Earlier this week, Lower Elementary went on their first overnight adventure of the year! We left school and headed up into some of the oldest mountains in the world, arriving at Camp Rockmont to a beautiful fall day. There is just something so special about the cool mountain air and this sweet landscape! We spent our afternoon picnicking, rock climbing, journaling, creating art, and simply delighting in nature. We were even fortunate enough to have a sweet snake friend visit

Over the last couple of weeks, Upper Elementary has been exploring ecosystems! We defined an ecosystem as a community where living and non-living things interact and depend on one another to survive. An ecosystem is a lot like a team...all of the pieces and players have an important role to play. If one piece is missing, it can affect the rest of the system. We used the fraction materials from the classroom to help us visualize all of the different pieces that make up an ecos

Our classroom has been the best kind of busy for the past couple of weeks! Our Lower Elementary students are settling deeply into their individual academic paths, and it has been exciting to watch their confidence, independence, and stamina grow as our work cycles take shape. An impressive number of children have already completed their first research project of the year! One of the joys of Montessori research is that children's curiosity helps lead the way, so we've all lear

Introducing the division of our globe into two hemispheres. In September, we are covering Senses, Land, Air, and Water; the Map of the World; Living and Non-Living; Apples; and Emotions. In Practical Life, we are sweeping, polishing, and arranging silk flowers. In Art, we have been cutting, rubbing, and pasting. Our Peace Shelf has several items to help us calm ourselves, including a sand timer to watch and a book about peace where we can practice our sign language. Sensor

I’d love to take a moment (or several!) to share some of the ideas I’ve been getting to more deeply explore through my class, and through my subsequent reflections. Many of you have asked how it’s going and I hope I can share bits of this journey with you. Because, for me, I think the best way to grow our understanding in anything, is to try and teach it. And so, I'll try... . . . For starters, I’ve been thinking about the Montessori philosophies in general. Just like an

We are entering one of my favorite times of the year… fall at the Farmers Market! I love a fall morning at the market. The crisp air, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and baked goods, and wandering around to find all the amazing homegrown produce that will fill my kitchen for the next week. There’s just something about it. I also love that I get to share that experience with our students! Over the last two weeks, students from every class have been involved in some way, shape