Special Projects

Oxford Street Campus

 We do a lot of special projects at Maple Tree.  I really love doing projects and I especially love recognizing special times like Father's Day and end of the Montessori year.

This year we made BBQ Sauce for Father's Day.  It is a simple project and it came together quickly.  The children made some beautiful cards!  The card making was an excellent opportunity for a Grace and Courtesy Lesson!

Bar-B-Que Sauce Montessori Style

1/2 Cup Ketchup

2 TBS Honey

2TBS Worcestershire Sauce

1TBS Cider Vinegar

1 Dash Hot Pepper Sauce

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Mustard Powder

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp of our Secret Ingredient?????  Um, if you really need to know I may be  willing to share this ;-)

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and pour into jars.  Keeps in the refrigerator for two weeks.  

Oxford Street Campus

Quinpool Campus

 Our Gift wrapping was simple and another Practical Life Lesson for the children.  Simple paper lunch Bags and Ribbon.  We used Rubbing plates to make the shirts and Bees wax crayons.  We had the card making set up at our Art Table.

I really love how these cards came out!

 Maple Tree is fourteen years old this year.  I can't imagine not marking the end of the year in a special way with my children leaving after two and three years.  I have a family leaving after seven years this year and that was super emotional and hard for me.  It's hard to say goodbye.  I get very attached to my families.  I say I am not going to but the reality is I just can't help myself.  We are all human and I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't love all my families and my children.  I love how I can go just about anywhere and bump into current students and past students.  Their excitement at seeing me on my Saturday morning farmers market outing honestly makes my day.  They are so surprised to see me!  It is the sweetest and I truly love it.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

To mark the occasion of my children leaving it seems appropriate to make something special.  This year we made globes.  They are after all children of the world.  We have helped mould children of the world.  They are compassionate, respectful and thoughtful and I am very proud of them.

This was an easy project.  I bought a lot of casting plaster (in rolls) like they use in hospitals and we made our globes.  The sensory experience was awesome.  I can tell you our children LOVED using the plaster and covering their balloon.

They dried for a day and then we got to work painting them.  I asked that the teachers guiding this lesson in art let the children paint them as they saw their world.  It really has to be as they see it and their own interpretation of their world.  We used a button and embroidery floss and hot glue to secure the thread at the top so the children could hang their world up at home.

They really turned out great and the children were so very please with their version of the world and how they see it.  This project is so excellent because it ties up all of our geography work beautifully. I can't think of a better way to end the year!