Happy to be back!

We have been back at school now for about a month, and the children had a wonderful time returning to the daily rhythm of school life. These lovely images, captured by Meg Porter Photography, offer a glimpse into the important work our children do every day! 

P, age 2 1/2 is strengthening the muscles used for writing and fine motor skills when he creates with clay.

M., age 2 is making orange juice which is part of the Practical Life curriculum. In Practical Life, children learn to care for their own needs and to care for the environment. You have probably noticed your own children wanting to help in the kitchen at home. Practical Life activities provide a wonderful outlet for this desire, while building concentration, self-confidence, and hand strength. 

Opening and closing containers, and Handwashing are also part of Practical Life! The children love using materials that are sized just for them. 

One of our youngest children is pictured here. He is just learning to use clay and is very interested in the teacher's careful presentation. 

Practical Life activities are found in both classes. When children move from the Toddler to the Primary class, they are happy to find 'old friends' on the shelves! 

The dressing frames give the child practice with clothing fastenings. They allow the child to see what her hands are doing and take away the emotional element of trying to fasten their own clothes. The teacher uses 'analysis of movement' to slow down and show how to do activities step by step. 

This 4 year old is working with Metal Insets. Tracing the shape and coloring it in carefully is a beautiful pre-writing exercise. As the child gains experience, he may trace several shapes together to create an intricate design. 

Pictured here is a Math activity. All Montessori Math materials are based in concrete examples. Above, the child reads the number and put the corresponding number of 'spindles' in the box. But - there is something special - the child experiences for the first time the number 'zero' and that is represents nothing. 

This six year old is also doing a Math activity called the '5 chain'. This chain is a visual representation of 5 cubed, and he will count all 125 beads on the chain. They are in sets of 5, and he labels the last bead in each set. This is a direct preparation for multiplication, as well as later work with squaring and cubing numbers. 

Making an independent work choice and completing the activity from start to finish helps build focus.

This 5 year old is proudly completing the 100 board - this activity gives the child more experience seeing the numbers 1-100 and the patterns they form. 

We enjoy our art area and learning about different artists and styles of art. Recently, we studied Henri Matisse and made our own paper cut outs. Do you see 'The Snail'?

Here are more examples of working on fine motor skills. The picture on the left shows the Cylinder Blocks, which help develop the pincer grasp used for writing. 

We love our beautiful garden and natural play area, and we'd love to show you our school in person. We have openings in both classes, please email us at colmadmin@gmail.com to find out more and schedule your personal tour!