Mixing it Up!

Making Rainbows with the glass beads

 I have been silent for too long.  I am sorry for that.  This winter has been long and hard for me.  The truth is I have been dealing with not only the loss of my dear friend Ms. Wendy but also most recently my most favourite uncle who died very suddenly.  I am throwing myself deep into my work and have been doing lots of planning and I am excited about all the wonderful things coming up in our classrooms.

 Let me start by saying that I love the book, Mix It Up .  It was most recently available in our Scholastic book order but you can also get it at Chapters and Woozles.  The thing that I love about this book is it really breaks down color for children in a very basic and fun terminology.  It talks about taking primary colors and and rubbing them together to make secondary colors.  All in an artful beautiful way.  One of our families gifted us with a copy and that was lovely.  I particularly like the board book as it is super sturdy with our young group.

Our Mix it Up Art Project

 This past week I read this book at circle to our children with the promise that we would do an art project together and make our own Mix it Up piece.  The following are picture of that project afternoon.  The children were super excited to mix color and experience the paint in a sensory way with their fingers.

 The end result, as you can see it incredible.  I love the way the acrylic paint stands out on the glossy paper we used.  I have a greater plan for these painting and I will share that in the next few months but for now, lets just appreciate how very beautiful they are!

 I have two more recommendations on books.  The Dot , another brilliant book.  It is about a girl named Vashti.  Vashti is struggling with drawing and so she just makes a dot on her paper.  Her art teacher says, "now sign it".  All great artists sign their work.  And so the story goes on and Vashti learns to make dots in all kinds of ways and discovers she is really good at drawing.  I really love Peter H. Reynolds and his writing.  He has a collection of books that are brilliant.  We have all of them and they are worth buying.

 I love Beautiful Oops also.  It is another brilliant book for inspiring all kinds of art with different materials.

Color Mixing Work 

This is our Color mixing independent work space.  We have had it out for two weeks and we are finished with it now.  We used a combination of food coloring and liquid water color paint in primary colors for making secondary colors.  The children have really enjoyed this fully.  

MTM CLOSED TODAY

Tuesday February 3, 2015

Due to the Storm, Maple Tree Montessori Will Close Both Campuses today!

Enjoy the snow day with your children!

MTM CLOSED TODAY

Tuesday January, 27, 2015

Due to the Storm, Maple Tree Montessori Will Close Both Campuses today!

Enjoy the snow day with your children!

Montessori Moment

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”~Maria Montessori

Friendship

Dear Friends,

It has taken me a while to get to this post.  Over the holidays we lost our dear friend and mentor Ms. Wendy Karr.  There really are no words to describe the sense of loss we are feeling.

Wendy came to work at Maple Tree when one of our other teachers needed to take a leave to seek treatment for Breast Cancer.  Wendy was so funny that day I called her to ask for help.  We had never met before and someone had suggested I give her a call to see if she would help us out.  I didn't know then, but that phone call was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Wendy made it very clear on the phone that day that she was retired and she would help me until my ill teacher was well and could return.  When that time did come a year later, Wendy had really rooted herself into Maple Tree and I was dreading the day she would say her time was done.  Maybe she felt that, because when we did finally have that conversation, she said she couldn't leave and very much wanted to stay at Maple Tree.  What a gift.  I was over the moon.  We were all over the moon.  Wendy was a gift.

I really believe she was meant to come into my life and the lives of our children.  Everyday I miss her.  Wendy was my best friend, mentor and mom all in one.  We had deep conversations about life and collaborated on all things Montessori.  When we had different ideas and teaching styles we melded them.  Wendy never told me my ideas were crazy.  She embraced everything and everyone.  We all wanted to soak up as much from her as we could.   It's fair to say that I envied the way the children went to her and the way she could just command that with her soft voice and presence.

One day she apologized to me because she spent all her time on language work and didn't get to other areas of our classroom and I remember saying to her, "we need to be where the need is the greatest and we have to honour that and we can not feel badly about that" she agreed and we moved on.  I thought about that,  and how Wendy would always say to me all we can do is what we can do and yet she felt she needed to do more.  She truly loved her work.  She told me once that  teaching at her age now was sweet because she was so present in the moments.  She had raised her boys and her time was her own now.  Even in her illness, Wendy was working to get strong and come back to Maple Tree.

Some people are meant to be teachers and guide us in this world.  Wendy was meant to teach and guide us.  I know her gifts will continue because she taught us so much.  I have never known such kindness and love.  Wendy, you are with us in every presentation and moment in our days.  Thank you dear sweet lady.  We will never forget you.
With love, Michelle

Giving

 Thank you Maple Tree Families for helping us give the gift of food this holiday season!  It really does make a difference.  You helped us make a difference!  Happy Holidays!

Parker Street Food Bank.  60 Bags of food were delivered!

The Moments from this Week

Cardboard Stars

 This last week as been a flurry of activity.  So much merry making has taken place.  I'm not gonna lie, I love this time of the year.  In addition to our Montessori working days we've added lots of making.  We've incorporated gift wrapping into our practical life work and metal insets into card making.
We've added some new projects this year and pulled some oldies but goodies from our stash of ideas.

Making Wool Wreaths

 It probably seems silly that we do all this but, our children really love it and the classroom really transforms into this incredibly beautiful place and there is such purpose and commitment int he work going on all around us.

Greater then all this though is the sense of wanting to give and the giving that is taking place with the children is sweet.  From simple notes to each other and from our elves to making and giving to family members.

