Inspired by Van Gogh

 We've been painting Sun Flowers this last week.  It is an artist study on Vincent Van Gogh.  We will talk more about him with the children in the coming weeks.  We will pause this week to change things up and make our famous Turkey hats for  the coming Thanksgiving weekend.  But for now, lets savour the last that Summer has to offer us with these beautiful Sunflower paintings!  As you can see, it was impossible for me to choose just one.

Each and every child painted their own version of what they saw.  I love each and everyone of these stunning paintings.  They would make beautiful note cards with you took the painting and had it scanned.  Great gift idea for grandparents for Christmas.

To set up this activity, I arranged a vase of Sunflowers on a perch up at the child's height and set out 4 colours of paint.  Up until this the children have only been painting with one, maybe two colours of paint.  

Sensitive Period for Order

What is a Sensitive Period?

Maria Montessori believed that children pass through phases in which at certain stags throughout their development they have a predisposition or sensitivity to learning a specific skill. These stages are called sensitive periods.


This past week we had the opportunity to witness a sensitive period for order.  This child spent a long time string blocks on a lace and arranging them.  He was quiet and completely absorbed in this activity.  It was a beautiful moment to observe his time with the material and appreciate that he is indeed in a sensitive period for order.

Dr. Montessori tells us that the sensitive period for order begins at birth, peaks during early toddlerhood, and generally lasts until around age five. The sensitive period for order is characterized by an inner need for consistency and repetition, the child in this sensitive period craves routines and predictability. 

It is important as a Montessori teacher to watch for these Sensitive Periods for learning and act on them when they present themselves.   

Montessori Moment

 {Montessori 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.

Mother's Day Making and Giving

 We made some Relaxing Foot Soak for our Mom's for Mother's Day this year.  It was an easy project for the children to do and working with the Essential Oils made our classroom smell heavenly!  I think it is important to celebrate Mother's.  Our children were very excited not only to make their gift for their mom but also to give it.

I number of years ago, I found a recipe on the internet from Martha Stewart for Mom's to be Foot Soak.  I love this recipe.  It works beautifully, it requires very few ingredients and smells so uplifting.  In the past we have used different Essential Oils like lavender with lemon.  This year I stuck to spearmint and lemon for oils and we added grated lemon zest for extra smell and sensory experience.  It definitely kicked it up a notch!

To package up the foot soak we used 8oz coffee bags.  These were the perfect package option for this gift.  The children used a funnel to measure the foot soak into the bag.  Coffee bags were purchased locally and were very cost effective.

 The children made beautiful cards at the art table last week and we attached them to the coffee bags.  We relabeled this as RELAXING FOOT SOAK and made labels up for the coffee bags with the ingredients listed.  Such a great and easy project!  Happy Mother's Day!

Ingredients List
Epsom Salts
Kosher Salt
Corn Starch
Baking Soda
Lemon Essential Oil
Spearmint Essential Oil
Lemon Zest