Tag Archives: Montessori elementary NJ

Outdoor Learning Opportunities

While we all remain safely inside our homes, you may have noticed some significant and beautiful changes happening outdoors. This year, the grass seems greener, the flowering trees fuller, the skies bluer, and the sun brighter. It could be that we have a greater appreciation for these springtime changes given current circumstances, or it could be, as some hypothesize, due to a decrease in pollution as people stay home. Whatever the reason, the outdoors is more welcoming than ever this spring.

We’ve all heard that fresh air is good for us, that the vitamin D that we get from exposure to the sun is important, and that both can boost our immunity in general. Most definitely being outdoors on a sunny spring day can lift our spirits. So, as we continue with our physical distancing and alternative learning, why not integrate learning outdoors into a daily routine? Parents can move some of their children’s school activities to the deck, the driveway, or the backyard. Montessori learning is experiential, and incorporating learning with time spent outside is another great way to promote meaningful, sensorial, and fun at-home learning endeavors.

Without too much effort, you might create your own ‘outdoor classroom’ at home. A blanket spread out on the grass and a book (or audiobook) makes for a lovely afternoon reading experience. Bring along a few furry (stuffed animal) friends for a read-aloud picnic and book club party! Sidewalk chalk on the driveway or front walkway might be a fun way to share uplifting messages to passersby while practicing writing at the same time. Older children might do some journal writing while sitting on the front step.

You might find that many outdoor learning opportunities naturally lend themselves to cross-curricular lessons. Combine science with language by having children dictate or write descriptions of their observations of birds, trees, flowers, or backyard visitors. Invoke an art lesson, as well, by providing your child with a sketchbook and some colored pencils or watercolors to then illustrate some of those same observations.

Certain activities are best suited for outside, such as science experiments, especially if they involve water or potentially messy materials, as cleanup is much easier! Go outside and record the daily temperature, or watch which way shadows are cast at different times throughout the day. Show your child which direction is north and see if he or she can estimate the time by where the shadows fall.

You might generate new interest in math lessons involving counting, addition, subtraction, or other functions by having your child use natural objects such as leaves, rocks, or sticks. Tally how many times a squirrel passes by or how many cars drive past the house. Simply being outside invokes the use of senses, so opportunities for Sensorial lessons abound. Sort items by categories such as rough/smooth or heavy/light, or by color or shape or size. Listen to the surrounding sounds and identify or chart them. How many are made by living things (birds, people) vs. non-living things (cars, doors slamming), and then discuss how would you categorize the sound of the wind?

Also remember to offer time for simple, unstructured free-play outside. With an adult nearby but not involved, children can create entire worlds for themselves using their imaginations and their surroundings. Many ‘old fashioned’ games, as well as outdoor lessons, require very few materials or supplies. By allowing your child to take in the sights, sounds, scents, and textures in nature, you’re sure to see learning unfold naturally.

Collaborating with The Country Home: Keeping the spirit of caring and giving alive all throughout the year!

It is always with great anticipation that MCA selects and announces the organization it will support each school year, and we take great pride in making our charitable efforts an ongoing series of events throughout the year rather than limiting them to just the holiday season. This year, we are especially excited about the opportunities that are unfolding for our students, staff, and families as we partner with The Country Home Memory Care. We believe that the connections we are making through the activities we have planned will be long-lasting and make a positive impact not only in the lives of the residents at The Country Home, but also for our MCA community.

About The Country Home
Located in Morris Plains, New Jersey, The Country Home is a 38-bed community which offers personal residential care for senior citizens with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Victorian house is surrounded by a white picket fence with a beautiful outside seating area where music can be heard playing. There is a large area for the residents to garden with family members, and on Sundays, they have “Family Day” where everyone gathers together. It is a place where people can feel comfortable and at home while receiving the attention and care that they need. The residents have the opportunity to engage in a variety of daily activities, such as playing games or caring for the cat and dog through pet therapy, and we are adding to their opportunities with our school community efforts this year.

