Classroom News:

The month of December has been full of fun and merriment in our classroom! The children have enjoyed learning about Arctic Animals, the Weather, the different parts of the Orchestra, and about different symbols of the Holiday Season. We had a blast!

In week one, we learned all about Arctic Animals. We learned many Arctic Animals have white fur or feathers that aide them in hiding from predators in their environment. For instance, a penguin is both black and white, so that when it is looked at from below in the water it blends in with the sky above, and when it is looked at from above, it blends in with the dark water below. The children also enjoyed an experiment Ms. Catie conducted with them on how blubber helps to keep arctic animals warm. She had the children take turns placing their hand inside a Ziploc bag covered in butter. She then had the children place that hand into ice water. The butter acted as insulation, much like blubber, and helped keep their hands warm, even in the ice water!

Callen and Liam were so interested in musical notaion that they wanted to copy a piece of music on to staff paper!

During the second week of December, we learned about weather. The children enjoyed talking about the job of a meteorologist how it is their job to scientifically predict the weather. Ms. Catie and Ms. Kerri and I also had the children keep track of how many sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy days there were that week. Not surprisingly, there were more cloudy days. We also conducted a weather related science experiment as a class. We taped a Ziploc bag filled with water to the window in our classroom and watch throughout the coming weeks as the water level at the bottom of the bag decreased and condensation formed at the top of the bag, which was a great visual representation of how clouds are formed!

Tenleigh enjoying a book about Arctic Animals!

During the third week in December, the children learned about the different parts of the orchestra. They learned all instruments belong to a “family”, such as String, Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion. I also showed the children my ukulele and how the different lengths and thickness of strings on the ukulele produce different pitches. The thinner the string, the higher the pitch. The thicker the string, the lower the pitch. The children also enjoyed listening to music from the different families of the orchestra during their afternoon work time as well!

Samantha decided to put her amazing handwriting skills to practice and wrote Santa a letter!

During the fourth week of December, we focused on preparing for the Christmas Show. We also made candy cane ornaments with Ms. Catie and Ms. Kerri. Pajama Day was also a blast, and the children loved wearing their p.j.’s and watching movies! We also made gingerbread houses with graham crackers, marshmallows, and M&M’s. It was a well deserved rest after all of their hard work so far this year!

Avery Ucker, Audrey’s sister, came in to read a story to our class!

I would encourage you to watch the weather report with your child. As a family, track how many sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy days there are for a week. Listen to classical music with your child and discuss the different instruments you hear. Find a cookie recipies to make together as a family. Make your child a part of the preparation, measuring, and baking.

Mia and Kailyn work on the Mirror Polishing Work, which teaches the child a sense of order, concentration, coordination, and independence!

Maria Montessori stated that “ Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” As a Montessori Directress, it’s truly been my privilege to watch your children grow and learn through working with the materials in the classroom. Through their interactions with each other, I have enjoyed watching your children form lasting friendships and learn to resolve their own conflicts peacefully. I am so proud of all of their progress so far this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next have of the school year brings!

Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
with Mr. John
This abbreviated month found us learning a little bit about creepy crawly things. Namely Insects and Arachnids. We learned insects have 6 legs, an abdomen, a thorax, and a head in addition to two antennae. They are also invertebrates. Arachnids are also invertebrates but have a head and a cephalothorax.

We ended the year by learning how to measure things with a ruler. We learned how to measure in inches and in centimeters. The students had homework measuring things around the house, and find out the state of the house and find solution if it have any problem, as it need some repair, or have a pest finding services from sites as https://www.bigfootpestcontrol.com/schaumburg/mosquito-control/ to help with that. I was told this was a useful assignment.

Cultural Subjects
We can now count to ten in 21 languages(We can count to ten in 19 different languages. We can count in English, Latin, Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Arabic (with the Lebanese dialect), Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagolog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Irish, Kiswahili, Welsh, Dutch/Flemmish.

Handwriting Enrichment | Kindergarten
with Ms. Kristen

During the month of December, we began to work on cursive letter formation beginning with form drawing, which is a pre-cursor to cursive handwriting. We then focused on letter A-I and practiced writing simple words beginning with each letter. The Kindergarten students have also practicing answering questions in the form of a complete sentence, such as “ What is your favorite color?” and “ What do you want for Christmas?”. The children are doing so well with this and their handwriting is improving daily!

Reading Group | Kindergarten
with Ms. Kate

For the month of December our friends learned all about Fantasy. We read poems by Sylvia Plath, Edward Lear, and Lewis Carroll. With each of these readings the children were able to create an art activity, do a dramatization of the reading, and also discuss their Junior great book questions they did with their parents. One of the readings we did was called The Bed book. As a class we brainstormed different types of beds they would like to have. I love that the children had to really use their imagination and talk to their classmates about what they were thinking. We then created our own Right Sort Of Bed poem! When children work on these creative writing projects, the activity provides a framework of lines and verbal cues to help children generate and organize their ideas. The children really enjoyed reading these poems.

Science Enrichment
by Ms. Kathleen

We love Science here at AMMS! One of the favorite experiments we would like to highligh this month was Gluep/ Homemade Slime! Yes, as I’m sure you can imagine…it was a big hit!

This made by using Borax, White Elmer’s Glue (It has to be Elmer’s Brand) ,Water Food coloring.

The children watched Mr. John add the Tablespoon of glue to one cup of water then mix, then food coloring. then he added 1 teaspoon of borax with 3 more cups of water, he stirred until dissolved.Then when finished was a soft lump.

