Category Archives: Early Child Education

Celebrating Montessori Education Week at MCA!

By Alex Chiu

       
A sampling of MCA student projects on display at local libraries for Montessori Education Week

We at The Montessori Children’s Academy celebrate Montessori education each and every day, but for one week out of the year, we join together with schools from around the world to take part in extra special celebrations during a designated Montessori Education Week. This international commemoration of the life and work of Dr. Maria Montessori provides us with additional time to reflect on what makes Montessori education so special and to acknowledge the amazing aspects of this educational philosophy, which we see play out daily in our schools. While Dr. Montessori may have humbly stated that “It is not true that I invented what is called the Montessori Method… I have studied the child; I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method”, we must respectfully add that her observations of children and the development of her Montessori materials and philosophy have indeed created a remarkable educational path for children to follow.

For example, we observe how the multi-age classrooms allow children to work and grow together across abilities, levels, and ages, just as family members of varying ages work and grow together at home. We witness the process of discovery, challenge, repetition, determination, and satisfaction as students work on and come to master a spectrum of skills using the unique Montessori materials. We revel in the caring and empathy we see develop within our students as they work together and participate in various charitable endeavors to help those who need help. We take pride in the continuous growth and ongoing successes we see in our students, families, and staff, as we all know that learning never stops, especially when learning is so joyful! As Dr. Montessori herself said, “One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.” We see the joy in Montessori learning every day in our children’s eyes!

Our Montessori Education Week festivities this year included student presentations of Montessori materials, public library displays of student-created projects, individual classroom lessons on Dr. Montessori’s life and legacy, studies about Italy (Dr. Montessori’s home country and the birthplace of the Montessori Method), and extensions of peace activities, including our annual ‘lighting a candle for peace’ tradition. As our students engage in these experiences, they bolster both their intellectual and interpersonal skills. Students continuously build upon their prior learning, finding new nuances to each subject studied, gaining new strengths, and uncovering new ideas. “Development is a series of rebirths,” said Dr. Montessori, and we delight in watching our students evolve and advance personally and academically as they progress and make discoveries in their Montessori classrooms every day.

Although Montessori Education Week has come to a close, our celebration of Montessori continues on among our vibrant MCA community! We are proud to uphold the incredible traditions of Dr. Maria Montessori and welcome all to come learn more about her enduring philosophy and to see what makes our Montessori schools so special!

“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.” ~Maria Montessori

 

More Than Just a Bake Sale

By Alex Chiu

When is a bake sale more than just a bake sale? When we look at the learning opportunities behind these special fundraisers, we discover that children get more out of them than we might realize! Let’s take a peek behind the scenes of the bake sales hosted by The Montessori Children’s Academy and uncover the ways bake sales can help our children learn to look beyond the sweets with some very sweet and lasting results.

1. Children learn empathy. First, it’s important to be aware that with one exception (the Kindergarten bake sale), the proceeds from MCA bake sales go to charity. This month’s sales will support The Valerie Fund, MCA’s chosen charity for this school year. The students at all three MCA campuses have spent the past several months learning about this organization and how The Valerie Fund helps families whose children are suffering from childhood cancers or other blood diseases. They have come to realize some of the challenges these children and families face, and have learned about the things that this organization does to assist them. The children learn empathy for others, and are introduced to other people’s experiences and struggles. In addition, children are encouraged to see the bake sale as an opportunity to do something kind not only for the individuals associated with the chosen charity. They are inspired to consider who they might like to share a special bake sale treat with as a random act of kindness. Perhaps the local librarian? The crossing guard? A sibling? They might decide that someone they know could use a special ‘pick me up’ and share a treat with that individual as a very sweet gesture.

2. Children learn to plan and organize an event. MCA bake sales are planned and organized together with the children. While the teachers must coordinate the dates for the sales, the children are very involved in other aspects of the preparation. Students are responsible for listing the things that are needed to run the sales, including basic items like tables to display the sale items, decorations and tablecloths to make the sale attractive, money for making change, baskets to hold the baked goods, to name a few. They also create the posters which hang in the school hallways to promote the sales.

3. Children learn appreciation. Our Kindergarteners take the lead on a spring bake sale, which not only raises money for a charity of their choice, but also helps to support their end of the year events. The proceeds are divided between a charity that the students research and vote on, a special memento left on the school grounds representing the graduating Kindergarteners (e.g., wind chimes, a carved stone, etc.), and their special Kindergarten-year celebration. In this way, the Kindergarteners learn that in addition to their charitable contribution, there is work, time, and money involved in being afforded these special year-end activities, and they come to appreciate them even more.