Our Special Connection
Mrs. Jacqueline Pisciotto, one of our MCA Head Teachers, discovered The Country Home when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Mrs. Pisciotto, through her personal experience, has learned a great deal about the needs of Alzheimer’s patients and has come to discover that the Montessori approach not only benefits children, but also benefits those senior citizens with Dementia or Alzheimer’s. As researchers have found in their work with the elderly in recent years, Mrs. Pisciotto observed firsthand that by bringing Montessori ideas and activities into this senior community, the residents could engage in meaningful activities that stimulate and engage their minds and utilize their fine motor skills in the same way that our MCA students benefit from this type of work at their own developmental stages. In discussing this initiative with Dr. Timothy Purnell, current CEO of the American Montessori Society, we learned that AMS has recently highlighted information on the positive connection between Montessori and Alzheimer’s patients, so this is an exciting time to become involved in newly developing research and Montessori expansion across generations.

Together with Mr. Steven Richter, the Administrator of The Country Home, MCA began exploring ways to apply the Montessori philosophy and incorporate Montessori Materials into the daily activities of the senior citizens at The Country Home. Thus, MCA’s service commitment started, and we are well on our way to making a positive impact on the lives of our new friends at The Country Home.

Bringing Montessori to The Country Home
To support The Country Home’s Dementia/Alzheimer’s care services, MCA students are creating Montessori-inspired materials to share with the residents. Together with their teachers, the students are designing their own Practical Life exercises, art projects, and Sensorial lessons for their new Montessori counterparts. These are then shared with the residents at The Country Home by Mrs. Pisciotto, who demonstrates to the seniors how to use the materials. The materials remain at the center housed on a special “Montessori Cart” which was donated by MCA and assembled by our MCA Elementary students. This cart and the materials are left on the premises for the residents to use as they wish.

Currently, Mrs. Pisciotto and Mrs. Camilla Nichols-Uhler, Director of Montessori Development, have been visiting the residents each week, bringing in different activities for the seniors to explore. To date, they have presented lessons on patterning and stringing beads, matching socks, folding napkins, matching colors, flowers, and leaves, spooning cheerios, and tonging pom poms. The residents also are enjoying using tangram puzzles; one former construction foreman absolutely loves these puzzles! In addition, Mrs. Pisciotto and Mrs. Nichols-Uhler have shared various arts and crafts activities, including making holiday decorations. Mrs. Pisciotto also brought in the birds from her classroom, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan, and they were a huge hit, as many of the residents spent time watching and interacting with them.

During these MCA visits, everyone becomes engaged in various activities which support fine motor control, concentration, and memory. Not only that, but they have fun and make social connections as well! Several residents have started to sing songs and share stories and memories from their lives. Needless to say, the reception from everyone at The Country Home has been nothing but positive, and there have been many requests to please bring in more Montessori work for them to do!

More Student, Staff, and Family Participation Opportunities
Our MCA Kindergarten and Elementary students will have the added opportunity to ‘adopt a grandparent’ to write to and send artwork to throughout the school year. The Elementary students plan to travel to The Country Home to sing for the residents during the winter holidays, and we aim to arrange more visits at other times during the year. In the spring, we also hope to collaborate in some seed raising and planting with the residents in their beautiful garden, and perhaps plan a day when MCA families can visit the home to help in the planting at a “Sunday Planting in the Garden Get-Together”. In addition, MCA staff will have the chance to visit The Country Home as part of their in-service days. There they will work with residents using the materials from the children, read, engage in conversation, and help with any simple tasks that might need to be done at the facility. Our goal is hope to support The Country Home in making their senior residents feel loved, respected, and cherished.

Meaningful Montessori Outreach and Outcomes
Perhaps one of the most exciting things about our partnership with The Country Home is the opportunity for our students and staff to assess firsthand how Montessori impacts the lives of the residents. By collecting personal reflections, stories, photos, and feedback from the residents and staff at The Country Home about their experiences with working with Montessori materials and interacting with our MCA community, we can follow the progress and hopefully confirm our belief that Montessori is beneficial across ages. We believe that Montessori can build a bridge between generations and provide a place where young and old can come together in a spirit of caring, comfort, creativity, and community.

