 Brandy's Corner:
This July 4th Absorbent Minds will be participating in the Stow 4th of July Parade. The theme is America: Land of the Free. Students will be making a float during American Pride Week of summer camp to ride during the parade. Click here for more information about participating in the parade with us!
Annual Family Picnic
Everyone is invited to join us for our 3rd Annual Family Picnic. This year the picnic will be at Waterworks Park in Cuyahoga Falls. We will be in the "Big Cuyahoga" pavilion. This is a great way to keep in touch with past students and parents and meet new families. We are looking forward to seeing everyone there! Click here for more details.
International Festival 2009
For a month the children prepared for the 2nd annual International Festival. They worked hard learning their lines and practicing songs. They had fun coloring flags and doing crafts. All the hard work paid off on the night of the International Festival.
As the children poured into the school the buzz of excitement filled the halls. The hallways were transformed into a diverse collection of traditional costumes from all of the inhabited continents.
The Olympic theme song started to play and our little ambassadors marched proudly with the flag of the country they represented. As they marched through the crowd the students and parents could not be any more proud. The children patiently waited in line for their turn to say their lines. Our little international people bravely said their lines. They said "hello" in the native language of the country they represented. They then told the audience what country they were representing, on what continent the country was located, and a fact about that country. Then they said "good-bye" in the native language of the country.
They took their place on the risers and were ready to perform. The crowd was asked to stand and say the pledge of allegiance. We recited the pledge then the children performed the pledge in sign language. The children sang the "Continent Song", and the Australian "Kookaburra Song". They then sang a song from Argentina, "Vengan a Ver Mi Granja," ("Come See My Farm") in Spanish and a traditional family song in Spanish. They evening was concluded with a rousing version of "The Grand Old Flag".
The crowd moved from the auditorium to the cafeteria for the international buffet. The food was plentiful and delicious. Main dishes and desserts were prepared from around the globe. People feasted and then braved the rainstorm as we left.
Thank you for all of the time and effort that went into the costumes and food. The adults and especially the children appreciated it!
~The Absorbent Minds Staff
Kindergarten Graduation
On Friday June 5th the parents and families of our Kindergarten class joined together to celebrate the accomplishments each of our graduates achieved throughout their time at Absorbent Minds Montessori School.
The evening began with a dazzling performance of Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham." Each student represented a character from the story and said all of their lines without missing a beat! I was so proud of each one of them.
Following the play students dressed in caps and gowns for the graduation ceremony. Ms. Brown read "Oh, the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss and added her own twist at the end with each students' name. It brought tears to my eyes just thinking of the wonderful things in store for these talented and bright children. Mrs. Cooper and Mr. John addressed the students and their parents, each reflecting on their personal experiences teaching.
Next, each student received a special award honoring their personal strengths.
Niko received the "Spelling Bee Award" because he always walks around the classroom spelling things instead of saying the words.
Isabella received the "Spirit Award" because she is a light-hearted and fun-loving girl who just wanted everyone to have a good time when they were with her.
Matthew received the "SuperReader Award" because he read every single book in our school and every single book we got from the library (with great ease)!
Taylor received the "Sweet Pea Award" because she is always caring and nurturing her friends. She wants everyone to feel loved, so she loves them.
Luke received the "Author/Illustrator Award" because he wrote his own stories everyday and drew amazing detailed pictures to illustrate them.
Will received the "Mr. Encyclopedia Award" because he always added miscellaneous facts to each discussion that were true! He always amazed us!
Olivia received the "To Infinity and Beyond Award" because each day she wrote numbers in sequential order beginning at 1 and continuing through 1500!
Abby received the "Side Kick Award" because she was always by our side to lend a helping hand with any chore.
It was amazing looking into the eyes of each student. I could see their joy for learning, their happiness of being with their friends and their anticipation of great things to come. I feel truly honored to have been one of their teachers.
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 Cooper's Corner:
May was a very memorable month for our students. Our Theme was "Around The World." The children were kept busy learning about many different countries and focusing mostly on the countries the students chose to represent at our Festival.
