Why Church?

It was Founders Day at The Woods Academy on Friday, January 24.  The Lunchers joined the graders to celebrate 39 wonderful Woods years with a school Mass in the gym.  During Mass a Luncher asked, "Why do we do church?"

The short answer is that we "do" church every day all day: praising God, thanking him for our many blessings, praying for ourselves and others, asking for the help we need, and practicing kindness and caring.

We also gather as a community to celebrate our faith.  Attending Mass helps us grow stronger in our faith as we pray, sing hymns, and listen to lessons from the Bible to help us learn how to love God and one another.

In Montessori, we call this "filling a bucket."

"Bucket filling is like magic. When you fill a bucket by being kind and loving, your bucket fills up, too."

"Your bucket holds all the love and happiness that you receive each day."

Sometimes you fill a bucket concentrating to do your best work.

Sometimes you fill a bucket focusing to finish work you have chosen.

Sometimes you fill a bucket trying new work.

Sometimes you fill a bucket sharing creative ideas.

Sometimes you fill a bucket trying something hard--and finding out you can do it!

Sometimes you fill a bucket teaching and learning.

"Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever."  Psalms 145:2

In February, all three Montessori classes will be reading Fill a Bucket and Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud.  We will also be reading books about friendship as we celebrate Valentine's Day. When you are a friend--a bucket filler--you make the world a better place!

Update from Kenya:  Mrs. Zaiser sent the following note: Montessori- You sent enough backpacks to give every student in the Maasai school KEST sponsors a backpack!  There were 78 students in the school- pre-school, baby class, and pre-unit plus 20 in class one.  They have never seen something as magnificent as a backpack and cherished them.  Wait until you see the photos!  And the crayons and colored pencils put them over the top!

**Looks like we are already filling buckets across the world! Thanks again to all our Montessori families for encouraging our philanthropy. The children were delighted to see pictures of the Maasai children wearing backpacks we sent. Now we will be working closer to home to become more thoughtful and kind at home and at school.

New Year's Resolutions

January is the time of year to set goals!  As parents and teachers it might be a good idea to make some resolutions that will help our children grow up to be healthy, happy, and interesting people.

1. Provide choices. "Red hat or blue hat?" "Do you want to clean up the blocks or the Legos?"  Parents decide what is healthy and safe--bedtime, appropriate clothing, and food choices, etc.  Children make age-appropriate decisions (bath or brushing teeth first; oatmeal or Cheerios). Cooperation and adaptability need practice.

2. Give clear, specific, consistent directions. "Time to clean up. Put all the trucks in the shed."

3. Safety is first. There is no discussion about the use of car seats, bike/scooter helmets, crossing the street, brushing teeth, or bedtime. Talk about the importance of having a few family rules, You may want to write them down!

4. Promote independence whenever you can.  Allow children to dress themselves, put on their own coats, and get into their own car seats.  The motor planning practice is good for the brain.  And, the competence is a confidence booster!

5. Encourage helpers. All children enjoy helping when needed.  Chores teach responsibility--and don't feel like chores when they are shared. Change chores often--but teach expectations. The goal is to have more time together!

6. Alter the nature deficit. Play outside everyday--or take a walk at "child speed" to notice trees, seasonal changes, worms, and birds. Check out the stars on a clear, cold night.

7. Name and talk about feelings. Think about how others might feel. Empathy is caught AND taught!

8. Build resilience. Life is full of little "bumps" --with many ways to handle the disappointments and challenges. Mistakes are wonderful opportunities for learning. Model problem solving and optimism. Expect "better" not perfection.

9. Recognize effort. Compliments should be specific so we encourage what we want to see. "I noticed all the shapes you put in your painting." "I noticed the careful cutting you did." "I noticed how slowly you colored to stay in the lines on your continent map." "I liked the way you really practiced writing threes."

"The child has other powers than ours, and the creation he achieves is no small one; it is everything."
                                                                                                         Maria Montessori

Decomposers

What is a decomposer? The Lunchers spent Thursday morning investigating the role of decomposers in nature with Ms. Wolf, a naturalist with the Audubon Naturalist Society at Woodend. Our scientists found out that there are decomposers in the park, in the woods, on the playground, and in their own backyards!

 The Best Beetle is a decomposer.  It eats decaying wood--and can make little squeaks. It does not bite!

Centipedes and Millipedes are decomposers. They eat dead animals and leaf litter. Millipedes are slow. Centipedes can run fast--and they bite!

Sow bugs are decomposers, too. They are also called potato bugs or "Rolly Pollies" because they curl up in a little ball when they are scared.

     Worms are the most famous decomposers.  We found Red Wigglers in the compost bin!

                                                    They felt soft and damp!

The worms were hiding in the compost material--soil, newspaper, lettuce.

Found one!

Found another!!

Heads or tails? Sometimes we needed a magnifier.

Sometimes fingers work!

We found worms from one centimeter to eight centimeters. They were hard to measure because they were very wiggly!

Did you know worms move just like a Slinky?

Worms are invertebrates. They are decomposers, too. They break material down in the soil  to make it rich with nutrients.  That helps plants grow. 

Worms are interesting. Worms are helpful. 

Worms are wonderful!

They are nature's recyclers!