We are ready to sign off for a few weeks now and decompress.  When the children return in January we will have a fresh new canvas to start with.  Everyone is tired and looking forward to down time with their families.  Wishing you all a most Wonderful Holiday!  xo~michelle

Giving Tree

Felt Trees

Sensorial work with the Colour Tablets

Beaded Candy Canes

Ribbon Christmas Tree Ornaments

Painted Glass Ball Ornaments

 I really loved doing the painted glass ball ornaments this year.  They were easy and instantly everyone's was unique and beautiful.

I am sharing this incredible drawing as I just can not believe that a four year drew this!  But she did.  This is what Christmas is for her and it is obviously on her mind and in her thoughts right now.  Such a great drawing!

This Moment

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . .

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Silver Bells

It has been a wonderful fall getting to know your children in music class.  Our first unit was full of songs about old friends and new friends and getting to know one another.  We also learned to play a steady beat while we sing, and to listen and copy rhythms by playing the sticks, clapping or stomping our feet.
We are now in our second unit of the year, with a theme of bells.  I have introduced different pitched bells and bell-like instruments (glockenspiels and resonator bars) which the children have all played in class. We have also explored the concept of “high, middle and low” as they relate to pitch.  We sing high, show it in our bodies by reaching high, and listen to a high note on a bell or instrument.  We have learned some lovely songs about bells and so I was inspired to find some bells to give to the children.  I have given each of them a tiny brass bell, with a beautiful tinkling sound, to take home.  Attached is a small piece of paper with one of our songs written on it, so that you can see what your child is singing.  I hope you enjoy them with your child.
Happy Holidays,
Susannë

This Moment

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Trip to Korea

 I set up this new table a couple of weeks ago.  We have such a lovely collection of really interesting tiny objects from various families that have travelled.  These items live in our continent boxes.  Ms. Melanie happened upon a really lovely craved tablet that was being put out for garbage.  I just love a good garbage find.  At first I wasn't sure I wanted another piece of furniture.  We do already have a lot in our space.  After looking at the table all morning long and reflecting on it I decided it should be set up as a space for the children to explore.  So we have Korea up right now with items from Korea and we have the place where Ms. Grace is from highlighted.

 In the next week we will be shifting to look at Russia.  It seems timely with the holidays and the talk of nut crackers and the ballet that many children are going to see.  If you have not arranged to take your children i really do encourage it.  The sets and music change so frequently that it really will  hold your child's attention.  We started taking our children at 3 to see the Nutcracker at the Rebecca Cohn.  Even now it has become one of our holiday traditions.

Getting Ready

 We are full on now that we are officially into December tomorrow.  That means in addition to all the usual Montessori work we do, we have tweaked things a tiny bit to keep things exciting and interesting for our children.  That means that we have prepped all our special art activities for the giving Tree and added some lovely little spaces of interest also.

winter Nature Scene with handmade carollers 

In the Past I have built our tree for the classroom and I am still planning to do that at our Cork Street Classroom but I happened upon this lovely small tree at the Seaport Market and it just screamed take me home.  It is the absolute perfect tree for our smaller Quinpool Campus and really I don't actually need to build two trees right?!

 With all the windy wet weather we've been having, I've been collecting branches.  I want so much to bring the out doors in this year.

I want our classroom space to feel special and have a magical quality to it.  We have a loan branch arranged above our practical life shelf and I used modge podge on it and sprinkled it with fake snow.  It is simply stunning especially with the pinecones that have been dipped in bees wax and glittered.  So the merriment has begun.  I am hoping I won't feel over loaded on Christmas in the next three weeks. I think we have just enough to change it all up and keep things exciting for the next three weeks!

Glass Balls waiting for paint.  

Clothes Peg Work for Finer Motor.  The leaves we hand made by me and were reused from our wool apple sorting work from September.  I found the sweetest poinsettia clothes pegs for counting and clipping on to the leaves.  

Jingle Bell Transferring work with wooden tongs.  Just challenging enough!

This Moment

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

This Moment

{this moment}

. . . . . . . .

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Waxing about Bees Wax

 Some times I get the strangest gifts.  A couple of months ago I bumped into a friend at the Farmers Market.  My friend,  said he had some bees wax he thought I might be crafty enough to do something with it.  Not knowing anything about bees wax really other than I love the smell of it,  I said sure why not!  It's funny how things work out.  Anyway,  I carted in two of the five buckets of bees wax I had been given and I melted the wax down slowly.  It took a long time and you need to do it in a double boiler so you don't burn the wax.  My wax was super dark and I thought I had heated it too high but then I discoverd that once it started to cool it was that beautiful golden color.

 So we dipped tiny pinecones in the bees wax and used super fine glitter  to embellish the pine cones.   They are so beautiful.

We were super careful with the hot wax.  It was tricky to use in that it does start to cool down very quickly.

I think if I were to do this again I would set up a hot water bath in the crock pot so the wax never got a change to cool down.  After I had about five or six children dip pine cones I had to reheat the wax up.

 So this morning as I was walking to work I picked up a tree branch on Kline Street and carried it to the school.  Such funny looks a got!  But I just couldn't leave the branch as it was so perfect and beautiful.  I wasn't sure what I would do with it but I knew I needed it.  It really is funny how things come together.  I had no idea that I was going to use that branch today to hold all those beautiful pine cones.

Bees wax as I was melting it

before I started to melt it

I started to strain the wax in this cheese cloth but I soon abandoned that as it became really difficult and I knew we were not pouring it into moulds so it was ok that I had bit of wood in it.  For me the simpler the better.   Also, I used bought an old pot from the thrift store to use for this project.  you wouldn't want to use a good one.