We started in Europe. For each continent we talked about geography & climate, dress, festivals & celebrations, music and food. We spoke about Italy and it's ancient historical past. The children were asked to find the countries on the appropriate map. We recognized Italy as the boot and Sicily as the small island being "kicked" by the boot. Carol Place came to present Sicily in a very fun fashion this month. The children learned all about the temples, tambourines and even got to participate in a very special Sicilian dance called the Tarantella.
Other countries introduced were Switzerland, the United Kingdom (England), Greece, Sweden, France, Ireland and the Check Republic.
Children observed traditional dress from Spain, Switzerland and Greece. The students then had the opportunity to design their own fashion from these backgrounds.
 Cos Vasilatos also made a visit to speak about Greece. The children were charmed by the special stories and photographs of the country. They had a blast walking on the pebbles he brought along from a white sand beach in Greece.
The Tour de France was the tradition spoken about the next week. The children were given a map to see where the very long bike ride begins and ends, and a cutting work of their own bike and its parts.
Music from Italy, Transylvania and Spain was played in class ranging from opera, folk, dance and polka. for our European taste test hummus and pita bread were brought in.
Next we moved on to Asia. We started with China and spoke about its climate, bamboo, pandas and the Great Wall. A flag was also presented for each country and the children truly enjoyed making their own flags. Other countries discussed were Japan, Saudi Arabia, India and the Philippines.
Era Fedak came to share her experiences of the Philippines with the students. Era had many interesting topics to talk about such as history, culture, traditions, climate and natural resources. the children were very impressed with the colorful bulletin board she created to leave in the classrooms.
We focused on the Chinese New Year as our Festival. The children were given a brief history of how the tradition began. We read the story of the first New Year and talked about what each animal represents in the Chinese Zodiac. the students learned a card game called "Fast Rat," which represents the legend of how the sly rat was the first animal to reach the Emperor.
Pictures of Chinese, Japanese and Saudi Arabian dress were observed in class. the students listen to various Asian music and enjoyed watching a few traditional dances. As Asian salad with various vegetables and a vinaigrette dressing was an example of Asian food.
Our third week focused on both North and South America. We introduced the three main countries of North America by comparing it to a sandwich. Canada as the top slice, the United States as the center filling, and Mexico as the bottom slice. this really helped the children in recognizing the countries on the map. The students viewed pictures of traditional Native American clothes and some very festive Mexican dresses. We talked about Canada Day and the Fourth of July. We explained how both of these celebrations honor the anniversary of their country's independence. The students created Maple Leaf Medallions compared to the kind children wear in parades for Canada Day. the children danced to some old school rock-n-roll and some very upbeat Mexican sonnets.
For the final week the continent of Africa was introduced. Students truly enjoyed leaning about Egypt's ancient civilization. The students gathered into small groups and created their own pyramids from cardboard and sand.
Some other countries spoken about were Morocco, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Kenya. Students learned about Africa's diverse landscapes such as safari, deserts, grasslands and wetlands. Mostly they enjoyed learning about the amazing animals and wildlife. Little hands were painted, spotted and google-eyed to create African Giraffes.
Books with various African dress were introduced. The children were given the chance to decorate a traditional outfit worn in African Tribal Dances. We listened to many types of African drums and danced along to some traditional dances we view online.
The children worked hard preparing for the International Festival. They were a big success and learned so much along the way. Parents did an amazing job with costumes and food! It was very rewarding to see how proud each child was of their country.
~Mrs. Cooper
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 Mr. John's Corner:
"North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Don't forget Australia, no no, don't forget Antarctica no no." That was our motto this month in preparation for the International Festival. We learned about all the continents and some of the individual countries within the continents. The students had fun learning about the climates, foods, clothes, and differences of how children attend school.
The children especially liked discovering the different flags of different countries and had the opportunity to color the flag of each country. Once the flags were completed they were proudly displayed. The children also enjoyed using a pushpin to "cut" out each continent. This activity improves concentration and fine motor skills. The children enjoyed creating North American dream catchers, the South American Liana Vine and the messy, but fun Egyptian pyramids.
