MAPLE TREE CLOSED TODAY WEDNESDAY MARCH 26th

Due to the impending weather, Maple Tree Montessori will be closed today.
Thank you~ Michelle

Different Kinds of Families

For the past two months in music class we have been learning about the different families of instruments found in the orchestra.
We began with the percussion family - any instrument which is shaken or struck to produce the sound.  We have shaken shakers, jingled bells, tapped triangles and drums.  We have listened to many examples of music and the children are amazing at picking out which type of instrument they can hear.  Then we moved on to the wind family.  We played recorders, whistles and harmonicas, and discussed the quiet wind instruments (woodwinds like flutes and clarinets) and loud ones (trumpets and tubas).  I am always so impressed when your children can distinguish between a recording of a trumpet and a flute - they are very good listeners!!
Lastly we have been learning about the string family -ukuleles, violins, cellos, guitars.  My favourite part of this unit is the song in which the students choose the an instrument they would like to play when they get bigger.  What an orchestra we would have - filled with violins, pianos, guitars, flutes, recorders, cymbals and double basses!  ~Ms. Susanne

The Big Finish

 This week we finished off the last of our Olympics activities.  The children enjoyed scooter board racing at Quinpool both as a team effort and independently.  It was received with tons of enthusiasm.

We also, enjoyed snowshoeing!  I've been waiting for the right amount of snow and sadly we could have used more but we made it work anyway.  At Quinpool we did more of a relay with the snow shoeing handing off a ball and racing through the trees at the Playground.

 The Trail Shop has children's snowshoes and right now they are 30% off.  I personally loved how they fit and they were super easy to slide on over a child's boot.  The children really enjoyed using them.  It definitely felt different to wear them and make big foot prints in the snow!

Mini Hockey Rink at an independent work station

 At Cork Street, the children raced in the snowshoes and used a ball to hit a target.  Once they threw the ball they had to run back in the snowshoes to the next child waiting in line.

The final activity this week was the presentation of medals.  This past couple of weeks we had the children press out their medal in air hardening clay.  We had they clay ready to go in small balls. The children pressed them out using the bottom of a glass and then used a pencil to make their number.  After the medals were dry the children painted them with gold, silver and bronze washable paint.  The last thing we did was apply a pretty ribbon.  The children really enjoyed having their medal placed around their neck.  I must say, given how challenging the weather can be here to coordinate outside activities, we still managed to do the things we wanted and i have to say this was one of my favourite  theme based work sessions.

~Ms. Michelle