We are so excited to engage in this partnership with The Country Home! Stay tuned for more updates of our activities throughout the year!

If you’d like to read more about the benefits of bringing Montessori into the lives of people with dementia, you might like reading the following articles online:

Camp, Cameron, Antenucci, V., Roberts, A., Fickenscher, T., Erkes, J., and Neal, T. “The Montessori Method Applied to Dementia: An International Perspective.” Montessori Life, Spring 2017. American Montessori Society, https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/Montessori-Articles/All-Articles/The-Montessori-Method-Applied-to-Dementia.

Hunstman, Mark. “Using the Montessori Method for Dementia.” alzheimers.net, https://www.alzheimers.net/montessori-method-dementia/.

Spotlight On: Dr. Timothy Purnell

This past summer, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Timothy Purnell to discuss all things Montessori. Not only is Dr. Purnell the Chief Executive Officer of the American Montessori Society (AMS), but we are proud to say that he is also the parent of an alumna from The Montessori Children’s Academy. With vast experience in the field of education as a teacher, superintendent, professor, public speaker, and current CEO of AMS, Dr. Purnell continues to be driven and determined to promote the best practices in education for children today and for future generations to come. Experiencing his high energy and an array of engaging stories, we came away from our visit with Dr. Purnell enlightened and eager to share his passion for education, and especially Montessori education.

MCA: Can you tell us a little about how you were introduced to education as a career?

Dr. Purnell: I actually started out studying medicine. But as I got deeper into it, I realized it wasn’t for me. My father—who is himself a doctor—suggested I study teaching instead. I said, “No way!” My own experience had been that much of school was a nightmare, and I couldn’t imagine replicating that for others. But my father responded, “Exactly! Change the things you do not like.” And that really impacted me. So after college, I took a job as a guide in a Montessori summer program; and that fall, I accepted a position in a Montclair public school. To my surprise, I discovered that education was really my calling and that I wanted to create an environment for children that was contrary to my own experiences.

Dr. Purnell eventually became a professor in higher education, and he shared how Montessori resurfaced in his life during his experiences in the university setting.

Dr. Purnell: At Georgian Court University and Fairleigh Dickenson University, I asked the students to explore different pedagogies and to report back about what interested them most. They responded with many ideas about different theorists they were eager to learn more about in class—such as Dewey, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky—and, quite often, Maria Montessori. I am grateful to my students for “resurfacing” Dr. Montessori in my life!

Montessori did, indeed, find Dr. Purnell, and the Montessori Method further became the inspiration for his work as Superintendent of Schools in Somerville, NJ, where he launched a high school program incorporating Montessori values, which has since become a lighthouse for best practices.

Dr. Purnell: In Somerville, during my second year as superintendent, my team and I were doing data analytics at the high school and our metrics showed the dropout rate to be increasing. We realized if we didn’t take decisive action, the graduation rate would continue to decrease. So I assembled a team of like- and unlike-minded individuals—students and teachers, along with input from a local resident and professor from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Dr. Randall Westbrook—and my team came up with an idea to launch an inspirational, non-traditional learning space in the public sector, designed for students who were metrically at risk for dropping out, such as students who had been incarcerated, were struggling with school anxiety, were exploring sexual orientation, and/or just didn’t fit into the traditional mold.

Although it wasn’t strictly Montessori, it would include such Montessori tenets as uninterrupted blocks of work time, the opportunity for self-paced learning, teachers who served as guides rather than “masters,” and classes with multi-age groupings. The program was set up to be rolling, allowing for graduation mid-year.

The program was specially equipped with its own non-Child Study Team School Psychologist full time for support. Students were greeted every day with food, and eventually they started a small farm, growing crops and giving them to a local restaurant. The program became a smashing success with credit recovery escalating rapidly, students progressing greatly—some were even graduating early—and enrollment and graduation rates improving. The program won awards, and we became a top school district for approaching learning in a differentiated way. The strength of the Montessori pedagogy approach allowed for these students who did not fit the traditional mold to achieve success.

