Recently, an art festival was held across the street from the girls’ preschool. They asked the school to have the students decorate the sidewalk ahead of time. Each child got a ‘square’ to fill in and then caption.
Brady: “That’s a rainbow and water and a flower”
Reese went for the minimalistic approach: “different letters, C J F and a leaf”
Here is Reese during the festival at her square listening to the band. Brady was very proud of her work.
Also, recently we attended the school’s open house. What a fun hour of interacting with the kids! It was our first time seeing Reese in action. I want to show you all the work the girls wanted to show us.
This first work is transferring objects with a tool. I think Reese enjoys work of this nature right now.
Look at the sense of pride in accomplishment!
Here are the girls working at the same table but on two different pieces of work. Brady is transferring beads from a bowl to the vase using tweezers! What a great way to develop fine motor skills. Reese is plucking the corn cob with tweezers….so fun!
At the beginning of the year, they ask the students to do a self portrait. Reese is first and Brady is second. Reese looks a lot Brady’s did last year.
On to language work, there are little bins filled with initial sounds and objects. Reese placed the objects by a letter (not necessarily the correct letter) but to her that is the purpose of the work so she feels accomplished. [sidenote: as I am writing this post Reese is next to me saying “t-t-t-t-t-table”]
Brady has another one of these bins and working hard to sort correctly.
Here is another neat thing the school has. The kids sound out letters while holding this to their ear, the sound is amplified thus sending it home more. Especially great for a shy kid like Reese.
Here, Gaylene, one of their teachers is making Reese a new sound book and then working on the sounds.
This is another thing I love about their school. Below is the scene after a child accidently spilled beads EVERYWHERE! The immediate response from the kids is to all ship in and help. The teachers don’t ask them to do it, they just all help out. In this picture there are six kids helping out (and I didn’t get them all). Can you spot Reese in the crowd?
Another thing that amazes me is all the sharp objects in the class used for learning, but my girls have never gotten injured before. Reese is hammering thumb tacks into cork. Brady is doing ‘poking work’. The children poke holes along a preprinted line to create perforations so that they can tear along the line…that takes some serious concentration.
I can’t brag about how awesome this preschool is enough. The teachers know what they are doing and the Montessorri philosphy blows my mind…
Love to watch my kids learn and grow!