I wanted to thank the parents and grandparents who took time to give the children very informative and fun presentations. Coz Vasilatos presented Greece and the children loved real stones from a beach in Greece. Annie's grandmother shared her experiences from New Zealand and the Mourad's shared many aspects of their heritage from Lebanon. Carol Place brought some artifacts from Sicily and the children had a blast learning a traditional dance called Tarantella. Nikki Custy brought in a traditional Irish drum and played the fiddle. Era Fedak presented many aspects of life in the Philippines.
In the kindergarten lesson we concluded our work with grammar. We looked at interjections which add emotion to a sentence and we worked with the preposition which is a "where" word. For all of the children's hard work we watched "Grammar Rock" (School House Rock) which was a big hit.
Science brought us some gooey stuff or was it hard stuff or was it both? We mixed corn starch and water to make a really weird substance that dripped off our hands like a liquid but when we squeezed the stuff it became a solid. The children were fascinated. We then found out what happens when you put a Mentos mint candy in a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke. Something similar to a geyser happens. My first attempt was a miserable failure where I was squirted by Diet Coke but the children thought it was hilarious. My second attempt went a bit more smoothly.
I also wanted to thank the staff and the children of Absorbent Minds Montessori School for making the International Festival a huge success.
I wanted to express the joy I had teaching your children this year. Each one of my students are unique, very special, and will hold a special place in my heart. It was my pleasure getting to know the children and the parents.
Have a great summer! ~Mr. John |
Enrichment Activities:
 The last of our Spanish for the year was full of fun! The kids practiced hard for their international festival by rehearsing their songs that you enjoyed the evening of the show. Vengan a Ver Mi Granja (Come See My Farm) and Mi Familia (My Family) were favorites of the kids. They really showed off their talents by signing their Mi Familia song as well. Ms. Brown and Senora Lisa worked together on helping the kids learn their signs. Senora Lisa was very good at helping the children learn to express themselves in a very fun way, through sign and song! The children also had a chance to review their color song that they learned earlier in the year. It is amazing how they retain what they learn! The book we enjoyed this month was Margaret and Margarita. This was a cute story about two little girls and their moms spending the day at the park. The girls were each reluctant to go to the park for fear they would have no one to play with. To their wonder they each arrived at the park at the same time and realized when they spoke that they were speaking two different languages, one English and one Spanish. It was fun to hear everything in the book in both languages and by the end of the book the girls had become friends and had taught each other some new words! One last thing the children learned was a fun summer game to play at home with their friends, "Cielo (sky/cloud), Luna (moon), Mar (sea)." It is done with chalk on steps or a sidewalk. You are to draw a moon, a cloud (for the sky), and a wave (for the sea) on the steps or sidewalk. You take turns having someone stand on one of the drawings while the other person shouts out the name of another drawing. When a new drawing is shouted out the person standing on the drawing jumps to the drawing that has been announced. When the "jumper" jumps to the incorrect drawing it is the other persons turn to be the "jumper." Fun times with chalk while reinforcing Spanish! Try this game with your children this summer!!!
 Hello everyone! Throughout the month of May and the beginning of June, the kids worked very hard on learning the Pledge of Allegiance to show you during the International Festival. I wasn't able to tell you about it in the last newsletter because I wanted it to be a surprise. It started with an idea that we would just teach the older kids to sign the whole pledge while the younger kids spoke it. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw every single student trying to learn the pledge on their own. I think it was good motivation for the younger kids to see the older students practicing. In the last weeks, I divided the kids into groups of 3-5 and worked individually in order to help them learn the pledge, and that was definitely a success. I hope you enjoyed their performance during the festival!
It has been such a great year and I couldn't have asked for a better group of kids to experience my first year of teaching sign language. I learned so much from the kids and from the experiences and I'm very happy with the knowledge that each student has taken with them for the summer. Over the summer I will be coordinating the games and activities in sign language with the themes of each classroom, which I think will really help the kids out more. See you in the Fall!
~Miss Brown
Moms-N-Muffins:
"April Showers bring May Flowers" so the saying goes... and the start of the month of May brings us "Moms and Muffins." We had a great turn out this year! Our students were so excited to be able to enjoy this special breakfast with their moms at their school. Our moms enjoyed the opportunity to fellowship with other mothers, their children, and teachers as well. We hope our families look forward to these events as much as we take pleasure in planning them!