By combining Glue, Borax and Water a newly created Polymer will have characteristics of a Solid and a Liquid. A chemical reaction begins when Glue and Borax and Water are mixed to make a highly flexible Polymer. A Polymer is both a liquid and a solid.

The Children all (except a few because it is slimy to the touch) loved this experiment and were so happy to bring their own little bit home in plastic bags all provided by Mr. John.

Music Enrichment
by Ms. Sabrina

This was a very busy month for our music class. The children learned many new songs and signs for the Christmas Show which they practiced during music class. Along with those songs and movements, they also learned Jingle Bells freeze dance and Jingle Bell Rock. Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer with motions was so much fun!! Castanets were used (we love using instruments!). The children learned a lot about self control. Feliz Navidad was a song they sung, and they galloped to Deck The Halls!! Away In Manger was also heard, and it was beautiful. All the children did a wonderful job performing in the show! All of us also had such fun!!

Art Enrichment
by Ms. Ame

This month in December, Miss Michele mixed it up combining art and physical movement! Miss Michele introduced some new pieces of art to the class, that all had one thing in common; they were pictures of people in different positions. The students then each took a turn being a model for the class. Each student took their turn on the stool in the center of the circle. Then they got to pick a prop and make a pose with their prop. There were globes, scarves, and other classroom objects they could pick from. Once they found their prop and pose, the students had about 1 minute per student to quickly draw their friend in the center. It was a good lesson that taught the students about drawing different parts of the body in different positions. It also helped them learn to look quickly for details when they are drawing something they are looking at. This lesson helped prepare them for the next week’s still life lesson where each student brought in a toy or object from home. Each student brought in their own object from home and put the objects in the center of the circle. Then the students drew the objects that they saw and had so much fun! Thanks for everyone for bringing in such wonderful objects! Thanks to Miss Michele for another wonderful year and we can’t wait to see what comes next!

What I will learn this month in Ms. Kristen’s class…

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

1/2: Ground Rules Review

-Care of The Environment-Rolling a rug, tucking in a chair, etc.
-Grace and Courtesy-How to greet another, how to get a friends attention, how to say please and thank you, etc.
-Reviewing Classroom Rules and Manners
-Friendship Game- The children will guess who’s voice they hear to practice listening.
-Reviewing kind words and phrases.

1/9: Peace Makers

-Maria Montessori-Her life, mission, and how she was a peacemaker.
-Mother Theresa- Her life, mission, and how she was a peacemaker.
-Martin Luther King-His life, mission, and how he was a peacemaker.
-Discussing how we are also able to be peacemakers.
-Discussing how to build each other up. Introducing a sand sculpture making activities which will teach how to give compliments

*NO SCHOOL Friday 1/13: Teacher In Service Day

1/16: Healthy Eating

-Learning about the food pyramid.
-Learning about foods that are beneficial for our bodies and what is “ junk food”.
-Learning about the differences between fruits and vegetables.
-Making a healthy snack as a class.
-Singing songs that reinforce healthy food choices.

*NO SCHOOL Monday 1/16: MLK Day

1/23: The Five Senses

-Learning about our sense of hearing and about the different parts of the ear.
-Learning about our sense of taste and the different parts of the tongue.
-Learning about our sense of touch.
-Learning about our sense of smell. Discussing how our nose functions.
Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your  child.

1/2: Nn
1/9: Vv
1/16: Uu
1/23: Xx

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

1/2: Nut
1/9: Vet
1/16: Up
1/23: Box

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

-Practice using “Please” and “Thank You” at home with your child, especially at play time or at the dinner table.

-Find and health recipe to make together as a family.

-Discuss with your child who their favorite peace maker is that they learned about in class.

-Discuss with your child how they can be a peace maker at home.

-Include your child in household chores. Allow them to take part in taking care of their home environment.

The Month of November has been very busy in our classroom. We’ve learned about Families, Turkeys, Pilgrims, and Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for so far this year! Ms. Kerri, Ms. Catie and I are especially thankful for the opportunity to teach all of your children! It’s amazing to watch them learn and grow!

During the first week of November, the children learned about Families. We learned about all the different members of our families. We discussed what we love about our families, and the children also enjoyed sharing their family tree projects as well! We even made a class “ family tree” during our afternoon group time and learned the words for different family members in sign language.

In week two, we learned all about voting. We learned that when a person turns 18, they are allowed to vote. We also discussed the importance of voting and how other countries don’t share the same right. We also read the story of “ Duck for President” and the class voted for either Duck or The Farmer for president. We also held a mock class election for “Class Pet President”. Representing the Reptile Party, Oliver promised to deliver nap times for all. Isla, our new fish, decided to throw her hat in the ring and she promised to give everyone dresses. Snoopy entered as a third party candidate in the final hour and promised two snacks. In the end, Snoopy won, but he promised to give prominent cabinet positions to Isla the Fish and Oliver the Turtle.

In week three, we moved on to Turkeys. We learned about the parts of the Turkey, and even that the male Turkey “trots” or dances in order to attract female turkeys. We also discovered Turkeys can actually fly short distances. The children also enjoyed making a turkey craft to hang on our bulletin board. I also demonstrated the parts of the Turkey three part card work, and we placed it on the shelf so the children had the opportunity to work on it throughout the week.

Next, we learned about Pilgrims and their journey to America the following week. Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower. Once the Pilgrims came to America, they befriended the Native Americans, who showed the Pilgrims how to plant crops and how to hunt for food. The children also enjoyed making homemade applesauce, homemade butter, and pumpkin muffins for our own little Harvest Party! We also discussed what it means to be thankful and all we have things to be thankful for in our lives.

