April Newsletter

Inchworms!  This Spring, our playground has been visited by a plethora of inchworms.  It has been fascinating to watch the students explore these creatures with wonder and awe, transforming the bustle of the playground to careful observation, collection, and gentle handling.  Such observation and self-directed activity is at the heart of the Montessori classroom. Maria Montessori said that a focused child is a happy child.  Whenever possible, don’t interrupt your child when s/he is engaged and focused.  At the start this restraint may not feel natural.  Contemporary parents, in their efforts to encourage their children, will often habitually interrupt periods of focus: to cheer them on as they learn to crawl, say a word, spin and twirl.  However, as our children grow it is this praise that may prevent the child’s expansion of engagement and attention.  Once interrupted, the child’s concentration is broken. The challenge to you is this, the next time your child is doing that puzzle, creating that work of art, making up words to a story, just watch. Observe…smile… and stay quiet.  This is the same courtesy we ask of our students, to wait until we finish our tasks!   Talk about their work later… “What did you enjoy doing today? I noticed you really concentrating on ….”Facilitate your child’s continued development of concentration by providing opportunities for practice with things she loves.  If your child likes water, let him scrub the deck furniture; the kitchen floor, table or chairs; the shower door and wash his own snack dishes!  If she likes to build, consider saving some cardboard boxes, egg cartons, fun tops or even let her create structures with the recycle bin.  When your child has selected his activity, and it is something he is passionate about the CONCENTRATION is amazing ! So what do you do when it is time to move on?  Can you interrupt?  Yes! Life does happen. Just be conscious that this is your child’s GREAT work.  Give him a five or ten minute warning, quietly in his ear.  When it is time to leave, allow a few minutes to determine if the work can stay for continued additions or needs to be cleaned up before departure.  Departures can be made far easier with some quick consideration beforehand: if they want to do a big building project, suggest sketching out ideas; if they want to use water, keep the volume low and in a small bucket.   If a large-scale project is planned, consider helping the child to plan it out in stages, so they will have a chance to fully engage in their work, seeing each stage through from beginning to end as they work toward the overall goal.  Click here for the Primary Newsletter April or  Primary Calendarfor the month.   Click here for the Toddler Newsletter April or april calendar toddler for this month