{"id":1379,"date":"2024-10-04T18:11:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T22:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/?p=1379"},"modified":"2024-10-04T18:11:22","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T22:11:22","slug":"world-connections-through-montessori","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/04\/world-connections-through-montessori\/","title":{"rendered":"World Connections Through Montessori"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy, we are always looking for opportunities to connect our students with other children and cultures through events inside and outside of the Prepared Environment. Maria Montessori believed that widening the children\u2019s horizons was an important aspect of learning that we are part of something bigger and that we are all connected and needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We prepare MCA students to become global citizens through a variety of activities, lessons, and projects that will strengthen and develop their sense of belonging in this world. It also teaches our children at a very young age that they can have an impact and make a difference. This is something that has always been integrated into MCA, where we have inspired families to continue looking for opportunities where they can make a difference in their own communities outside of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Geography area of MCA\u2019s classrooms, there are color-coded Cultural Folders representing each continent. In those folders our students find pictures of people, houses, food, and a variety of other items from each Culture. There are folders for North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, and Australia. Often, the children will also find corresponding Cultural Boxes\u00a0<\/em>that house souvenirs from each continent. A student chooses a folder and the corresponding flag, along with the colored globe, and can discuss the pictures with a friend or simply review alone while also examining the objects.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

As part of our Cultural studies, MCA students learn to sing moving, meaningful songs such as \u201cThe Universe\u201d, \u201cBeautiful Earth\u201d, and \u201cThe Continents\u201d by Shelley Murley (Montessori Minute Melodies<\/em>: https:\/\/music.apple.com\/us\/album\/montessori-minute-melodies\/279575407<\/a>) and are exposed to many wonderful books and fables with stories and messages from various cultures. We invite parents into our classrooms to introduce students to their own culture and traditions. In the past, parents have shared traditional celebratory clothing, food, or various small items, as well as assisted us in celebrating Diwali, Lucia, Yom Kippur, Chinese New Year, and many other cultural events. MCA is proud of our diverse community and celebrates the uniqueness that each child, family, and staff member brings to our little corner of the Montessori world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around September 21st<\/sup>\u00a0of each year, our students and staff celebrate the International Day of Peace. For many years, it has been an annual MCA tradition to participate in a worldwide celebration where approximately 150,000 Montessori students from 65 countries come together to sing \u201cLight a Candle for Peace\u201d. Dr. Montessori was a huge advocate for peace and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times! Her legacy of Peace Education lives on to this day. During the celebration, our students come together to hold hands and pass the colored Globe of Continents or a Peace Flag while singing at the dedicated New Jersey time, usually around 9:30AM. The chosen song always starts with children in New Zealand and then travels to all the continents throughout the day. For video footage of children singing around the world and to listen to the song \u201cLight a Candle for Peace\u201d, we invite you to visit\u00a0www.singpeacearoundtheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In past years, students, families, and staff from The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy have built relationships with and donated money or supplies to Montessori schools in need in countries like Uganda and Puerto Rico. We have also assisted with rebuilding schools throughout Asia by collecting pennies and hosting numerous bake and craft sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most recently, MCA enjoyed an exchange program with Bladins Montessori School in Malm\u00f6 Sweden. Our students created art projects and booklets representing the USA and introduced Flat Stanley to Sweden. Those items made their way to Sweden where Bladins\u2019 students reciprocated with art projects, pictures of Swedish foods and traditions, and even a life-size Pippi Longstocking. Once here in America, Pippi visited all MCA classrooms and our students fell in love with the character while learning about her adventures and the author Astrid Lindgren. Swedish students viewed photos of some of MCA\u2019s classrooms and compared our Prepared Environments with theirs. Bladins\u2019 main hallway entrance now displays of all the items that our MCA students sent to Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

At MCA, we love sharing and connecting our students and our school to all corners of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCulture and\u00a0education\u00a0have no bounds or limits; now man is in a phase in which he must decide for himself how far he can proceed in the culture that belongs to the whole of humanity.\u201d<\/em>
~ Dr. Maria Montessori<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Development At The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy, we are always looking for opportunities to connect our students with other children and cultures through events inside and outside of the Prepared Environment. Maria Montessori believed that widening the children\u2019s horizons was an important aspect of learning that we are part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[275,262,263,28,42,261,279,3,252,1],"tags":[10,295,135,4,144,259,297,147,260,296],"coauthors":[16],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/World-Connections-Pic4.jpg?fit=902%2C912&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7icff-mf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1260,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/26\/the-montessori-childrens-academy-celebrates-montessori-education-week-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":0},"title":"The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy Celebrates\u00a0Montessori Education\u00a0Week 2024","author":"Tori Inkley","date":"February 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Developmentand Tori Inkley, Executive Director During the week of February 25 \u2013 March 2, 2024, several hundred students at\u00a0The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy\u00a0(MCA), along with Montessori students from around the world, will celebrate Montessori Education Week! Montessori Education Week is an annual event that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Citizens of the World"","block_context":{"text":"Citizens of the World","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/citizens-of-the-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MEW1.jpg?fit=316%2C238&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1425,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/08\/the-montessori-movement-comes-to-america-a-brief-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":1},"title":"The Montessori Movement Comes to America: A Brief History","author":"Tori Inkley","date":"March 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Developmentand Tori Inkley, Executive Director The very first official Montessori training course was held in Rome, Italy in 1913. While the course attracted international attendees, the majority were from America. Maria Montessori taught the theory lessons in Italian at her home and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_1358.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":263,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/29\/montessori-around-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":2},"title":"Montessori Around the World","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"September 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Last spring, Montessori education made international headlines when the United Kingdom\u2019s Prince George was enrolled at a Montessori school in England. George\u2019s family has a history with Montessori education; his late grandmother, Princess Diana, worked in a Montessori school as a young woman. Diana later sent her sons, Prince William\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori Philosophy"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Montessori Childrens Academy NJ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Camilla-Patch-1.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Camilla-Patch-1.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Camilla-Patch-1.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":806,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/06\/celebrating-montessori-education-week-at-mca\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":3},"title":"Celebrating Montessori Education Week at MCA!","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"March 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alex Chiu \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A sampling of MCA student projects on display at local libraries for Montessori Education Week We at The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy celebrate Montessori education each and every day, but for one week out of the year, we join together with schools from around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":249,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/09\/the-prepared-environment\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":4},"title":"The Prepared Environment","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"September 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Be prepared!\u00a0 This is the motto for scouting organizations worldwide.\u00a0 Maria Montessori would have a said \u201cSi Preparato!\u201d in her native Italian tongue.\u00a0 And this is the message that Dr. Montessori shared with educators as she created her Casa di Bambini for the children she first taught.\u00a0 Providing a carefully\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori Philosophy"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"What is Montessori, Montessori classroom, Montessori preschools","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_1402.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_1402.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_1402.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_1402.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_1402.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1364,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/23\/the-montessori-childrens-academy-and-cora-hartshorn-arboretum-and-bird-sanctuary-a-match-made-in-nature\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":5},"title":"The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy and Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary: A Match Made in Nature!","author":"Tori Inkley","date":"August 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Camilla Nichols, Senior Director of Montessori Development In a quaint neighborhood in Short Hills, New Jersey, within walking distance from the train station, lies a hidden gem; a sanctuary, nestled in the woods known as Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary (CHA). The arboretum was developed by Cora L.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Care of Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Care of Environment","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/care-of-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/IMG_7750-rotated.jpg?fit=240%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1391,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions\/1391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}