Dr. Purnell’s great success as the Superintendent in Somerville, led to him being selected as NASS Superintendent of the Year in 2016. His reputation spread, and Dr. Purnell later became the CEO of the American Montessori Society, where he has been advocating for Montessori education and working internationally on initiatives to promote high quality Montessori programs through teacher education programs, conferences, podcasts, keynote addresses, and TEDx talks.

Dr. Purnell is currently leading an initiative at AMS to ensure that there’s emphasis on quality Montessori schools over quantity of Montessori schools. He is especially proud of the increasing number of AMS member schools that are pursuing AMS accreditation—the gold standard of Montessori education—as well as those that are taking advantage of a resource called the AMS Pathway of Continuous School Improvement.

But Dr. Purnell also has another personal connection to Montessori, and that is with his youngest child, who attended MCA.

MCA: What drew you to MCA?

Dr. Purnell: When my wife and I were looking for a school for our daughter, we knew we wanted a Montessori environment that was not only high-fidelity, but a place where she would flourish—as it’s not just the pedagogy that makes for Montessori, but the entire look and feel of a program. When we entered MCA, we knew right away that this was going to be the right place. We quickly fell in love with the teacher, whom we recognized as an incredible educator and nurturer, the classrooms, the joy that we saw on the students’ faces, and their focused concentration; the everything. We agreed we could make it work with our schedules, even though it meant some tricky logistics for my wife, regarding drop off and pick up.

We wanted to know how the Montessori philosophy may have filtered into his own home life.

MCA: In what ways have you seen how an early Montessori education positively impacted your own child?

At home, we see it in how she takes care of the environment, treating things well and putting them back in their proper places. She speaks to us respectfully (usually!) and is helpful, especially when it comes to cleaning up, and is independent (and opinionated) about selecting her clothing. I can see her gaining confidence in herself and realizing that she doesn’t always need to come to me or another adult to solve things—she’s learning to draw on her own resources. On top of all this, she loves to go to school. What more could a parent ask?

MCA: What do you tell your neighbors and friends about Montessori?

Dr. Purnell: I talk about the independence of the Montessori child. I talk about the joy of the Montessori child. Of my Montessori child. About how she loves school, and loves learning—as do her classmates. Another thing I address is the focus on early learning, that is, is, birth through age 6, This is a period Maria Montessori called the “absorbent stage,” when children experience intense mental activity that allows them to “absorb” learning from their environment quickly and easily without conscious effort. It’s a critical time in their lives, and a Montessori environment is an ideal place to nurture and support it. As Dr. Montessori said, “Education must begin at birth.”

MCA: If Dr. Montessori were alive today, what would you want to ask her? What do you want to know straight from the source?

Dr. Purnell: That’s a tough question because there are so many things I would want to know! To start, I would like to hear her stories about teaching children who were dismissed because they were thought to be “mentally deficient,” to use the very un-PC parlance of the times, and what surprised her most. I’d also be interested to know her creative process in developing Montessori learning materials—the prototypes of the very same materials we see here in MCA.

I’d be fascinated to know about the “Glass Classroom” that she staged for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. This was a glass-walled demonstration Montessori classroom where hundreds of visitors would gather round to observe children at work. The children, who had never attended Montessori school before, worked with such focus that it seemed they didn’t notice. How did Dr. Montessori have such confidence that this would work?

And I’d want to know about her experiences living in exile in India during WWII, and her development as a pacifist. Did you know she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize three times? And of course I’d want her perspectives on our world today: the use of technology in the classroom and beyond, strides made in women’s rights—she was also a feminist—teaching tolerance. and so much more.

MCA: It would be a great conversation! Finally, we’d like to ask, how do you see Montessori changing and benefiting our world?

