough moments today?”
“What was your favourite/most interesting piece of work today?”
“What was the highlight of your day?”
“What was your least favourite part of your day?”
“What is something that made you laugh today?”
“How did you help someone today?”
“How did someone help you today?”
“What questions did you ask at school today?”
“What are you looking forward to at school tomorrow?”
It is so wonderful to be back at school learning and playing with friends again!
That’s a wrap! For our final week of the school year, we celebrated, had fun and everyone pitched in to clean up and organize the classrooms. Wishing all of our Kew Park families a wonderful and safe summer break and we look forward to seeing the children back at school in the fall!
The sights and sounds of the elementary recess yard…
Congratulations to our grade 6 graduates! It was wonderful to celebrate their accomplishments last week. They are all integral members of our school community, exemplary leaders who fully embody our 3 “R’s”- respect, responsibility and resourcefulness. We will sure miss them at Kew Park next year!
Just a little sampling of our wonderful spring concerts last week!
Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈
We had a great time at the zoo today! So many animals to see and interesting things to learn there as part of our zoology and botany studies.
Our elementary students just had their track and field meets and they were great! Everyone worked hard, tried their best, supported one another and cheered loudly. Our upper elementary students also pushed through some very unpleasant weather conditions through it all. Everyone should be very proud of their efforts!
On any given day in both our casa and elementary yards during recess and aftercare, you can always find many children playing in the dirt. But playing in the dirt is so much more than just fun! It is essential for a child‘s sensory development. When kids get messy in mud and sand, they engage all their senses - touch, sight, smell and even sound. From the feel between their fingers to the earthy scent that fills the air, playing in dirt offers a rich sensory experience that cannot be replicated indoors. In addition, when children play in the sand they use their problem solving skills, critical thinking, their imagination and their creativity. Just listen to the kiddos in these clips!
So when a child comes home from school and they are filthy, embrace the mess and know that they have had fun, engaged their senses and practiced various other essential skills while at play!
Learning in a classroom cannot answer all a child’s questions, so “going out” is a way to explore beyond the classroom and an essential part of the elementary Montessori experience.
Our 3-day trip to Ottawa this week with our upper elementary class is a perfect example of the value of these learning opportunities. Through the various sites visited, travelling and dining out, students developed their independence and confidence, practised grace and courtesy, nurtured relationships and made memories, applied classroom teachings in a real world setting, sparked their curiosity and interests and explored the interconnectedness of everything around them.
While away, we were so impressed with the way the students managed themselves, used their manners and supported one another, the thoughtful questions they asked and their engagement in every part of the trip. And many people we met commented on their manners, inquisitiveness and knowledge!
On their final morning in Ottawa, the upper elementary students had a tour of The Senate of Canada and then headed back home, stopping in Kingston for a very interesting visit to Fort Henry and a picnic with a view. What an amazing three days!
Day two in Ottawa was full, fun and fascinating! The upper elementary students visited the RCMP horse stables, Canadian Museum of Nature, Sussex Drive, Rideau Hall, the Canadian War Museum, National Holocaust Monument, Byward Market and ended their day with cosmic bowling!
What a great first day in Ottawa for our upper elementary class! The students visited the Royal Canadian Mint, the Supreme Court of Canada and had a walking tour of downtown that included Parliament Hill, the Centennial Flame, the Terry Fox monument, Rideau Canal, the War Memorial and the Women are Persons monument. Looking forward to what day two in Ottawa will bring…
Happy Earth Day!