A Peek at Our Week in the Cherry Blossom Classroom!
Happy New Year and Welcome Back Cherry Blossoms! We hope you had a restful, healthy winter break and a wonderful holiday season with your families.
This week we jumped right back into learning! We were quite surprised to learn that the month, year, and season changed while we were at home for winter break! We said hello to January, practiced saying 2022, and discussed what is special about the winter season.
Check out what new winter works are on our shelves!
Snowflakes!
The best part of winter weather is snow! We took some time this week to learn all about snowflakes. We learned that ice crystals form inside clouds, the ice crystals then stick together to form snowflakes! We know that snowflakes have 6 points and that it is unlikely that any two snowflakes look exactly the same!
Our New Number Blocks!
One of our amazing families donated these number blocks to our classroom. We are enjoying using them to explore putting numbers in order and seeing that they grow from small to big or big to small. We’re also using these number blocks to start an exploration with addition!
Enrichment Spotlight – Science with Mr. John!
Mr. John introduced us to absorbency this week. We saw how much water a paper towel will absorb vs. a diaper! And one of our friends found out what happens when there’s not enough absorbency for all of the water!
A Peek at Our Week in the Cherry Blossom Classroom!
We continued our study of Holidays! St. Nicholas surprised us on Monday when he left some chocolates in our shoes! We loved our special dessert at lunchtime! We introduced Kwanzaa and Las Posadas this week. We talked about where in the world these holidays are celebrated, the history behind the celebrations, and symols associated with these holidays.
On the Work Shelves for December!
THE CHRISTMAS SHOW!
Your children have practiced so hard for the Christmas Show… which is TONIGHT! We are so proud of all of their hard work preparing these songs to share with you.
Peek Into Next Week!
Next week we will be discussing Christmas! We will be working on some super secret projects for our families, and enjoying our last week together before winter break with some fun days!
MONDAY 12/13 – Wear Red or Green
TUESDAY 12/14 – Crazy Sock Day
WEDNESDAY 12/15 – Hat Day (Can be holiday related but doesn’t need to be!)
THURSDAY 12/16 – Wear your Holiday Attire! Christmas sweaters, tshirts, whatever you have!
FRIDAY 12/17 – PAJAMA DAY! During the afternoon, we will be participating in holiday games, show & tell, a movie and a snack. More info to follow!
WINTER BREAK – NO SCHOOL – December 20th – January 2nd. School resumes Monday, January 3rd.
Line Time: We are practicing our lines and practicing the songs for the Christmas Show
Did You Know? According to a The Wall Street Journal article, the character Capt’n Crunch’s real name is Horatio Magellan Crunch, captains a ship called the Guppy, and was born on Crunch Island, a magical island off the coast of the Sea of Milk—with talking trees, crazy creatures and a mountain (Mt. Crunchmore) made out of Cap’n Crunch cereal. The article refers to the Captain’s bicorne as a “Napoleon Style ” hat, and claims that this has led to speculation that he may be French.
A Message From Mr. John (Your Children):
Cultural Subjects: Your children can now count to ten in 16 languages (English, Latin, Sign Language, Spanish, German, French, Greek, Japanese, Arabic in the Lebanese Dialect, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean)
Hair Styles (Of The Rich And Famous): Some people have equated my hair with Boris Johnson’s and Steve Bannon’s hair. You decide.
At least my hair is blonde like Boris Johnson’s and not gray like Steve Bannon’s, right? RIGHT ?!?!
Peek In The Classroom:
She is working on the color beads with symbols. This reinforces the Math concept of quantity and numbers.
Our high school intern Emily presenting a lesson she created.
She made the letter A
Again, Angela creates excitement with her new works. Angela looks just as excited as the students.
Peek Into Next Week: Line Time- Family
Letter Of The Week- N n
Rhyming Word Of The Week-bog
No new languages until the next year
Academic Enrichment: Weekly Theme: Addition with the Golden Beads (Dynamic/Carry Overs)
Handwriting: We practiced writing in cursive three letter words
Next Week: Weekly Theme: Multiplication with the Golden Beads (Static/No Carry Overs)
Synonym Of The Week: No Synonyms
Sight Words Of The Week: No Sight Words
Half of the kinders were absent and the remaining students are confused why.