4. Children practice interpersonal communication. Alongside parent helpers, MCA students work at the bake sale tables. They greet their customers and are encouraged to explain the purpose of the sale. They might describe the information they have learned about the charity that will benefit from the sale or share details about the various items being sold. In general, they have the opportunity to practice general grace and courtesy with their interactions.

5. Children use math skills! In addition to developing communication skills, the children who work at the bake sales practice their math skills while taking money for purchases and making change as needed. In their classrooms, the children work on identifying coins and learning the quantities within the different coins. Children who help their parents prepare the baked items at home also have the opportunity to practice math skills as they measure out ingredients for their recipes. And for those who opt to purchase pre-made goods, those children can work together with their parents to determine how many of each item is in the package and how many packages they will need to be able to provide a dozen bags of treats for their sale.

6. Children can express their creativity. When preparing bake sale items or packaging them, consider having your child create labels or decorate stickers to put on each bag. While not necessary, this is just another way to involve children in the process.

7. Children make connections across their learning. When schools work together with families to bridge the learning that takes place both at school and at home, children can see the connections of what they are learning across all areas of their lives. Learning doesn’t just happen at school. Things parents teach at home aren’t just meant for when the children are with their families. Bake sales are just another opportunity where these connections can be made in a very delicious and satisfying way!

So next time that information sheet about an upcoming bake sale comes home, consider the learning opportunities it can offer, and then let the baking and more than baking begin!

Peace

By Alex Chiu

“Peace is every step,” wrote Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, mindfulness teacher, author, and peace activist. In his many books, he offers suggestions for how we can find peace in any and every moment, especially the most hectic ones! This sage one would probably love spending time in a Montessori classroom where he could see that peace, indeed, is in every step the children take at school. Within everything a child does in the Montessori environment, there is an underlying lesson which helps to build the foundation of living mindfully, joyfully, and peacefully with ‘every step’.

This peace education begins on the very first day of school when teachers introduce lessons on Grace and Courtesy. They model the use of simple words and actions that demonstrate respect and regard for self, others, and the environment. Children learn the polite way to greet people. They are shown how to carefully walk around the work rugs of their classmates and how to move throughout the classroom slowly and with care. Vocabulary for interrupting someone or asking for something is provided and practiced. All of this early groundwork sets the stage for a classroom community whose members can work together and enjoy one another, while at the same time promoting a peaceful, safe, warm environment in which the children can learn and grow.

After these early Grace and Courtesy lessons, the children begin their exploration of the Montessori materials, making their way to the Language, Math, Cultural, Practical Life, and Sensorial areas. All of these areas of the classroom are filled with enticing ‘work’ for the children to do, leading them to wonderful academic discoveries. But mastermind that she was, Dr. Montessori incorporated ‘secret’ lessons into the materials she developed. In addition to teaching an academic skill, each activity is also a lesson in mindfulness and part of Montessori’s goal of education being a vehicle for peace in the world.

When using any of the Montessori materials, children must navigate through several steps. These include setting up a work space (either at a table or on a floor work rug), retrieving the material from the shelf, performing the tasks required to complete the work, returning the work to the shelf when finished, and then cleaning up the work area. The children’s movements must be planned, precise, and peaceful in each step. As they traverse throughout the classroom, they must negotiate the other people and furniture in the environment. When attending to their work, they have been shown how to use the material purposefully and carefully. The children understand that the care of the materials benefits the whole class, and they want to make sure things are taken care of for themselves and for everyone in their classroom. The beauty of the materials captures their attention and inspires their interest and careful consideration. Children take their time as they work. They aren’t rushed to complete one thing in order to move on to another. Instead, they are in charge of their work time which is safeguarded in an uninterrupted work cycle which facilitates their investigation of the materials and allows them to explore without being hurried along to the next activity. They enjoy the work that they do!

Many Montessori classrooms also include a special Peace Table where children might be found raking sand in a Zen garden, observing seasonal items from nature such as seashells or pinecones, or balancing a collection of smooth stones. Even the youngest Montessorians engage in these peace activities either at a Peace Table or in their other lessons chosen from across the curriculum. As shown in the lovely photograph above, some of the children in one of our MCA 2 ½ – 3 ½ classrooms took time to create beautiful ‘nature mandalas’ using a collection of items from nature in combination with pretty glass seashells and stones. Providing children with such opportunities allows them to observe nature, to make a connection with the materials, to mindfully take time to create a pretty display, to sit peacefully, and to take delight in the work that they completed.

