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Poplar

Poplar Room is a Children’s House classroom on the Toledo Campus. Sarah Knox and Amy Wagner are the classroom’s co-teachers.

 

During the week of Monday, Feb. 2 – Friday, Feb. 6, Toledo Children’s House is inviting their parents to join them in their “work” for a day from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

A limited number of spaces are available each day during the week for you to join your child(ren) in exploring the classroom and to share the important work they do each day at West Side Montessori.

Starting next week, visit your classroom blog at montessoritoledo.org and use the SIGN UP HERE options at the top to reserve your space today!

If you have questions please contact Kathy Heckert at (419) 866-1931 or kheckert@wsmctoledo.org.

This week we studied Reptiles.  The children learned that reptiles are animals that are cold-blooded. Most reptiles lay eggs and their skin is covered with hard, dry scales.  We passed around the Montessori rough and smooth boards so the children could feel how some reptiles feel.  “Gecky the Awesome” – our class pet was a good example of a rough reptile.  Each child chose to pet Gecky at circle.  Here is a picture of kindergartners choosing Gecky as a work to examine him further.

Work on the shelf for reptiles included; naming different reptiles, matching snakes and lizards, matching close up pictures to the actual animal, parts of a turtle, pictures on how to draw a snake, gecko, tortoise, and lizard, pin pushing different reptiles, and of course Gecky – our VERY own reptile.  In the afternoon, Leo Lionni’s A Color of His Own was read aloud to the children.  It is a cute story about a chameleon who wishes to be a color of his own instead of changing color all of the time.  The children drew a picture of a chameleon similar to the chameleon in the story, traced their drawing in black marker, and then painted it using water colors.  Here is a picture of some kindergartners enjoying this work…

We look forward to next week when we will be discussing AMPHIBIANS…

 

 

Our most recent continent exploration was the beautiful continent of Asia.  The introduction to Asia included locating Asia on the continent globe, information about the continent, terrain, climate, people, and customs.  As part of this study, we took a closer look at three countries within Asia: Japan, India and China.

A few highlights from our study of Japan included learning the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1,000 paper cranes (this story can be found here: http://www.peacecraft.cc/story_of_sadako.html).  The children learned to count to 10 in Japanese and some even made number books, integrating the Montessori bead bars as a reference.  We talked about Zen Gardens and creating peace and inner-calmness.  The children enjoyed using our miniature Zen Garden as an extension of this lesson:

After Japan we ventured into India and had a blast exploring the sense of smell with work choices centered around Indian spices.  These works included painting with spices, smelling jars, and using a mortar and pestle:

We learned a game played by children in India, “Tiger in the Village,” in which the teacher would call out a number and children had to get into groups corresponding to the number in order to “hide” from the tiger.  We also talked about how traditional clothing is different from Western clothing and explored the art of henna.  Children were even able to create their own henna designs as a work choice:

In addition, the children were able to explore some artifacts from India, including a teapot.  A kindergartener noticed that it looked old and worn and suggested turning this into a polishing work:

We finished off our Asia study with China.  This may have been the highlight of our Asia unit (ask the children) because it included food and beverages from China!  A parent graciously volunteered to bring in lettuce wraps for the class to have for snack and it was a huge hit!  We learned about the Chinese New Year celebration and ended the week with our own celebration.  We read stories about Chinese New Year, had a tea ceremony with Chinese tea, and played Chinese drums while listening to drum music.

 

Dear Families,

Today, Friday, January 16, is my last day at West Side before my medical leave. I will have surgery on January 21 and I will be out for 8 weeks. I told the children that I will be going to the hospital for an operation and then I will be home healing for some time. I also reassured them that I will come back when I am all better. “Have you ever gotten hurt or had to go to the hospital for stitches or a broken bone and it took a long time, but you healed?” I asked. The children shared stories of many boo-boos. As for mine, I should be back March 16. I can’t wait to get this cancer out of me!

Josh Keller will be filling in for me during my absence. Josh holds a B.A. in Church Music from Valley Forge. He is kind, patient, and excited to be joining West Side. I will miss you and your amazing children while I am away.

Keep singing,

Risa

Dear Kindergarten Families,

At the end of every school year, the kindergarten students of West Side perform in a concert called “Spring Sing.” Kindergarten students from both the Toledo and Perrysburg campuses participate. There is a different theme for Spring Sing each year. This year our theme is “Building a Better World.” Please mark your calendars with the following date:

“Spring Sing: Building a Better World” will be performed at the Recital Hall at the University of Toledo on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. All kindergartners should arrive by 6:10 p.m.

I wish you all peaceful holidays filled with light, love, and music.

Keep singing,
Risa

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