Upcoming Events: Pajama Day and Show and Tell: Friday, December 17 (Please No Weapons)
Christmas Break: Monday, December 20. Returning Monday January 3
Friends, Frolic, and Fun:
My redheads.
At times I confuse these two handsome boys.
We work em hard here at AMMS!
More handsome boys.
Your Children Say The Darndest Things (Must Be Santa):
This week in Aspen we revisited our lesson on trees focusing on conifers or trees that stay green all year long! We learned that these types of trees remain green all year and they keep their leaves through the winter. During group lesson we learned that these leaves are called needles and conifers bear cones that contain seeds. At the same time, we also learned how to identify and name different types of conifers and evergreens. We also got to observe and touch differnt types of conifer branches that our classmates brought in for our botany tray. We then watched a very interesting Scikids video about conifers and watched another video that taught us how to determine if a tree is a Spruce, Pine, or Fir tree. The Aspen kids were then given a mission to investigate, observe, and report to the class if they had a conifer or evergreen in their home or yard. Many of us realized we had one in our living room to celebrate the holiday season!
This week in Aspen we were also busy practicing our songs for the upcoming AMMS Christmas Show! We practiced singing our songs, how to stand on the stage carefully , respectfully, and practiced saying our lines (for those students that have them). If your child has lines for the program have them practice at home as well. This week during group lesson we will be practicing for the Christmas program.
BOOK SHARE WILL BE ON FRIDAY THIS WEEK!!!
Fun with the Moveable Alphabet! Working on beginning sounds and building words that match the objects in our phonetic object basket!
More Moveable Alphabet fun! Learning how to create and read words in cursive.
Making bubbles with the whisking activity.
Working on addition with the gingerbread button activity.
Working on the sponge painting wreath craft. Gluing sequins, bows, and pom poms to decorate it.
A Peek at Our Week in the Cherry Blossom Classroom!
The Cherry Blossom Classroom has been learning all about Holidays! We started with Thanksgiving – we discussed Pilgrims and Native Americans, feasts to celebrate the harvest, and things that we are grateful for. We hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
This week, we discussed two holidays – Hanukkah and St. Nicholas Day. We talked about where in the world these two holidays are celebrated, the history behind the celebrations, and the symbols associated with the holidays. We created menorahs in class and will have a special St. Nicholas Day surprise on Monday!
Wooly Bear Winter Predictions!
One of our students found a couple wooly bear caterpillars at her home. She shared pictures of Spark and Rambo and we observed how much brown and how much black we saw on the caterpillars. We discussed that some people believe the wooly bear caterpillar can predict what type of winter weather we will have just by how much brown and black you see on their bodies! FYI, the wooly bear caterpillars are predicting a long, cold, snowy winter!
All New Works for December!
Take a look at all of our new work trays for December! We are having so much fun exploring new materials!
Enrichment Spotlight – Music with Ms. Lisa!
Cherry Blossom students are working hard preparing for our Christmas Show! We practiced singing on stage this week!
Peek Into Next Week!
We will continue our study of different holidays around the world – focusing on Kwanzaa and Las Posadas. We will also continue preparing for THE CHRISTMAS SHOW!
Letter of the Week: Yy
Number of the Week: 1-10
Important Dates:
Christmas Show Rehearsal: Wednesday, December 8th
Christmas Show: Friday, December 10th
Pajama Day: Friday, December 17
Winter Break – No School: December 20-December 31. School Resumes on Monday, January 3rd.
Line Time: We are practicing our lines and practicing the songs for the Christmas Show
Practicing For The Christmas Show
Did You Know? Glaciers store about 69 percent of the world’s fresh water.
December Birthdays: A Montessori classroom prides itself on a mixed aged classroom of ages between 2 1/2 and 6. Here is our newest 5 year old student.
A Message From Mr. John (Angela and Emily):
Cultural Subjects: Your children can now count to ten in 16 languages (English, Latin, Sign Language, Spanish, German, French, Greek, Japanese, Arabic in the Lebanese Dialect, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean)
Peek In The Classroom:
Our high school intern helping a student work with the Knobless Cylinders found in the Sensorial area. The purpose of these cylinders is to develop child’s fine-motor movements, concentration, hand-eye coordination, and visual perception of dimension. The material also provides experiences of seriation and gives the child basic language important in math.
