The young child has a great need to connect with nature. This is especially apparent by the obvious joy he expresses and the calm demeanor he displays whenever he is involved in outdoor activities that allow him to engage all his senses. A simple walk in the party, listening to birds sing, admiring a passing cloud in the sky, collecting treasures under rocks or by the seashore, spying a tiny creature crawling among the leaves, or picking a colorful posy for someone dear — all of these seem to call forth a sense of peacefulness in the child, which appears to be unique only to this experience in nature.
It is because of this profound love the child has for nature that the Montessori curriculum incorporates numerous lessons, both indoors and outdoors, to encourage spontaneous activity and repeated engagement by the child. Such lessons involving the study of plants, animals, weather and the seasons are especially popular with the children. The seasons are especially popular with the children and always seem to elicit various questions related to their natural sense of wonder and true love of the natural world.
“When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.” — Dr. Maria Montessori
Classroom Happenings
A lot of rain recently kept us from enjoying our outdoor deck for a couple of days this month, but it did not keep up from continuing our nature studies indoors and using our creative energies for pin-punching of animals, trees, leaves and flowers. Two of our favorite works are the botany cabinet and the vertebrate puzzles. The children love to manipulate the puzzles, color the pictures of the animals and plants, or match pictures to small animal objects. All of these lessons are linked not only to their interest in nature, but also to their natural interest in discovering likenesses and differences in all things connected to nature!
Calendar of Events
Feb. 18-March 3: After-school parent-teacher conferences
March 5: Parent-Teacher Conference Day/No school
March 8-12: Spring Break