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Montessori Tidbits:
Bringing Montessori Home
As the school year draws to a close we wanted to give parents a few ideas for making this summer a Montessori summer in your home. Below are simple ideas for using the Montessori methods in your everyday life with your family.
Preparing Your Home:
As you prepare your home environment for your children there are two things to keep in mind; have a place to keep belongings in each room (a mat for shoes by the door and a hook for coats), and don't put too many toys and books out at one time (rotate toys and books).
The home environment is extremely important at every level of a child's development. It is the environment that will teach respect for the developing sense of beauty, aid growing independence and inspire the child. In your home, rather than keeping toys in one large toy box, organize them in smaller baskets or containers that are categorized. This will make cleaning up easier and enjoyable.
In the classroom we use specific materials to teach concepts of "large and small," "hot and cold," "loud and soft." In your home you can use experiences to teach these concepts. Bath water can teach "hot and cold," trying various foods can teach different tastes, toys and blocks can teach colors, sizes and shapes. Rather than using too many words, TV or videos, we encourage you to rely on your child's imagination to spark discussions and create an environment rich in hands-on experiences.
Blocks:
Blocks are always fun and can be created from a variety of materials; stones, bricks, pieces of tree bark or wood. Blocks have a way of bringing out the wildest imaginations in every child. But along the way children are learning many mathematical and geometric relationships and architectural concepts, as well as physics principles as the towers get too tall or too heavy and topple over. In our experience, next to doing real family work, playing with blocks has been the greatest aid to developing concentration.
Puzzles:
Puzzles provide practice in visual discrimination as the child figures out exactly how the pieces fit together, and hand-eye coordination as he places each piece in the correct spot. Children learn that work/play is not just open-ended, but can have a beautiful and logical outcome. Puzzles teach the beginning and ending of an activity and the satisfaction of completion.
Art:
Art is a fantastic form of expression and all children love to create! Your child will benefit greatly from have a wide variety of art supplies readily available. Have a specific "art table" with crayons, paper, pencils, watercolors, clay, etc. ready for your child's imagination to run wild. It is also inspiring to have pictures of famous works of art displayed for your children to look at. Hang them at your child's eye level. Also, check out books from the local library about famous artists. Your children will enjoy hearing stories about them as children and it will inspire them to create a masterpiece of his/her own!
Music:
Song is an important part of daily life in a Montessori environment. Listening to music can help develop a musical ear. Carefully eliminate any background noise (TV, radio, constant random music) so your child's ear can focus on the instrument being played. Allow your child to experiment with real instruments if they are available (piano, guitar, etc).
Children love to sing and you don't have to have a good voice to model singing for your children. Singing will give your child practice in language, poetry, and listening skills. Anything is more fun when you sign it! Try the "Clean-Up" song!
Listening to a heart beat on a stethoscope, then tapping the rhythms of your children's names with sticks or by clapping is a fantastic introduction to rhythm.
Plants and Animals:
Lessons that make deep impressions come from first hand experiences. Nothing can take the place of walking through the woods and listening to the beautiful sounds of nature, birds chirping, squirrels running and trees blowing in the wind. It is important to spend time outdoors experiencing nature each day. On rainy days, have flowers in the home and allow your child to arrange them in a vase. Give her an empty vase, scissors to trim the flowers, and a small pitcher to pour water into the vase. It may not turn out the same as if you did it yourself, but think of the sense of accomplishment she will feel seeing her arrangement displayed on the dinner table. You can also have a nature table set up with a variety of objects to touch and feel. Be sure this area is clean and the items are changed regularly. A magnifying glass is a great tool for closer observation!
All young children are fascinated with bugs and insects. Be ready to place these fine creatures in a jar or clear box when they come home. It takes very little time to create a terrarium. Grab a scoop of dirt, a dandelion and a sprinkle of water and you are all set. Just be sure to allow the creepy-crawly friends enough oxygen to breathe!
Enjoy your Summer! | |
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Just a reminder:
Please keep saving your Box Tops during the summer! | |