He is working on the 9 Tray that is found in the Math area. The Montessori 9 Tray is an early place value work. Your child explores and builds a physical place value chart on the floor with Golden Beads and large number cards, units through thousands.
Ms. Angela is creating quite a stir while presenting a lesson with the Square Bead Chains. Also called the Square Chains. This activity teaches the child skip counting which is preparation for multiplication. It also indirectly prepares the child to understand squaring numbers.
Friends working on sorting together. Maria Montessori’s sensorial work uses “sorting” in specific ways that work to use all of the child’s senses, one at a time, in order to refine them. The goal is to train the brain to create more organized thoughts and ways of retrieving information.
Peek Into Next Week: Line Time- Practicing For The Christmas Show
Letter Of The Week- No Letter Of The Week
Rhyming Word Of The Week- No Rhyming Word Of The Week
No new languages until the next year
Academic Enrichment: Weekly Theme: Addition with the Golden Beads (Static/No Carry Overs)
Handwriting: We practiced writing in cursive three letter words
Next Week: Weekly Theme: Addition with the Golden Beads (Dynamic/Carry Overs)
Synonym Of The Week: No Synonyms
Sight Words Of The Week: No Sight Words
The magic number is 10.
Upcoming Events: Christmas Show Rehearsal: Wednesday, December 8 at 6pm to 7pm (not a dress rehearsal).
Christmas Show: Friday, December 10. Arrive at 5:30pm (take your children to the restroom even if they say they do not have to go!)
Pajama Day and Show and Tell: Friday, December 17 (Please No Weapons)
Christmas Break: Monday, December 20. Returning Monday January 3
Friends, Frolic, and Fun:
The Great Cornholio
I’m not sure if he has an eyelash in his eye or he is winking at me.
BUCKEYE FOOTBALL! We went over the traditions of Script Ohio and the TBDBITL entrance to St. John’s Arena and watched xany Buckeye football clips. Because this is xichigan week!
This is the GREATEST rivalry in all sports and this is not just a gaxe it is a way of life! If you do not understand… watch the first 3 xinutes of this video… This vid always brings a tear to xy eye.
Cultural Subjects: Brutus is the xascot of The Ohio State University. Brutus throughout the years:
Peek Into Our Classroox:
Peek Into Next Week: Line Tixe-Practicing for the Christmas Show
Letter Of The Week- No letter Of The Week
Rhyxing Word Of The Week- No Rhyxing Work Of the Week
Next Language is No language next week
Upcoxing Events: Christmas Show Rehearsal: Wednesday, Decexber 8 at 6px to 7px (not a dress rehearsal).
Christmas Show: Friday, Decexber 10. Arrive at 5:30px (take your children to the restroox. Even if they say they do not have to go!)
Pajaxa Day and Show and Tell: Friday, Decexber 17. (Please No Weapons)
Christmas Break: Xonday, Decexber 20. Returning Xonday January 3
This week in the Aspen Room we learned all about the Pilgrims, Native Americans, and the origins of Thanksgiving. We learned all about the Pilgrim’s journey to the New World, what they found upon arriving at the coastline of Massachusetts, and how they survived (lived). As we researched the life of a Pilgrim we discovered that they were given some much needed assistance from the Native Americans. Living in a new unknown environment held many obstacles and without the help from a Native American Tribe called the Wampanoag the Pilgrims may not have survived or established our tradition of Thanksgiving! The Wampanoag showed the Pilgrims the best places to fish and hunt, what foods were safe to eat (berries, plants, and fruit), and a very unique and new way to plant corn ensuring a fertilized and healthy harvest. Ask your child about this special way of planting that the Wampanoag taught the Pilgrims! Because the Pilgrims were so grateful for the help and assistance from their Native American neighbors they held a huge feast or a “Thanksgiving” for all that they had. The Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to join in their celebration of Thankfulness thus establishing the tradition of Thanksgiving! After learning all of the above information, and exploring the lives of the Pilgrims and Native Americans, we took our turn sharing what we are thankful for during group lesson. All the children had many kind and thoughtful things to share and expressed their love and appreciation for their families, friends, and pets! It was such a heartwarming experience listening to all the things that the Aspen children were thankful for!