Peace, indeed, is every step in the Montessori way. We take heart in knowing that Montessori education continues to promote peace in the development of our children, and we remain hopeful that the children will live out these lessons of peace as they grow and move about in our world. We wish everyone a joyful, peaceful 2019!

December Decision-Making

by Alex Chiu

Although it may feel as though the school year just started (a mere three months ago!), it is already time to consider educational options for the 2019-2020 school year! MCA will be hosting a series of Open Houses for current families to share information about both the Kindergarten and Elementary Programs we offer. Our Open House dates are as follows:

Kindergarten Open Houses:
Short Hills Campus – Tuesday, December 4th from 3:15 – 4:15PM
Morristown Campus – Wednesday, December 5th from 3:15 – 4:15PM
Chatham Campus – Thursday, December 6th from 3:15 – 4:15PM

Elementary Open House:
Short Hills Campus – Thursday, December 13th from 5:30 – 6:30PM

The Kindergarten Year: Completing the Three-Year Cycle
Parents of preschoolers may wonder why their child should continue in Montessori for the Kindergarten year. The Kindergarten year is the third and culminating year in the Montessori three-year cycle. It is what many children aspire to, and once they reach this level, they are proud of their roles as “upperclassmen”.

Here are just some of the benefits of the Montessori Kindergarten year:

1. Full Day Kindergarten. Students participate in their multi-age classroom activities in the morning session. Here they act as mentors and role models while at the same time honing their academic and social skills. The afternoon portion of the Kindergarten day is a time for the Kindergarten peers to come together in a separate environment from the 3-6 classroom. Here they not only continue to expand on their exploration of Montessori materials across the curriculum, but also are introduced to some of the traditional educational materials they might encounter should they move on to a non-Montessori elementary school. This transitional work complements their Montessori curriculum and is still performed at the rate that each child is ready.
2. Kindergarten Specials Classes. In addition to weekly Spanish and Music classes offered to all 3-6 classes, Kindergarten students also participate in Technology, Health, and Physical Education classes. In Technology, students use laptops, iPads, digital cameras, etc. to explore and grow their techno-literacy skills. In their Health and Physical Education classes, students are introduced to healthy habits to carry with them throughout their lives. They learn basic fundamental skills in a variety of sports, with a focus on activity as a fun way of staying fit and living well.
3. Kindergarten Community Connections. MCA Kindergartners are afforded an abundance of enrichment experiences outside of their classrooms. These include special Kindergarten field trips, community service outreach activities, pen pal correspondence with Elementary students and students from around the globe, being special guest readers to younger students, and much more. Students take on greater roles as organizers and leaders of many events throughout the Kindergarten year.
4. Kindergarten Special Events and Graduation. The Kindergarten year includes a variety of special activities geared specifically for our Kindergartners and culminates with a very special graduation celebration honoring the growth the children have made over the course of their three (or more) years in Montessori.

MCA’s Kindergarten Program is an excellent alternative to public or other non-public Kindergarten options. Our full-day Kindergarten provides our students with immeasurable social and emotional benefits in addition to academic rigor. MCA may accept students from other preschool programs to join its Kindergarten classes after a “Kindergarten Interview”, if enrollment space allows. For more information about the benefits of the Kindergarten year, you might enjoy watching this video by the American Montessori Society, Montessori Kindergarten: Empowering & Essential at https://vimeo.com/109029560.

Expanding into MCA’s Elementary and Middle School
MCA’s Elementary Program serves children through the 8th grade and promotes academic excellence, critical thinking, cooperation, and civic responsibility in its students. Our dynamic program focuses on the whole child and is guided by a team of passionate and experienced teachers who attend to the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of each student. Our Elementary teaching team makes learning meaningful and motivates students in their study of the core subject areas of Language, Math, Science, Social Studies, Geography, and Culture. We also nurture our students’ growth in the areas of Technology, Health, Spanish, Physical Education, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, and Peace Education. In addition, MCA Elementary includes lessons and programs that are unique to our school.

Some of the hallmarks of MCA’s Montessori Elementary experience include:

1. Independent learning and individual pacing without ‘grade level’ restrictions. Montessori education understands and respects that every child learns at a different pace. Students move through their academic studies with materials that complement their ability and facilitate their growth. They may work independently or in small groups depending on the task at hand, and students learn collaboration with others and take ownership of their learning.
2. Progressive learning in traditional Montessori curriculum areas with cross-curricular and real world application. Our Montessori Elementary environment includes all traditional Montessori curriculum areas complete with physical manipulatives and learning materials. As lessons progress, relationships are drawn among the curriculum areas, and understanding moves from the concrete to the more complex and abstract. Work is scaled up in terms of difficulty. Collaboration between teachers and peers becomes necessary and “intangible” skills like critical thinking are employed to solve problems and complete projects which often are related to real life applications.
3. Peace Education and “Service Learning” projects. Another intangible, but critically important, part of the Montessori curriculum is its incorporation of Peace Education. Students become involved in their communities in very meaningful ways. From participating in reading clubs with senior citizens to planning and organizing fundraisers to support local charities, our Elementary students share their time and talents in the service of others. Our students not only become positively contributing members of their local communities, but they also become more globally conscious citizens as they learn about the needs of those in faraway communities, as well. Opportunities such as these gift children with a sense of civic responsibility, tolerance, and empathy, traits that are not easily obtainable in a standard academic classroom.

MCA’s Elementary Program promotes the growth and development of our future leaders through a wealth of meaningful academic, social, and community experiences. As Dr. Montessori said, “The Absorbent Mind is indeed a marvelous gift to humanity”, and giving your child the opportunity to complete the three-year Early Childhood Cycle with a Montessori Kindergarten year or to continue in Montessori through the elementary years, is a gift that will be carried with them throughout their educational journey.

If you would like more information about MCA’s Kindergarten or Elementary Programs, please speak with your Campus Director, or join us at one of our Open Houses this month!

Growing Up with a Grateful Heart

 

By Alex Chiu

Your spouse passes a dish from the dinner table to your son. You bring a tissue to your daughter when she is sniffling while watching TV. Your mother brings your child a birthday gift. As parents, our almost kneejerk response when any of these things occur is to immediately prompt our child with “What do you say?” Sometimes we do this even before the child has had a chance to process that someone has done something kind for him or her. But what do we really accomplish with that prompting? Generally, children will give the required “thank you” response you are seeking, but is there a real sense of gratitude behind those words?

To nurture a true grateful heart, we must make gratitude a daily practice with our children. It’s important for them to understand that there is so much we can be grateful for—big and small— and recognizing this at an early age helps children grow up with gratitude as a matter of course. Why is this important? Research indicates that having a sense of gratitude can help people reduce feelings of sadness, stress, and loneliness. In his article “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Gratitude”, author Jamie Ducharme outlines how gratitude can help people become more patient, reduce overeating, combat depression, improve relationships, improve sleep, and generally make you feel happier (Time Health, November 2017). And Ann Morin has her own list of seven benefits (seven must be a lucky number!), adding that gratitude can lessen aggression, improve empathy and self-esteem, and promote better physical and psychological health (“7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude That Will Motivate You to Give Thanks Year-Round”, Forbes, November 2014).

So how can parents help their children (and themselves) learn the practice of gratitude? Let’s count some very simple ways to express gratitude at least four times throughout the day:

1. First thing in the morning: Begin the day by sharing one thing you’re grateful for that morning. Warm water to wash your hands, the sun shining, fuzzy pajamas, breakfast—model a sentence of gratitude and invite your child to think of what he or she is grateful for that morning.
2. On the way to school: Comment about one thing you see that makes you feel grateful. Recently, for me, it was having all green lights on the drive to school! But it could be anything—a car that functions, the beauty of the changing leaves, a favorite song that comes on the radio. A simple recognition of “I’m so grateful that song came on—it really brightened my mood!” is a great way to share your gratitude with your child.
3. At home after school: Express your gratitude to your child when he or she is helpful, kind, or considerate to you or any other family member. But be specific and add on to the usual “Thank you”. If your child remembers to put toys away before coming to the dinner table, you might extend your gratitude by saying “Thank you for remembering to clean up—that really helps me and shows me that you’re responsible and that you care about taking care of your toys and our house!” Invite your child to think about who has done something since coming home from school that he or she would like to thank.
4. At bedtime: Have your child share one thing about the day that he or she is truly grateful for—it could have been time spent with friends, learning a new skill or concept at school, the yummy dinner you made, snuggling with the dog, anything!

It may take some time for this habit to take hold, but if you take the initiative in sharing what you are grateful for on a regular basis, your children will very likely follow suit. And then the entire family can reap the many more than seven benefits of a grateful heart!

For a list of fun gratitude activities for the whole family, including how to make a ‘gratitude box’, some gratitude prompts, gratitude games, and even gratitude apps you can download, check out: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/gratitude-exercises/

More information and resources on gratitude, including those used as references in this article include:
http://time.com/5026174/health-benefits-of-gratitude/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#13d897b9183c
https://tinybuddha.com/

And some lovely children’s books with a gratitude theme you might enjoy:
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Jake Swamp
Splatt Says Thank You by Rob Scotton
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts