Montessori adventures

Emma began her second year of preschool at Montessori International School.  Her teacher, Ms. Meg, is out on maternity leave for a bit so Ms. Laticia is filling in. Bryan and I got the chance to go and observe last week.  We loved seeing our baby girl work in the classroom.  She is a total "Montessori" girl.  We got to observe her working with sandpaper letter sounds, the uneven stairs, the pink tower, the red dot one to one correspondence work, metal insets (prewriting and fine motor), hand washing and some practical life work...oh yes and enjoying snack with her friend Emmy.  We got to see the social butterfly part of her as well.  She ensured that others were following directions and at one point we heard her say to a friend "LISTEN TO MY STORY..."  This week, it was her turn to bring flowers for flower arranging.  She got to arrange the flowers in vases and decide where to put them in the classroom.  She also got to help take care of the plants and flowers in the outdoor environment.  We are so proud of all of her hard work and can't wait to see what this year brings.  Today, she told me that she wants me to put notes in her lunch box.  She said "I need to start reading so I can know what they say."  I love that she has such a love for learning.  GOOOO Montessori and gooooo Emma.  ( I feel re-energized to make the long drive to deliver her and pick her up there from day to day...it is well worth it...plus Emma gives Caitlyn 'lessons' here at home, so maybe I am getting two for the price of one...well more like one and a fourth for the price of one).  It's all good.  

Emma is getting her sound lesson from Ms. Meg. Emma is learning phonics and can identify many sounds independently. She is learning cursive and can print her name. She loves her "new school" and likes to play Ms. Meg. She is always giving us lessons.  March 2009.  

Nana and Mommy helped Emma's Montessori class plant a garden. We planted corn, beans, squash and a pumpkin. We had lots of fun digging in the dirt. I am happy to report that everything came up and is doing well. The kiddos had a ball, they even found some carrots from last year's garden.  March 2009.