It was also a very busy week in the Practical Life area as well! This week the Aspen students explored a variety of transferring, mixing, and fine motor exercises using utensils they see family members using during the holidays. We learned how to measure with a measuring scoop, mix with a wire whisk, and use measuring spoons.
In Kindergarten with Mr. John the kindergarten students explored U.S currency learning all about coins (change) and dollars! They learned how to identify a variety of coins while learning the corresponding amounts they equal. In Reading Group we reviewed past phonograms (letter teams), practiced fluency (learned the definition of fluency), practiced comprehension skills finding information in a text, and challenged ourselves with a new phonogram! We also reviewed our rhyme, “when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking!”
Next week our topic is Table Manners and Place Settings
BOOK SHARE WILL BE TUESDAY NEXT WEEK!!!
Associating quantities with their symbol (number) with a fun Thanksgiving math activity!
Learning how to whisk and measure while transferring!
Line Time: Native Americans/Thanksgiving- We talked about Native Americans and how Indians were named Indians. On student informed us that Christopher Columbus landed in North America but thought he was in India. Hence, the name. We talked about how Native Americans were indigenous. Then the Pilgrims came over from Europe on a ship called the Mayflower. The pilgrims had a rough go of it at the beginning because they didn’t have enough blankets or food. They could not just go to Target or Giant Eagle to get supplies because at that time there were just woods and wild life.
A Message From Mr. John (This Is Us):
Did you know?: Apparently, if you microwave grapes cut in half they’ll catch fire! PLEASE TRY THIS AT HOME AND TAKE A VIDEO, PLEASE!!!!!!
Know Your Languages (Korean {Squid Games}):
Cultural Subjects: Your children can now count to ten in 16 languages (English, Latin, Sign Language, Spanish, German, French, Greek, Japanese, Arabic in the Lebanese Dialect, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean)
Specials (Taekwondo)
Stretching before class.
Peek In The Classroom:
This student is working on the 9 Tray. The Montessori 9 Tray is an early place value work. Your child explores and builds a physical place value chart on the floor with Golden Beads and large number cards, units through thousands.
Our intern helps a student with a lesson with the Knobless Cylinders. The purpose of these cylinders is to develop child’s fine-motor movements, concentration, hand-eye coordination, and visual perception of dimension. The material also provides experiences of seriation and gives the child basic language important in math.
Ms. Angela creates a buzz and has interested observers while presenting a lesson on the Square Chain. This activity teaches the child skip counting which is preparation for multiplication. It also indirectly prepares the child to understand squaring numbers.
These three girls are having fun sorting colored marbles. Maria Montessori’s sensorial work uses “sorting” in specific ways that work to use all of the child’s senses, one at a time, in order to refine them. The goal is to train the brain to create more organized thoughts and ways of retrieving information.
Peek Into Next Week: Line Time- Thanksgiving
Letter Of The Week- No letter Of The Week
Rhyming Word Of The Week- No Rhyming Work Of the Week
Next Language is No language next week
Upcoming Events: THANKSGIVING BREAK: Wednesday, November 24 to Sunday November 28 (returning Monday, November 29)
Christmas Show Rehearsal: Wednesday, December 8 at 6pm to 7pm (not a dress rehearsal).
Christmas Show: Friday, December 10. Arrive at 5:30pm (take your children to the restroom. Even if they say they do not have to go!)
Christmas Break: Monday, December 20 Returning Monday January 3
Academic Enrichment:
“Show Me The Money” gesture
WeeklyTheme: Currency – Identifying coins and bills
Handwriting: We practiced writing sentences in cursive Ea ea, Ee ee, Ei ei
Next Week: Weekly Theme: Using a ruler (inches and centimeter)
Synonym Of The Week: No Synonym Of The Week
Sight Words Of The Week: No sight words of the week.
Friends, Frolic, and Fun:
Either he went face first in an orange frosting cupcake or he is growing an orange goatee.
I’m not sure if he is winking at me, has an eyelash in his eye, or he is looking at me like I have three heads.
We uncovered a nest of students.
Your kids Say The Darndest Things (All About Mom… My mom is a relaxing girl that likes rainbows):