During the last week of November, we learned all about Weather. We discovered why it rains and conducted an experiment where we placed a zip-lock bag filled with water against the window. The children gave their hypotheses about what they thought would happen to the water in the bag. We found as the week went on, condensation built along the top part of the bag and the water level at the bottom of the bag decreased. This was a great illustration to show how clouds are made of water vapor! Also, the children enjoyed trying to make their own tornado in a bottle during our afternoon group lesson and also enjoyed playing a cloud game with Ms. Catie!

Finally, I would like to encourage you to include your child in upcoming holiday festivities and in the preparation of your holiday meal. Play “I Spy” when you are shopping at the grocery store. Discuss with your child what they learned about the Native Americans and the Pilgrims and what your family’s Christmas traditions are and why. Review with your child what it means to be thankful and ask them what they are thankful for in their life.

Also, I want to leave you with a quote by Maria Montessori. She stated that we should, “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” I encourage you to let your child be as independent as possible. They will astound and amaze you with their capabilities!

Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
with Mr. John

We started out our month by introducing your children to high finance with hard money since they have been helping our school with tons of loans to better the education we give to each student. For the parents who don’t have enough money for their children’s education, see this page wolfinace.co.uk to know about the doorstep loan from wolfinace. We started out identifying coins (all different variations) of the penny, nickle, dime, and quarter. We looked at half dollars and dollar coins. We also went over the value of each coin. We then looked at the different “paper” bills.

We then changed our course to looking at what makes a living thing… a living thing. Living things reproduce, take in nourishment (eat), exchange gases (breath), grow, and move. We looked at different animals and the characteristics of animals. Mammals are vertebrates, warm blooded, have hair or fur, born alive, and drink mothers milk. Reptiles are vertebrates, cold blooded, dry scaly skin, born out of hard shell eggs. Amphibians are vertebrates, cold blooded, soft moist skin, born from jelly eggs. Birds are vertebrates, warm blooded, have feathers, born from hard shell eggs. Fish are vertebrates, cold blooded, have scales, born alive or from jelly eggs.

Cultural Subjects:
We can count to ten in 19 different languages. We can count in English, Latin, Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Arabic (with the Lebanese dialect), Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagolog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Irish, and Kiswahili.

Reading Group | Kindergarten
with Ms. Kate

What I truly love about our reading club program is that with this particular curriculum it really helps the children get a better understanding of asking questions and sharing answers about the meaning of a story or poem. Throughout these past few weeks the children enjoyed reading The Tale Of Two Bad Mice, Bouki Cuts Wood, Night Into Dawn, and Fantasy. With each of these readings the children will read the selection several times and will work with it through a variety of drawing, writing, and oral activities. The children absolutely love to act out certain scenes in each of the selections. Dramatizations can make it easier for students to take in details and get plots straight. But they also help students interpret a story, as they think about what a character is thinking feeling. So the next time your child brings home their Junior Book Club reading book, pick a story out and act it out together!!

Science Enrichment
by Ms. Kathleen

This month students learned about cylinder strength. For example, what happens when we try to balance books on paper wrapped into a cylinder? The children all placed a book on top a papers rolled up length wise to form a cylinder. They all watched as the paper cylinder supported all the books! The strength of the geometrical shape known as the cylinder is one of the most structurally sound and strongest shapes. Once the paper was made into a cylinder with the help of rubber bands the tube now supported the weight of each book the children placed on top.

Students also loved the “Frightened Pepper” experiment. When Mr. John places pepper in a bowl for each child. He asked our scientists, what will happen when the children place a Q-tip with dish soap on it then placed a drop of soap on top of the water. The children all watched their own bowls as the pepper moved to the sides of the bowl. Why is this? It is because the dish soap lowers the surface tension. The water surface is strong enough to hold up light-weight objects such as pepper. Dish soap mixes with the water molecules and lowers the surface tension, when dish soap is placed near the pepper, the surrounding water has a high surface tension and exerts a force that pulls the pepper away from the dish soap.
Music Enrichment
by Ms. Sabrina

The children learned so much in Music class this month. As a bonus they also had an awesome time (and the teachers do too)! The children used their high voices and their low voices. Ms. Lisa’s songs teach us lessons. For example, they learned about having choices and whether to have a bad attitude or a good attitude.

Students also worked with the bells and tambourines, switching back and forth. They love using instruments in Music class. The children learned about sharing from one of Ms. Lisa’s songs and by passing and rolling a ball back and forth. A listening game was also played, using egg shakers. They listened for directions to stop, go, jump, spin, tip toe etc. Dancing included! A song about emotions was also learned. Emotions are just feelings, neither good nor bad. Tambourines were used, and our emotions were talked about. An echo game was also played, where voices bounced back and forth and we also had fun with our egg shakers again. Ms. Lisa also planned a dance where cooperation was required was executed well by the children. What another great lesson taught through music! They rocked it! The children also began to practice their Christmas songs this month, in preparation for the Christmas Show. Our students learn so much through music and movement and Ms. Lisa’s lessons!
Art Enrichment
By Ms. Ame

The first week of our November Art class, Miss Michele brought the playground inside the classroom. The students used different shapes of paper to create their own three-dimensional art. The students created slides, swings, tunnels and other imaginative playground creations. These creations were very impressive!

Next, Ms. Michele had students use both oil pastels and watercolors to create an underwater scene. The students first created their scene by drawing underwater plants and different sea creatures using the oil pastels. After they had completed their creatures, they used blue tinted watercolors to create the underwater effect. The oil pastels “resist” against the watercolors so that they keep their original colors and only the white part of the paper turned blue. It was a surprise for some students and a great lesson!

