{"id":382,"date":"2016-12-19T15:49:05","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T15:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/?p=382"},"modified":"2016-12-19T15:49:05","modified_gmt":"2016-12-19T15:49:05","slug":"celebrating-the-seasons-the-montessori-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/19\/celebrating-the-seasons-the-montessori-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the Seasons the Montessori Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the greatest gifts Montessori children receive as part of their education is the gift of time.\u00a0 They are given time to observe different types of work being done by peers.\u00a0 They are given time to make choices about what work they would like to do during the school day.\u00a0 They are given time to focus on their own work and time to explore without interruption during their three-hour work cycle.\u00a0 This gift of time provides Montessori students with many benefits.\u00a0 They learn about independence, decision-making, and the joy of learning for learning\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n

When holidays pop up on the calendar, Montessori students are given another gift.\u00a0 Instead of a holiday taking over one day on the calendar without any connection to the days before or the days following the holiday, Montessori classrooms embrace celebrations of the seasons in a more cross-curricular, more involved, less obtrusive way.\u00a0 For example, in the weeks prior to a holiday of importance, the Practical Life shelves<\/a> may reflect the colors and symbols of the season in the pouring, sorting, or transferring works.\u00a0 The Language area and circle time activities will most certainly incorporate poems, stories, and songs related to the seasonal celebrations.\u00a0 Math works may use counting items that correlate with holiday themes.\u00a0 Art supplies change to stimulate the children\u2019s unique artistic expression using materials inspired by the time of year.\u00a0 And perhaps the best part of the classroom to share information about specific holidays is the Cultural area, where the children may find continent boxes filled with photographs, artifacts, and items associated with various holidays and the cultures from which they originated.<\/p>\n

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The beauty of celebrating in this way is that the security and predictability of the child\u2019s school day remains intact.\u00a0 Children rely on this type of schedule.\u00a0 They thrive and perform best in an environment where they understand the expectations and where they feel they have some control over their day.\u00a0 Instead of having one day in the month where things become chaotic (and we have all attended school holiday celebrations that leave us exhausted and overwhelmed!), the season of celebrations unfolds slowly.\u00a0 The children learn about the history, discover the traditions, and find delight in celebrating a variety of holidays over the course of time and within the parameters of how their school environment is already set up for them.\u00a0 To enhance this learning and make it even more meaningful at The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy, parents, relatives, and special guests often come into the classrooms to share their personal experiences with special celebrations, giving the students great insights into and appreciation for other cultures and the people within their community.<\/p>\n

If we really think about it, we will realize that there is more to learn about a celebration than can possibly fit into one classroom session for it to be truly meaningful.\u00a0 Montessori children learn about the celebration as something more than what they might see on television or in advertising.\u00a0 Most would agree that the commercialization of many holidays could easily cause children to misunderstand the true meaning behind the celebrations.\u00a0 However, in a Montessori classroom, the commercial \u2018noise\u2019 is silenced as children are provided with age-appropriate information about the people, places, foods, and traditions surrounding the holidays.\u00a0 Celebrating the seasons the Montessori way provides children with the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities that teach them so much more than about just one day on the calendar.\u00a0 By learning about holidays, they learn about other cultures.\u00a0 They also gain an awareness of what is different and what is similar among people worldwide.\u00a0 They learn tolerance and acceptance.\u00a0 They learn about what brings joy to people around the globe.\u00a0 The Montessori approach to celebrating special days is a gift to children as it expands their minds, their hearts, and their worlds.<\/p>\n

Here are just a few Montessori-inspired ideas for making your family holidays more meaningful:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n