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Posts Tagged "Lower Elementary"

Screen Time

November 12, 2019
By A.Robinson

As Montessori educators we value the importance of hands on, real life experiences for your children – both during the school day and at home. So where does technology use fit in?

The following article, published in the New York Times, discusses the importance of finding a balanced relationship with technology, watching for warning signs of the negative impact technology can have on children and provides guidelines for recommended usage by age. Well worth the read!

How and When to Limit Kids' Tech Use

Posted in Faculty-Staff

Lettuce, Radishes, Peas and More!

June 07, 2019
By D.Baumgarten

Lettuce, radishes, peas, and beans . . . mealworms, centipedes, earthworms, garden spiders . . . catbirds, red tailed hawks, fox, deer . . . seashell sets, whale baleen, emu egg, making paper . . . what a year it has been!

The highlight of sustainable science always seems to be the work we are doing now. So the garden is currently exciting, but wait! We are in the woods today! Each week, Children’s House and Lower Elementary students are outside exploring one or the other when the weather cooperates.

If we look at the long-range picture, I must mention the new deer fence that was built by Eagle Scout, Marc Zamora, and his Boy Scout troop. As you’ve probably seen, we have groundhogs on the property. Between the groundhogs and the deer, peas have not survived the last couple of planting seasons here at TMS. This year, because of the deer fence, we are growing peas! The first flowers are presenting themselves, so I’m hopeful that children can eat peas before the last day of school. Summer camp will likely have peas and beans. Next fall, we will enjoy tomatoes, zinnia flowers, and hopefully carrots, kale, beans, and peppers.

The scout troop worked hard and long on Saturday, March 30. I knew this would be demanding, but I had no idea how demanding it was going to be! Post holes were dug three feet into the ground for a very sturdy fence structure. It is working, too. Stop by the garden to see the vegetables that are growing! Today, May 23, we will eat lettuce, kale, radishes and spinach.

Each year, the goal of sustainable science is to embed the knowledge that the students have in their extremely strong science Montessori curriculum into the immediate world around us. What season are we in, and what are we seeing in the garden and woods? Exactly what live critters are in the soil? Which ones can I safely hold (earthworms, mealworms, sow bugs) and which ones do we leave alone (spiders, centipedes)? Applying knowledge to the here and now is exhilarating.

Each year, TMS students rotate through directly handling science resources that are brought to school from my “gatherings”: sets of seashells, fossils and rocks, a nature set, magnifiers, and paper-making supplies. Earlier this year, we increased our understanding of recycling. We now have a papier-mâché map of TMS showing sea level elevation of TMS and the woods. We also made craft paper from discarded “recycled” paper. Some of the paper was used in spectacular art with Mrs. Cooper!

So, highlights? All those teachable moments that children experience in the garden, woods, making their own piece of paper, matching the fossil in hand with the timeline of life, and more.

And the big picture? Woods/garden/rain garden/rain barrel/nature inside and out/making paper and a new deer fence.

Posted in Faculty-Staff

Embryology in Lower El

June 07, 2019
By Lower El / Mahee

Hi, I’m Mahee and I’m going to tell you how Lower Elementary takes care of chicks and learns about embryology. You have to keep the eggs in an incubator, which keeps them at 100 degrees. You have to turn the eggs at morning, lunch, and afternoon, for the first 4 days. After they hatch, you have to leave them in the incubator for 24 hours to let their feathers dry. Then, you can move them into a brooder box. You have to have a heat lamp in the brooder box to keep them warm. You must provide them with food (corn meal) and water. We keep the chicks for five days before they return to the farm.

Posted in Students

Problem-Solving

June 07, 2019
By A.Robinson

Samuel Beckett once noted, “You’re on earth. There’s no cure for that.”

As educators we constantly work to help students develop problem solving skills. The freedom and responsibility as well as the social nature of the Montessori elementary classroom allows students to practice these skills on a daily basis. The children recognize that problem solving is a necessary life skill and understand that while at school, they always have the right and the responsibility to take steps to solve problems of all natures.

A spilled drink is taken care of with a towel and a mop, while interpersonal conflict is solved through conversation – many times it is discovered that a simple miscommunication is to blame! Class meetings serve to empower the children to notice and solve problems which affect the classroom community as a whole. The students meet to offer comments and possible solutions regarding the issue at hand.

The Elementary age child is building a life for himself outside of his family and home as he becomes increasingly independent. This means that while we as adults can offer support, we must allow the child the freedom to work towards solving his or her own problems.

The following article offers useful tips for what you as a parent can do to equip your children with the tools they will need to be successful problem solvers:

How to Teach Kids Problem-Solving Skills

Posted in Faculty-Staff

Recent Posts

2/16/22 - By Admission Team
11/12/21 - By Development Team
11/17/20 - By Upper El / Leilani & Sophie
2/27/20 - By American Montessori Society
11/12/19 - By K.Kelly
11/12/19 - By A.Robinson
6/7/19 - By D.Baumgarten
6/7/19 - By Upper Elementary
6/7/19 - By Lower El / Mahee
6/7/19 - By L.Magge

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