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Upper Elementary - Cosmic Education and the Second Plane
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....
shannon7481
2 hours ago1 min read
Adventures in Lower Elementary: Poet’s Café ☕📚✨
April is National Poetry Month, and each year this brings an invitation to honor language, imagination, rhythm, and the poets whose words help us see the world in new ways. In Lower Elementary, we mark this special month with one of our favorite annual traditions: Poet’s Café. Poetry is often one of the earliest ways children fall in love with language. Long before many children read chapter books, they delight in nursery rhymes, songs, riddles, and playful verse. Poetry invi
Katie Egan
22 hours ago2 min read
7th Grade Goes to Washington D.C.!
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
emily29939
24 hours ago2 min read
Adventures in Lower Elementary: Learning Sustainability in Action
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
Katie Egan
7 days ago1 min read
Earth Day and lots of porch lessons!
We celebrated Earth Day by reciting a Pledge to the Earth and placing our hands on our beautiful trees to say a poem of appreciation to them. Here was our poem: Thank you tree for branches strong For shade that cools me and makes the day not as long. Thank you for oxygen to help me breathe. Thank you, tree! You mean so much to me! Then we admired the height of our amazing trees. We opened several new lessons on the porch: Window washing Land and Water Forms: Lake and Islan
jenniferstallings0
7 days ago1 min read
Discovery Starts Early: Introducing Montessori Mornings at DGS
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
Derek Henig
Apr 212 min read
Rancho Gordo!
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
emily29939
Apr 162 min read
A Day at Fisher Farms
Starting our day with a circle in the shade. We spent the day with Ms. Kathleen at Fisher Farms. We explored the beautiful meadows and forests and saw the creek. Ms. Kathleen named many of the plant life we found. We also found lots of milkweed for Monarch butterflies. Fortunately, several Monarchs were visiting the park today! The milkweed plant is a host to the Monarch; they lay their eggs on the leaves, and the hungry caterpillars love to eat and eat and eat the milkw
jenniferstallings0
Apr 162 min read
Upper Elementary - Literature Connections
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
shannon7481
Apr 154 min read
Who Goes There? (Mr. D)
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.
Derek Henig
Mar 273 min read
Tales from the Loft - World Affairs Council
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
Patricia Hatch
Mar 261 min read
Reading Nature's Signs 🐾
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
emily29939
Mar 22 min read
Exploring North America with a Canadian Tradition
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
jenniferstallings0
Feb 111 min read
Upper Elementary - Social Structures
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
shannon7481
Feb 62 min read
Adventures in Lower Elementary: Snow, Sentences, and the Practice of Peace
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
Katie Egan
Feb 43 min read
Adventures in Lower Elementary: Pajamas, Parachutes, and Marshmallow Constellations
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
Katie Egan
Feb 41 min read
Adventures in Lower Elementary: Cosmic Questions, Classroom Bonds, and Big Ideas
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
Katie Egan
Feb 41 min read
Upper Elementary - Scientific Synergy and Rube Goldberg Machines
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
shannon7481
Jan 301 min read
Tales From the Loft - Avoiding Single Stories
Dear Readers, With the start of the new year, it was also time to start a new history unit, and as preparation, we had a discussion on single stories. Single stories are the stories our culture supports - our stereotypes, media exposure, and surface assumptions we all tend to make without even realizing we've done such a thing. While single stories are often infused with a thread of truth, they do not tell a complete story, and unfortunately they often leave out the humanity
Patricia Hatch
Jan 272 min read
Fort Building! 🌲
We’ve been up to something extra fun down in the woods lately... FORT BUILDING! A few weeks ago, students began designing and building their own woodland forts. Winter is actually the perfect season for this kind of project. There are plenty of fallen branches to use, fewer leaves on the trees, and less wildlife to disturb. It also means no surprise snakes hiding under logs. Students have absolutely loved this project. Fort building naturally invites collaboration, and the ki
emily29939
Jan 212 min read
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