Dear Kapok Families,
The Kapok class has recently welcomed two new students, Venice and Dean. It’s a treasured moment to see the Kapok community welcome new friends with kindness and respect. They take the responsibility with pride.
A few of us, myself included, have been in and out with bouts of sickness. Please take care to monitor your child’s health. We are all still learning to wash our hands after we touch our mouth and nose and how to properly blow our noses and cough into our elbows. It’s always best to stay home and rest if you suspect your child isn’t feeling well. It’s important to practice these skills at home too. Coughing into our elbow and washing our hands after we blow our nose prevents our germs from spreading from our hands to the materials we touch.
Starting this month we will begin our unit study on the continent of Asia in preparation for the Cultural Immersion Art Show in May. A unit study in the montessori classroom is integrated throughout the entire curriculum.
In Practical Life you might find clothing from an Asian country for the children to try on or transferring materials using chopsticks or an Asian soup spoon.
In Sensorial, the children will touch different fabrics from Asian countries, smell Asian spices, or grade Russian nesting dolls from largest to smallest.
In Math, the children will learn how to write numerals in Chinese and Arabic or learn about the different currencies in different countries.
In Science we will see different biomes of the Asian continent and the different flora and fauna one might find within each biome.
In Language we will learn different vocabulary relevant to Asian cultures. For example, what is a sari, a kimono or a non la? We will learn what some of the Chinese symbols mean and how one symbol can mean a whole word! We’ll discuss how many Asian cultures read from right to left instead of left to right.
In Geography, we will study the map of Asia and the various regions and countries within. We will learn the flags of the different Asian countries and the surrounding oceans and seas. At circle we will try different Asian foods and learn some Asian songs.
These cultural experiences are one of the many gifts of having a Montessori education. It offers an opportunity for your child to “travel the world” from within their classroom. Using movement, their senses, and intellect, children explore the geography and cultures of this amazing planet. As Montessori educators, we want to equip our children with a wealth of knowledge that enables them to understand and delight in both the wondrous world around them and their personal identity within.
When Maria Montessori returned to Europe from India after World War II, she was asked her nationality. She replied, “I live in Heaven, my country is a star which turns around the Sun and is called the Earth.” Maria Montessori passionately believed that, “we are a single organism, one nation…” and that “contemporary man has citizenship in the great nation of humanity.” (Education and Peace).
If your family happens to have any clothing, art, photographs, or artifacts from an Asian country, we would absolutely LOVE to present them at circle. If your family originates from an Asian country and you would like to come talk to the children, we would LOVE to have you!
And please visit the following two links for items we’d love to add to our classroom:
“Amazon Wish List”
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2U81RH9QGU4SL?ref_=wl_share
“Second Hand Donation List”
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k_wsoB6O7hJ58RvDGobOvhLTzlHqwwsJMuDnMrMqk1E/edit?usp=sharing
Peace + Plants,
Ms. Casey
