With Thanks

 It is with love and gratitude that I say, "THANK YOU" to each and everyone of our families at the school.  I ask and you give.   It is so appreciated.  Thank you for bringing your children along to see where it all goes and what kind of difference it makes to those in need.

The children worked so hard on their gift bags this year.  I was moved to tears by all of the beautiful art work that graced our food bags this year.  Such amazing children you all have.  It is truly a gift that they all gave.  Thank you also, for allowing me to post their pictures and share this moment.

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you all and Merry Christmas!  ~Ms. Michelle

Mel and the group from Maple Tree

Giving Tree Bags for Parker Street

More Merry Making

 It has been a lovely day making decorations, gifts and cookies.
Christmas in a Montessori classroom is a lot of fun with lots of
opportunities for fine motor activities.

Making and Gifting

 It is such a flurry of activity right now in our classrooms.  I commented to one parent this morning that I will be happy when we get back to our regular routine.

But right now, right this moment, it all feels good and secret and special.  We've been working on some special gifting this past week.  It was not planned.  I have a very dear friend who keeps an amazing garden in the valley and she stopped in to see me this week with bags full of seeds that she dried and kept and labeled with pictures for our Maple Tree Children.     Her idea was that we could collect the seeds and make seed packets as gifts.  LOVE IT!!!

So we did just that.  There were scarlet runner beans, calendula, morning glory, zinnia, dill and marigold seeds.  So enjoy and make sure you make them part of your garden planning and planting in the Spring!!

Seed collecting

Seed packet

 Other gifts are coming in different ways this year.  We made a lot of gift tags and ornaments.  Back again this year was our lovely pine cone weaving and popcorn and cranberry stringing.

And so as we wind down this week, we are taking great care to package and wrap and tidy.  Yes it is busy but such a good kind of busy.

Wool Wreaths with hand dyed wool from Fleece Artist!  Thank you Jana!!

clay impressions with fine glitter

Feeling Festive

 Christmas at Cork...
This week the children were busy making decorations for our tree and planning their grocery list for the giving project. 

The children are very excited about filling their bags with food they think are healthy for other families. The tree looks fabulous with all their decorations and giving bags around it. Now all we need is snow :) ~Ms. Stephanie

This Moment...

{this moment} - 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. 

Merry Making

Red Rods Christmas Tree with Knob less Cylinder lights

 I love this time of the year.  I am trying very hard to slow down even for a minute and enjoy all the merry making going on around me.

Yesterday, Ms. Melanie sent this beautiful picture of extensions with the sensorial materials!  I love it.  It may just have to be made into a card next year!

 This morning I was able to get into some needle felting with my older children.  They really loved it and it was nice to see how all that pin pushing work everyone has been doing is paying off.  While this had to be supervised by a teacher, the children were very capable of doing this.  I am thinking a much larger class project just might be in order for our walls.  There are so many possibilities with all that wool.  I can't wait to get into it some more.

These are not coming home right away, more by the way of a gift from your child to you and only a few children made them.  But don't worry, there is so much merry making going on that you are likely to get something beautiful for your tree or that gift going to grandparents.  I am loving all the gift tags we've been making.  I hope you use them.  Your children are so happy and pleased with themselves and all these little projects.  Oh, happy day!  ~Ms. Michelle

Roving from the Loop

Finger print gift tags

 

 

Burlap Sewing