Upper Elementary recently participated in Junior Achievement Biztown. Biztown is an interactive simulation of an actual town, thriving with businesses and its own government. Students spent several weeks working through in-class lessons. Topics included financial literacy, community and economy, work and career readiness, and business management. Students worked in groups as they prepared to run two of the businesses at the simulation. As in real life, things did not go as

Lower Elementary recently went on their overnight adventure trip to Lake Logan! This second trip of the year is always so incredible. Many of the 2nd and 3rd graders look forward to returning to this magical space, while the 1st graders are eager to experience it for the first time. The trip started off with a stop in Montreat at an amazing creekside playground. We had a picnic lunch together, and then students got to run around and explore everything the playground had to of

In Upper Elementary, we have continued our exploration of the coming of the universe, how all living things have come to be and their interconnectedness. We have read stories, examined timelines, researched, created art, experimented and created literary connections to Montessori’s Great Lessons. Please take the time to read about Cosmic Education in Montessori and the Second Plane of Development in this article from American Montessori Society’s Montessori Life....

Last week, our 7th grade students set off on their Extended Learning Field Trip (ELFT) to Washington, D.C.! This four-day adventure was filled with travel, sightseeing, meaningful learning experiences, and opportunities to build community in unforgettable ways. This journey actually began last year, when these students were in 6th grade and planned their ELFT to Raleigh. During that trip, they discovered the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, a space full of art sculptures an

Happy Earth Day from Lower Elementary! 🌎💚 Today feels like the perfect time to reflect on our wonderful field trip last Friday to the Whitewater Center, where we spent the day learning, exploring, and celebrating the natural world together. One of the highlights of the day was time spent in the forest playground, where the children climbed, created, collaborated, and enjoyed the simple joy of being outdoors with one another. Watching children play freely in nature is always

At Davidson Green School, we believe that education is a natural process that begins long before a child ever puts pencil to paper, or calculates a sum. It starts with the tiny hands that reach out to touch a textured fabric, the curious eyes that track a butterfly in the woods, and the blossoming confidence of a child realizing, "I can do it myself." This summer, we are thrilled to open our doors to our youngest neighbors and their families for our new program: Montessori Mo

A couple of weeks ago, Ms. Patricia and I took our 8th grade students to a Lunch-and-Learn series at Davidson College. We had the privilege of meeting and learning from the founder and CEO of Rancho Gordo, Steve Sando. Steve was a delight to listen to. He shared how he got into agriculture simply by wanting fresh tomatoes and how that passion grew into supporting local farmers across Central California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and Mexico, helping bring back native hei

In Upper Elementary, we always enjoy reading great stories and learning about our world through literature. We have gone on many journeys this year through these stories. We have laughed and cried along with the characters, learned about different cultures and time periods throughout history all while making connections to the present. Here’s what we’ve been up to…. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Connections: We read this story as a literature circle with discussio

A couple of months ago, I had a phone conversation with a prospective parent. On the call, I answered many questions about our school from curriculum, to conflict resolution, to volunteering. This family would be moving from out of state and so they wanted to get as much information about us as possible before booking flights to come visit us. It was a great conversation and then she asked me one final question: “who are the families that go there?” Who are they?— I thought.

Hello Readers, Just dropping in to share a wonderful event our two of our eighth graders attended in early March. As part of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte's educational initiative, regional schools may participate in their luncheon series, and DGS had the privilege of hearing Kurk Wilks, President and Chief Executive Officer of MANN+HUMMEL. His talk left all of us with much for reflection. Here are a few take aways from Lily and Olivia, who attended the luncheon. Lil

A few years ago, I was gifted the book The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs . It’s a truly beautiful book, and for that reason it ended up living on my coffee table, where I could admire it often. Believe me, I had every intention of picking it up and getting lost in the stories and illustrations, but somehow I never did… until recently. Over winter break, when life slowed down just enough, I finally opened it. I’m so glad I did. It reminded me of a connection that is alway

Tristan's family came in on one of the coldest days of the year to help us all experience a Canadian tradition. They showed us how to roll maple syrup onto popsicle sticks for a delicious treat. The thick syrup cooled just enough to roll onto our sticks. We were able to lick and bite our tasty treat. The weather cooperated, and we could have rolled the syrup on our snow as well. Winter treat on a winter's day. Thank you to the Tang Family. How to roll Maple syrup onto a

Lunar New Year is coming up on February 17th and we will celebrate this spring festival with traditional lucky foods next week. While the Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world, we focused our learning on ancient China. This brought our attention to social hierarchies. As might be expected in ancient China, the emperor and royal family were the top of the heap, with wealth and power. However, just below these dynasties were the civil servants, respected because the

January did not go exactly as planned (and somehow, it may have been even better because of that). Between snow days, MLK day, and conferences, we missed nearly two full weeks of school… and yet the children accomplished a stunning amount of work. Their resilience, focus, and exuberance reminded me that learning doesn’t stop when the calendar shifts, it just adapts. One of the highlights of the month was the birth of our own spontaneously-created Lower Elementary Writers’ Wor

If you ever want to understand the true spirit of childhood, spend the last day before winter break in Lower Elementary. The children arrived excitedly reminding me of the rules of the day: pajamas, stuffed animals, and, most importantly, no assigned work whatsoever . Challenge accepted. What unfolded was a masterclass in child-led creativity, engineering, and play: Students built a zoo from recycled materials Watched a space documentary and constructed constellations with ma

What an incredible whirlwind the past couple of months have been in lower elementary. As promised, here’s some photos and behind the scenes notes on what we have been up to! As I joined the class during Intercession, the children welcomed me with openness, confidence, and generosity. They didn’t just show me their work - they taught me how the classroom, and DGS in general, functions. Their collaboration, compassion, and curiosity confirmed what every Montessori teacher dream

The theme for our annual Problem-Solved Expo in UE is Rube Goldberg Machines. According to Zach's Contraptions, a Rube Goldberg Machine "takes a simple task and uses as many steps as possible to complicate things using everyday objects in a humorous way". Prior to this week, the kids have explored the concepts of energy and simple machines. They have practiced identifying where energy transfers occur and created blueprints for their very own Rube Goldberg Machines. This i