Students also created self-portraits in Art this month. This can be very tricky, but Ms. Michele guided the students in drawing the shape of their face. She provided each child with a mirror so they were able to look directly at their own face to draw the shape and colors of their faces, encouraging them to notice every detail! Ms. Michele also talked about the proportions of their faces, such as how the distance from the top of their head to their eyes is equal to the distance from their eyes to their chin. This made it easier for the children to place their eyes, nose and lips in the correct place in their portrait.
The students enjoyed these art projects this month. Ms. Michele’s art projects are one of a kind. Keep an eye on your student’s folder for these special creations as they are sent home!

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

12/5: Arctic Animals
-All about Polar Bears.
-All about Penguins.
-All about Arctic Foxes.
-Where is the Arctic?
-How do animals who live in the Arctic stay warm?
12/12: Parts Of The Orchestra/ Music
-Learning about Woodwind, Brass, String, and Percussion sections of the Orchestra.
-What is the job of the Conductor?
-Listening to performances by famous instrumentalists.
-Learning about Quarter Notes, Half Notes and Whole Notes.
-Learning about some famous composers.
12/19: Holiday Symbols / Merriment
-Discussing various holiday symbols such as the reindeer, poinsetta, or evergreen and the meaning behind them.
-Making gingerbread houses
-Singing Christmas songs.
-Making paper snowflakes to decorate our classroom door.
-Writing letters to Santa.

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

12/5: Ll
12/12: Ff
12/19: Dd

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

12/5: Let
12/12: Fit
12/19: Dog

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

-Discuss with your child what their favorite Arctic Animal is and why.
-Listen to classical music together as a family.
-Envolve your child in making Christmas cookies, or in plannning your Christmas dinner.
-While decorating your Christmas Tree, discuss with your child what they remembered learning about the Evergreen, and why it is a symbol of the Holiday Season.

October was a very exciting month in our classroom! I am so proud of how well the children are working in the classroom and with the desire to learn new things every day! In October, the children learned all about Farm Life, Pumpkins, Characteristics of Fall, Bats, Spiders, and about Halloween. Also, we welcomed two new friends into our classroom. Welcome Casey and Everett!

During the first week of October, the children learned all about farm life. We learned the American Sign Language words for cow, chicken , pig, horse, and cat. The children also enjoyed making home made butter from whipping cream. We put the whipping cream in a tupperware container and shook it as hard as we could until it became butter. It was delicious!

It was all about pumpkins during week two! We learned all about the parts of the pumpkin, how it grows, and what kinds of foods we can make from a pumpkin. We also carved a pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern. The children loved scrapping out the inside of the pumpkin with a spoon. Ms. Kerri and I even put a candle inside of the pumpkin to add a spooky atmosphere to our classroom. We then took the seeds we removed from the pumpkin and we baked them in the oven for a tasty treat!

During week three, we learned all about the characteristics of Fall and about leaves. We learned that in the Fall, the temperature outside becomes cooler outside and the leaves begin to change color. We also learned about the different parts of the leaf. The children also enjoyed a parts of the leaf work that Ms. Kerri and I put on the shelf. The children also used crayons to make prints of leaves on paper as Ms. Kate’s students were kind enough to make a Leaf Printing work for us to put on our shelf! They made lots of them to give out to the family, but when the resources ran out, I helped them make more by using the best home printers.

We learned quite a bit about bats during the fourth week of October. We learned that bats sleep during the day. We also learned that some bats eat insects while others eat fruit. The children were also surprised to learn that not all bats are blind, but those who are use echo location to find shelter and to hunt for food. The children also learned that bats are mammals, and enjoyed discovering the similarities and differences between bats and birds while reading the book “Stellaluna”. The children also enjoyed playing a Echolocation Game during preschool lesson.

Finally, I encourage you to review with your child what they have learned this month. Take a fall hike as a family and collect leaves. Review the parts of a leaf together. Try out a new pumpkin recipe with your child, allowing them to help you measure and stir the ingredients. Discuss the fun bat and spider facts they learned with your child!

As Maria Montessori stated, “ To aid life, leaving it free, however, that is the basic task of the educator.”. It is my duty and privilege to aid your child in the beginning stages of their education!

Academic Enrichment | Kindergarten Students
with Mr. John

My kindergarten students learned about land forms. Ask them what the definition of a lake, island, bay, peninsula, gulf (not the game), harbor, cape, isthmus(not Christmas), straight, chain of lakes, and archipelago.

We went over telling time to the hour(o’ clock), half past(:30), and quarter after(:15), quarter til(:45), and to the minute.

Reading Group |Kindergarten Students
with Ms. Kate

We have added such a wonderful program for our Kindergarten students. This program is called Junior Great Books Read- Aloud Program. This amazing program really stresses the enjoyment of literature for the children, but at the same time the children are able to develop comprehension, interpretive thinking, and oral and written language skills. Every Monday and Wednesday the kindergarten students and I meet together and read out loud a story or poem. We then have amazing group discussions, act out the story or poem, have creating writing sessions, and special art projects. For example during Halloween week the children had to brain storm and come up with a riddle. They absolutely loved creating this together. I hope you enjoy their riddle!
What Day Would It Be?

If there were vampires, witches, mummies, and ghosts.
Purple, black, orange, and green.
Playing pin the “Boo” on the ghost, and mummy wrapping.
Dressing up, tricks or treat, carving pumpkins, and class parties.
Cookies, candy corn, tootsie rolls, and air heads.
What day would it be?
How awesome was that riddle??!! Can you guess what day it is?

Enrichment Classes

Art Class
by Ms. Ame

This month Miss Michelle started out with continuing her leaf project. The students created their own leaf in the spirit of Fall. Michelle discussed warm and cool colors with the students using her color wheel. They used warm colored tiles inside their leaf and cool colored tiles on the outside, or the other way around depending on what the student had decided.

The second week, Miss Michelle had the students use their imagination. She introduced the students to mythological creatures and talked about how the creatures resembled a few animals mixed together. Michelle then brought out her board covered in different animals. The students each chose two animals and created their own creature.

The third and final week of Art in October was about Halloween. Miss Michelle talked about spooky art and Halloween, encouraging the students to share what scared them. The students then drew a picture depicting their fear and a self portrait of them being scared! It was quite a spooky lesson. Please keep your eyes open in the hallways as Miss Michelle will soon be hanging up the students art!

Science Class
by Ms. Kathleen

This month in Science class we saw quite a few different experiments! I will showcase our two favorite below. The children were able to learn about solubles. The discovered what happens when you place pieces of different colored Skittles and Gobstoppers in a plate and add water to them. The colors run, collide, but do not mix. This is because each candy is coated with wax. The wax is not water soluble, and prevents any mixing from happening.

Next students were able to explore dry ice! When you place it into a pot and pour warm water over it, it looks like a witches pot!! What causes the bubbling steam? Pouring water over the dry ice causes the dry ice to warm up rapidly. This creates the fog we saw coming from the pot. Dry ice is frozen Carbon Dioxide. It is able to turn from a solid to a gas without going through the liquid stage. I think this was their favorite experiment this month! It created the most excitement!

  

Music Class
by Ms. Sabrina

The children had so much fun in Music class this month. There were many smiles and laughter going around. The children learned a new song called Having Choices. They learned that they can choose to be kind. The instruments used were bells and tambourines. Our students loved using the instruments and dancing was also involved! The children then learned a song about love. The phrase ” I love you ” was frequently used. For this song the instrument used was an egg shaker. Added to that was a song about kindness. What great values for children to learn! They learned a song about sharing by passing and rolling a ball back and forth. More balls were added and the children did so well with sharing them. They also learned a song called Please and Thank You. An egg shaker was also again used and of course the magic words please and thank you. The children skipped, galloped and listened for directions, following them well. They had to wait until everyone had an instrument, and when Ms. Lisa told them to, they could pick up their instrument and play with her. This teaches the students self-control, and how to be patient. The young musicians have improved their ability to follow Ms. Lisa’s lead, and wait so patiently. Along with learning important musical terms and skills, we got to sing some old favorites like Skinamarinky Dinky Dink, and Skip to My Lou. Music class sure is fun with Ms. Lisa!

I cannot believe we are one month into the school year already! Our returning friends have enjoyed getting back into the “swing of things”, and our new friends have enjoyed learning the routine of our classroom and making new friends!

During the first week of school, the children began learning about Grace and Courtesy and learning the ground rules of our classroom. The children learned how to roll and unroll a rug, how to carry a tray, how to place works back in their original place on the shelf, etc. Learning and reviewing these ground rules has set a nice tone in our classroom for the beginning of the year. This also will help promote the child’s sense of organization as they work in the various areas of the classroom.

During the second week of school, we learned more about Manners and more about Grace and Courtesy. We learned how to say “Please” and “Thank You”. We also learned how to solve conflict by reading, “There’s a Bird On Your Head” by Moe Williams, and discussing how, when someone is doing something that bothers us or hurts our feelings, we can solve the problem by using our words.

In week three, our theme was “All About Me”. The children enjoyed bringing in their baby pictures and guessing who’s baby picture was which. We also charted our hair and eye color on a bar graph. We also talked about our talents and abilities and what makes us unique. We also began learning our Birthdays and practicing our full names. We also discussed or talents and abilities and what makes us unique.

During week four, we learned all about Community Helpers. The children were excited to learn about all different types of professions that help people in need. We enjoyed a visit from Bennett’s mother, who is a nurse! She told us what it was like to be a nurse who works in a hospital and we learned how nurses help people everyday. The children also enjoyed learning about other types of community helpers, such as firefighters, paramedics, teachers, veterinarians, or inclusive a dentists as the Aesthetic Family Dentistry, PA for cosmetic changes. The children also enjoyed making firefighter hats and doctor bags with Ms. Kim during afternoon group time!

                               

During the fifth week, we studied apples. The children enjoyed learning the names for all the parts of the apple. We then learned about the life cycle of the apple and we learned that flowers adorn apple trees in the spring, then the apples begin to grow during the summer, and then finally the apples are ready to be harvested in the fall. The children also enjoyed making apple sauce and taste testing different kinds of apples during our afternoon group time.

In the final week of September, we learned about all about Friendship. We also discussed what it means to be a friend and how friends are kind and loving towards one another. The children also enjoyed making a book together about how they are a friend to others during our group time. Also, in celebration of the International Week of The Deaf, we also learned some ASL signs to go along with the song “ Make New Friends”.

Academic Enrichment (Kindergarten students | Group lesson with Mr. John)

Let’s travel around the world! This past month we trekked around the world. We learned where, and fun facts about the seven continents. I made sure that out kindergartners knew “Central America” was not a continent, but part of North America. We learned about the cardinal directions including N.E., S.E., N.W,, and NW. My K Kids know where the Equator and Prime Meridian are, and how the divide the Earth into hemispheres.

We took a closer look at North America (because we live there). We identified the bodies of water that surround our continent (Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Hudson Bay, Gulf of Mexico, and The Great Lakes (H.O.M.E.S). We then learned many fun facts about the state of Ohio and what are Ohio’s surrounding states, their nickname, and their abbreviation. We ended learning about all the places we live. Our galaxy, our solar system, planet, hemisphere, continent, country, state, county, city and out street address.

Enrichments (Ms. Kim):

Music

In music this month, students sang hello to Rainbow Sparkles the Dragon, Jerry the Giraffe, Frieda the Frog, and Bernie the Bernard! Ms. Lisa introduced whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes. She had the children use rhythm sticks to practice the beats of each. We used the rhythm sticks to “Ants Go Marching” and “Hot Cross Buns.” The children also got to play castanets, egg shakers, and tambourines throughout the month! Ms. Lisa taught the musical words for loud (forte), soft (piano), legato (smooth), and staccato (jumpy). We even learned a Mexican hat dance!

Science

Our first science experiment involved baking soda, vinegar, and balloons. Each child took a turn shaking baking soda out of a balloon into a bottle of vinegar. When the baking soda mixed with the vinegar, the balloon filled up. We found out that when the baking soda and vinegar mixed, a gas called carbon dioxide was formed which filled up the balloon. Our next science experiment taught us the concept of density. We took two eggs and dropped one in a cup of salt water and one in a cup of water without salt. The children made hypotheses on whether the eggs would sink or float. Each time we tried it, we found that the egg dropped in salt water floated and the egg dropped in water without salt sank. This was because the salt water was more dense than the egg and pushed the egg to the top. Our next experiment on density involved colored water and vegetable oil. We first filled a bottle with colored water. Then we poured vegetable oil on top. The children made hypotheses on what would happen when we shook the bottle. Every time we shook the bottle, the water and oil did not mix. The oil is less dense and will always float back to the top.

Art

Ms. Michele started art this year by teaching the children the colors on the color wheel. She pointed out the primary colors (red, blue, yellow). She then taught the children what monochromatic art was. We learned that it is art made with one color. First the children drew shapes with a black marker. Then they colored in the shapes with one color marker to make it monochromatic. For our next art lesson, the children glued down primary colored construction paper cut-outs to create a house. They then outlined the shapes with strips of black construction paper. In our third art lesson, Ms. Michele taught secondary colors on the color wheel. (orange, purple, green) Then the children drew an item he or she would see in a garden. Then they painted in their drawings with watercolors that they could mix to create secondary colors. For our fourth art lesson, Ms. Michele taught the complimentary colors on the color wheel (orange/blue, purple/yellow, red/green). The children practiced complimentary colors by picking a pair and using these to color in a complimentary monster!

Finally:

In the coming weeks, I would encourage you to take a walk with your child and collect leaves. Ask your child what colors they see. Another fun learning activity at home would be to make a new apple recipe together as a family. Include your child in the preparation, measurements, etc.

Also, on a personal note, I would like to thank Ms. Kim for all her hard work she has put into helping to make our classroom such a wonderful environment,for being such a wonderful teacher, and for being such a wonderful friend to me. I know that her new students will be blessed to have her as their teacher!
Maria Montessori stated that, “ Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”. I agree whole heartedly and strive everyday to teach much more than academics in our classroom. Real change in our world begins with our children!

I consider it a privilege to be a part of your child’s education. I look forward to what this school year has in store!

What I will learn this month in Ms. Kristen’s Class…

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

10/03: Down On The Farm

-Learning ASL farm animal signs
-Learning what animals live on a farm
-Life cycle of the chicken
-Making butter, learning about other foods made from milk.
-Sink or float experiment with eggs

10/10: Pumpkins

-Learning all about the parts of the pumpkin.
-Discuss what we can make with Pumpkins.
-Decorating a white pumpkin in class using crayon.
-Taste testing Pumpkin Pie.
-Learning the Poem “ Five Little Pumpkins”

10/17: Fall

-Discuss the characteristics of Fall.
-Shading over leaves to make prints.
-Leaf sorting.
-Poems and Songs about Fall and Leaves.
-Parts of the leaf.

10/24: All About Bats/Spiders/Halloween

-Learning the parts of the Bat
-Reading “Stellaluna”
-Learning about echolocation, and how it helps certain species of bats see
-Ven Diagram comparing bats to birds
-Learning the parts of the spider.
-Discussing how spiders are arachnids.
-Halloween games and songs.

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

10/03: Pp
10/10: Yy
10/17: Ss
10/24: Ii

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

10/03: Pig
10/10: Yes
10/17: Sit
10/24: It

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

-Take a fall hike together as a family. Have your child point out the changes they see around them.
-Ask your child to show you some of the ASL signs they’ve learned for farm animals.
-While reading to your child, point out the sight words they are learning this month.
-Pick out a pumpkin together with your child. Discuss with them what they have learned about how pumpkins grow, what foods we can make with pumpkin, etc.

Ms. Kristen’s August/September 2016 Monthly Overview

What I will learn this month in Ms. Kristen’s Class…
(In addition to Montessori Work Time)

8/22: Grace and Courtesy / Ground Rules

-Learning Control of Movement-Rolling A Rug, Carrying A Tray, and Carrying A Chair.

-Learning Grace And Courtesy- How to Introduce Yourself, How To Say Please And Thank You, How To Interrupt Another.

-Learning classroom rules.

-Discussing what it means to be kind to others and what are “kind words”.

-Making a “Kind Words Chain” in pre-school lesson.

8/29: Grace And Courtesy/Ground Rules

-Reading the book, “ The Bear That Was Chicken” and discussing with the children how they felt before coming to school and how they feel now about school.

-Lessons on saying “Excuse Me”, “I’m Sorry”, and “ Thank You”.

-Singing songs and playing game to review what we’ve learned about classroom rules and manners.

-Having the children write our classroom rules and display them in the classroom.

-Read the book “ There’s A Bird On Your Head”. Discuss how to speak to someone when we’re frustrated.

9/5: All About Me

“ Who’s Baby Picture Is This?” guessing game. (Be sure to send in a baby picture of your child with them this week.)
Discussing what makes each of us special: hair color, eye color, likes and dislikes, our birthdays, our names, our emotions, etc.

-Graphing our differences such as hair and eye color.

-Practicing saying our full names.

-Learning our birth dates.

9/12: All About Community Helpers

-All About Firefighters and Police Officers

-All About Doctors and Nurses

-All About Construction Workers

-All About Transportation Workers

What is a Community Helper?
-9/19 All About Apples

-Read the story “Little Bear’s Star”- Story about an apple.

-Sorting apples by size and color.

-Learning the fractions of one whole and one half using an apple.

-Taste testing different color apples and making a graph, as a class, of our favorites.

-Learning about the Life Cycle of the Apple /Apple Tree.

9/26 Friendship/ International Week Of The Deaf

-What are the qualities of a good friend?

-How do we share?

-Accepting each other.

-Learning about Deaf Culture and some words in ASL

-Making Friendship Bracelets together

-Learning a song in ASL

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter sound wherever you go with your child.

8/22: Aa
8/29: Cc
9/5: Rr
9/12: Tt
9/19: ee ( As in feet, meet, and bee.)
9/26: oo (As in boot, hoot, and loot.)

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

8/22: at
8/29: cat
9/5: rat
9/12: tap
9/19: bee
9/26: boot

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

-While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well. Play I-Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week.

-Discuss with your child what they learned about Community Helpers. How can your family help our community.

-While reading to your child, point out the sight words they are learning this month.

-Find a fun apple recipe to try as a family. Let your child practicing measuring the ingredients, assemble the ingredients, etc. Discuss with your child the other things that can be made with apples.

The months of May and June were very exciting in our classroom! We learned all about Insects, Dinosaurs, Reptiles and Amphibians, Mammals, and Summer Safety. We also had a very exciting field trip to the Akron Zoo to experience up close the different types of animals we had learned about!

During the first week, we discussed all about Insects. We learned that insects have six legs. We also learned that all insects have a head, thorax, and abdomen. We also learned about the process that caterpillars go through in order to become a butterfly, called metamorphosis. The children also enjoyed making their own time line of the process of metamorphosis as well during work time!

The following week we learned all about Dinosaurs. The children learned that there were some dinosaurs that ate meat (carnivores), some dinosaurs who ate plants (herbivores), and some dinosaurs who ate both plants and meat (omnivores). We learned also learned that Dinosaurs were reptiles. The children also learned all about Tyrannosaurus Rex and that his name means “ Tyrant Lizard King”. We also learned that a scientist who studies dinosaurs is a Paleontoligist.

We learned all about Reptiles and Amphibians during week three. We learned that Reptiles are cold blooded and most live on the land ( the alligator and crocodile being the exception). We learned that Amphibians can live both on the land and in the water. The children enjoyed learned about the parts of the turtle and learning about the life cycle of the frog as well. The children learned that frogs start off as an egg, then they grow into a tadpole after they hatch. The tadpole then grows into a froglet and then the frog becomes an adult.

Mammals were the topic of discussion during week four. The children learned mammals are warm blooded, give birth to their babies, usually have hair or fur on their bodies, and they drink milk from their mother’s bodies. The children also enjoyed learning about one particular mammal, the Rhino.

The last week of school was all about Summer Fun and Safety. We learned all about how to be safe around a campfire, and Ms. Kim brought in S’mores as a special treat! We also learned that we should wear our helmets when riding our bikes or skate boards, when it is OK to call 911, that we should not talk to strangers, and what is safe to touch in our house and what is not.

Academic Enrichment lesson with kindergarten students (Mr. John)

We started May by discussing the preposition.  Where oh where can we find a preposition?  Well, I told them a preposition was a “where word” NOT a “werewolf”.  The kindergarteners brushed up on their knowledge of the interjection.  The interjection adds emotion to the sentence but we did find out that if we eliminate the interjection from the sentence, the meaning of the sentence really does not change.  We learned what punctuation is used at the end of a sentence.  We use a period (.) when we are stating something.  We use a question mark (?) when we are asking a question and we use an exclamation mark (!) when we show excitement or a lot of emotion. I introduced the students to the rules of capitalization.  We learned that words at the beginning of the sentence, the word I, and proper nouns need to be capitalized.    We played “mad libs” and ended our lessons on grammar by watching Grammar Rock.  For the last week we just reflected on our year, what we learned, and our favorite parts of kindergarten class.  It was a GREAT year!

Enrichments (Ms. Kim)

Music

In music this month, the children sang hello to Nemo the fish, Alley the alligator, Jerry the giraffe, and Bernie the Bernard! Next Ms. Lisa reviewed the note family. (whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes) We used rhythm sticks to tap the beats of the notes. The children loved tapping the notes to the songs of “Hot Cross Buns”, “Yankee Doodle”, and “Great Big Stars”. We also used the rhythm sticks to pretend to play musical instruments such as the violin, flute, and tuba. In addition to pretending to play different instruments, Ms. Lisa likes the children to guess the sounds of instruments. She was impressed by how well the children recognized and named the musical instruments. Lastly we practiced listening for low and high sounds by playing the cat and mouse game. If you were a cat, you came out on the low sounds. If you were a mouse, you came out on the high sounds. Thanks Ms. Lisa for great music lessons!

Science

For our first experiment, Mr. John mixed glue, Borax detergent, and water in a bowl. The children made hypotheses beforehand on what would happen when all the materials were mixed together. Many of the children said that the mixture would turn into a goop. They were right! The polymers in the water and glue stuck to the Borax when it was added.

Our second experiment involved a balloon filled with water, a balloon with no water, and a lighted candle. The children made hypotheses on what would happen to each balloon when it was put over the flame of the candle. Well we were surprised when only the balloon without water popped. The balloon with water didn’t pop because the water inside absorbed the heat.

Our last experiment involved tea bags and a lighter. Mr. John put an open tea bag on a plate. (the tea was dumped out) When he lit the tea bag, it burnt down got hotter and floated into the air. Hot air rises!

Art

For the month of May, Ms. Michele had the children create some summer themed art projects. First the children got to be super creative and design their own “Monster Ice Cream Cones”. They used markers, glue, and scissors to cut out different shapes out of construction paper. Our next art lesson had to do with oil pastels and water. The children first drew themselves with pencil as something you would find in the ocean. Next they colored in their drawings with oil pastels. Last they painted over the whole paper with water. By painting with the water, it showed how the oil and water do not mix. In our last art lesson, the children made symmetrical butterflies. They drew and traced shapes on both wings so that the wings matched. Then they chose to color in their butterflies with primary, complimentary, warm, or cool colors.

Finally…

This summer, I encourage to you discuss with your child the safety rules of your home and rules for also being safe in your neighborhood. Discuss with your child what their favorite animal was that they saw at the zoo. Take a trip to the Natural History Museum in Cleveland and see the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton up close.

In conclusion, I want to thank you and your children for making this such a wonderful school year. Your children inspire me every day and have shown me so much unconditional love. It’s because of them that I love getting up and going to work every day! Thank you for the precious gift of your children! Have a safe and wonderful Summer!

The month of April was filled with lots of international fun! The children enjoyed learning about the seven continents, learning about North and South America in greater detail, and the children even enjoyed learning some words and songs in Spainish. During the month of April, the Map Puzzle work was very popular. Learning about the different continents and countries really peaked the children’s interest in learning about the world around them!

During the first week of April, we first delved into learning the names of all Seven Conitnents. We taught the children the Montessori Contenent Song. Ms. Kim also brought in continent books for the children to make and take home. We also reviewed our “ Cosmic Address”, and went over the names of our planet, continent, country, state, city, and school. It really helped set the tone for all we were going to learn about North and South America.

We learned all about the counries in North America durring week two. We learned that in Canada, they speak English, just as we do here in America. We learned that in Mexico, they speak Spanish. Through practicing using the Map of North America Puzzle, the children soon learned that Canada is to the north of the United States and that Mexico is south of the United States.

During the third week, we learned more about Mexico. The children also enjoyed making a Mexican Sombrero with Ms. Kim. We also learned how to do the Mexican Hat Dance! The children also enjoyed learning the names of the parts of the body in Spanish and the names of family members in Spanish. We also learned that “ Hola” means “Hello” and “ Adios” means “ Goodbye” in Spanish as well.

  

During week three, we also learned about the countries of South America and about the Amazon Rainforest. We learned that the Amazon Rainforest is home to many animals such as Capybara, the Blue Morpho Butterfly, and the Poison Dart Frog. The children also enjoyed making a Blue Morpho Butterfly craft and eating a “ Rainforest Parfait” with Ms. Kim. The parfait was just like the Rainforest in that it had for layers. We learned that the layers of the Rainforest are the Emergent Layer, the Canopy Layer, the Understory Layer, and the Forest Floor.

  

During week four, we enjoyed hearing from visitors about Turkey, Tanzania, and Nigeria. We also enjoyed learning about Brazil and Argentina. We learned that in Brazil, soccer is very popular and that the summer Olympic will be hosted their this summer and that people in Brazil speak Portugese. We also learned that in Argentina, their president lives in a pink house and that on a street called the Cominito in Buenos Aires all of the houses are painted with bright colors. We also learned that the current pope, Pope Francis, is from Argentina!

Academic Enrichment with Mr. John
In the afternoon lesson with kindergarten students we continued our work with grammar. We started by We looked at the adjective which describes nouns and pronouns, the adverb which describes the verb and usually ends in “ly”, the conjunction which connects two sentences or thoughts and acts like a bridge, and the preposition which is a “where” word not a werewolf.

Who said adverbs were difficult? Our kindergartners don’t think so!

My line time and the kindergarten class count to ten in 27 different languages (Some of them are: English, Sign Language, German, French, Greek, Spanish,Italian, Romanian, Russian, Tagalog, Polish, Irish, Welsh, Hebrew, Arabic w/the Lebanese dialect, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Swahili, Korean, Serbo-Croation, Hindi, Flemish/Dutch, Malay, Cebuano, Turkish!

Enrichments ( Ms. Kim):

Some things you can do with your child in the coming months to reinforce our themes would be going to the zoo and seeing how many animals your family can find that are from South America. Try making a Mexican dish together as a family. Pull up a world map and review the names of the Continents together. Discuss with your child their favorite country either from North America or South America.

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Maria Montessori stated that, “It is true that we cannot make a genius. We can only give to teach child the chance to fulfil his potential possibilities.” Remember, every child is unique and develops different skills and abilities at their own pace. I love all off the individual personalities and abilities that make up our amazing and unique classroom, and I considerate a joy and a privilege to be their teacher!