Dr. Purnell: This is what Montessori is truly all about and actually the topic of my next TEDx talk in Delaware, “The Future with Montessori.” I’ll be talking about how by operating humanely, and by that I mean equitably, inclusively, respectfully, and kindly in all facets of our lives: professional, personal, familial, governmental, and especially with those less fortunate than we are, we can make the world a better place. And how the place to start is with our children. In her book, Education and Peace, Maria Montessori said, “The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”

And speaking of making the world a better place, this past year I had the privilege of leading the AMS Board of Directors and AMS staff in rewriting our mission statement. It was an interesting process that derived from personal stories they told about individual experiences with Montessori and AMS. We eventually dissected all the stories and isolated key words that everyone agreed were impactful in describing the “what and why” of our organization—that is, our mission—and came up with these simple but powerful words: “Empowering humanity to build a better world through Montessori.” We are very proud of it, and even had it printed on T-shirts that we wore during a recent service learning project with Habitat for Humanity NYC!

We truly believe Montessori can change the world. It will happen through the children at MCA—and, if we are fortunate, with children throughout the world.

The Montessori Children’s Academy extends its deepest gratitude to Dr. Purnell for taking the time to share his thoughts and experiences with us. For more information about AMS and to access resources about Montessori for families, you may wish to visit their website at amshq.org. There you may also view Dr. Purnell’s impactful TEDx video presentation, “Truth in Leadership: #GetOffYourIsland”.

Enriching the Day with After School Activities

Childhood is a time of discovery. Young children are naturally curious, and they find wonder and joy in many things we, as adults, have come to take for granted. Children often are more open to trying new things, as everything is novel and there are no expectations of perfection. Parents can seize this opportunity to introduce their children to a variety of activities as a way of finding a new hobby, learning new skills, and for the simple enjoyment of recreation.
MCA is fortunate to partner with LEAF Approach to Enrichments, which offers many different after school activities for our MCA students to explore. Program offerings range in topics from sports to STEM, animal worlds to art, karate to yoga, and so much more. There really is something for everyone. Broadening your child’s experiences to things he or she might not normally do at home has some lasting benefits, too.

1. Enrichments might spark a new interest.
While your child might engage in familiar activities at home and on the weekends, trying a new after school activity could open the door to a new passion. As LEAF’s sessions are short, usually seven or eight meetings over the course of two months, children have the opportunity to try out something new without making a huge commitment. However, upon engaging in a new program, your child may find that one thing that really sparks his or her enthusiasm. Then, as a family, you can decide whether to pursue this interest even further.

2. They could lead to new friendships.
The after school activities offered at MCA bring together students from different classrooms depending on who has enrolled. Your child then has the opportunity to enjoy activities with children who might not be in their regular school day program, allowing them to branch out and form new personal connections through their enrichment classes.

3. Enrichments teach new skills.
Our young children are learning every day. They are developing their daily Practical Life skills of self-care, care of the environment, time management, etc. They are also expanding their academic learning and practicing social skills. Enrichments provide yet another avenue to expose children to new things that round out their skill sets. Whether it’s learning the rules of a game, the techniques of cooking, breathing exercises, or how circuits work, children in enrichment classes have the opportunity to widen their net of experiences. Exposure to new ideas and situations in and of itself is a learning opportunity, and when presented in a fun, stress-free environment, the new learning is all that much easier to absorb.

4. Enrichments are fun!
In our busy worlds, many of us forget the importance of doing something just for the sake of enjoyment. Taking time to have fun allows us to break away from the many stressors that can overwhelm us in our daily schedules. It’s important for our mental wellness to attend to our personal well-being, and teaching our children this lesson from an early age may help them to lead more balanced lives going forward. Knowing that work and play are equally valuable is something we could all benefit from remembering (and practicing!).

Registration for LEAF Approach to Enrichments for our MCA students will begin on September 19th and run through October 3rd. All registration is done online through the LEAF website, www.leafenrichment.com. Classes begin the week of October 14th and will run for a total of seven weeks. Note: Class offerings may differ across MCA campuses.

Celebrating Spring

By Alex Chiu

“Development is a series of rebirths.” ~Dr. Maria Montessori

This is the time of year when many special events start springing up on our calendars. At MCA, we again find ourselves in the midst of planning and preparing for a variety of end of the year activities that will certainly make this already fulfilling school year even more enriched and memorable.

