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Toddler I January Blog
This week in the Toddler 1 Class we cooked rosemary bread using rosemary we picked from the garden ourselves. We talked about how the yeast was alive and needed warm water and sugar to grow. They watched the yeast expand as it ‘ate’ the sugar. We also talked about how if the bread did not have yeast in it then it would be flat, but it would get big with the yeast in it. Once our yeast was done ‘growing’ the children helped to scoop the remaining ingredients in the bread pan. Then we had to wait. We watched the bread machine knead the bread, saw it rise, smelled it baking and finally we got to taste it. Everyone loved the rosemary bread!
Here is the recipe:
- 1 cup of warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
- *Put these ingredients in a measuring cup and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the other ingredients in the bread machine pan.
- 2 1/2 cups of bread flour
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
*Now add your yeast mixture to the bread pan and set the bread machine to quick bread or 1lb loaf. All bread machine settings differ. This is a smaller loaf of bread and most bread machines bake it for 2 hours or 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Enjoy with butter. Our toddlers sure did!
Primary II January Blog
Hello 2014! We hope you all had a very memorable holiday. The children came back to the classroom ready to work…they have been busy! Our studies this month have been focusing on the continent of Antarctica and Martin Luther King, Jr. We have been discussing the different types of penguins found in Antarctica and their unique characteristics. With the weather being so cold we have been keeping the children inside, but please send them to school with warm jackets, hats, mittens, etc., in the chance that we feel it is safe for them to play outside for a while. As always, thank you for sharing your children with us.
Primary I January Blog
We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! We will be learning about the human body throughout the months of January and February. We have just finished our study of the 5 senses. We also learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the children enjoyed making peace flowers with their hand cuttings. In February we will go on a field trip to Si-Quest Science Museum. The children are still working at their own pace in the practical life, math, reading, and geography areas.
Elementary I Blog Post
We have had a really exciting start to the new year! Happy 2014!
I would like to thank Mr. Sonnie Hereford for his presentation. His story is so very inspiring, and he has a wonderful way of teaching the children about equality.
The elementary classes are leading a service project at MSH called King’s Community Kitchen, and we would love for the whole school to participate. King’s Community Kitchen is a Pet Food Assistance Program through the Greater Huntsville Humane Society that allows families with economic difficulties to keep their pets healthy and home. Look for our poster and collection boxes in the lobby. We are collecting dog food, cat food, and treats through January 30th.
Kindergarten and Elementary families, please join us for dinner on January 23rd. Everyone, please join us for The Journey on January 25th. Also, get ready for Observation Month in February. These are all wonderful opportunities to learn about the Montessori experience!
Thinking about the cold weather this month and next, the children will be learning about the geography, biology, and ecology of the Arctic and Antarctica. We will continue having new lessons in math, including the checkerboard and bead frames. We will be starting a new unit with measurement, also. The children are learning about verbs with lots of action-packed lessons. Everyday is a learning experience by all!
Joy in Work
Hating Mondays is such a cliché in our culture. How many of us start the work week with joyful anticipation? Work has become such a “four-letter word” for many adults. Here at the Montessori School of Huntsville work is a happy concept. Work means creativity, engagement, and interaction with our physical and social environment all the way from our youngest toddler to our most senior staff member.
The staff here at MSH has been reading (or re-reading) The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori. We think it is important to engage with Dr. Montessori’s original writing to stay true to the method and to interpret how her theory fits in our ever-changing world. Dr. Montessori has a wonderful insight about children’s learning, “The child’s is a type of life in which work, the fulfillment of tasks brings joy and happiness, where as in the field of adult, work is something which is usually a painful process.”
Many times through the day you will hear teachers say “May I help you choose some work?” or “Be sure to select challenging work.” We find joy in our work and we want to instill that sense of joy in your children. For our children we want work to be an opportunity for them to engage creatively and productively and work to be a joy, both now and later in the “real world.”