One highly anticipated spring activity occurring in several MCA classrooms is the hands-on study of the life cycles of different living things. Students have the opportunity to witness firsthand the development of plants, caterpillars, or baby chicks. Some classes begin planting seeds in early spring and track the growth of their plants on a chart. They may experiment with different types of soil or different growing conditions and compare and contrast their results. Several of the 3-6 classrooms set up butterfly habitats and observe caterpillars as they grow, form their chrysalides, and then emerge as butterflies. Students have an up close and personal look at the anatomy of the butterfly, and they are often amazed to see the butterfly’s proboscis stretch out to collect nectar from sugar water sprinkled onto flowers which the children place into the butterfly habitat. This unit generally ends with a celebratory releasing of the butterflies on the playground, and the children keep watch to see if their butterfly friends fly by throughout the remainder of their spring school days.

Other classes welcome eggs from a local farm and care for them in an incubator. Students learn how much warmth the eggs require, and they are careful to monitor the turning of the eggs while they are in their care. It’s always a delight to see the children’s reactions as they marvel at the baby chicks when they begin pecking their way out of the eggs. The children learn about what the chicks eat, and they take great pride in how carefully they handle them once they hatch. The growing chicks are returned to the farm, and while the students are sad to see them go, they have wonderful memories of this experience. Having both the caterpillars and chicken eggs in the classroom allows the children to see firsthand how the circle of life continues during this season of rebirth. They learn about the needs of these living creatures and nurture them through their development. It’s a precious thing to see the excitement in the classrooms as the children notice the first sprouts of the plants, or the day when they first see butterfly wings stretching open, or when they hear the first pecks at the eggshells when the chicks are ready to hatch.

And just as the children learn about animals and their offspring as an extension of these life cycle studies, they take time to reflect on their own families, as well. The children prepare and plan tributes to mothers and fathers. These important family members are honored in a variety of ways, either at classroom teas or special breakfasts prepared by the children or with lovingly-made crafts kept secret until Mother’s or Father’s Day arrives. We find that parents who come into the classrooms either for spring celebrations or merely to observe the children at work really are amazed at the growth that has taken place over the course of the school year. The children are certainly changed by spring!

Spring is also a time when MCA students come together as a community to celebrate the season in song at our annual Spring Sing. After working with our Music Teacher, Mr. Vergara, throughout the year learning about matching pitch and keeping the beat to different tempos, as well as other musical dynamics, the children are ready to present their musical talents. The performance includes song selections that highlight the different types of musical learning the children have gleaned. This year’s performance likely will include songs about spring, nature, and peace, as well as a blues piece, a lullaby, and a song sung in a foreign language. The Spring Sing is their opportunity to put into practice what they’ve learned and share the joy of music with an audience.

Our Elementary students host their own annual Art Exhibit and Choral Presentation in the spring, where they, too, sing for an appreciative audience of parents and friends. After this special event, guests are invited to view art and science displays, as well as other work and projects completed by these oldest MCA students. It’s a fitting celebration of their achievements as the students take pride in showing their accomplishments to their visitors. Our Elementary classes will also perform original plays for other MCA students at our Short Hills campus. This performance is the culmination of the Elementary students’ theater work with the Paper Mill Playhouse as part of their arts enrichment programming. The Elementary Yearbook Club will also publish their school yearbooks. Yearbook distribution is a highly anticipated event, and the students enjoy looking through the yearbook to revisit memories of the past school year and sign each other’s yearbooks with special messages and summer sendoffs.

As spring is a time of rebirths which flourish all around us, we enjoy this season and delight in reflecting on the growth and achievements of our students who have blossomed in our classrooms. We celebrate the children who learned to separate from their parents without tears and those who have learned to tie their own shoes. We celebrate the children who have mastered new learning in Language or Math and the children who have taken the initiative to help someone who was struggling with their work. We celebrate these children who have learned to care for the classroom materials as well as care for family, friends, and the environment. Spring is a delightful time to acknowledge and celebrate all of this growth which has unfolded beautifully throughout the school year!