146 Times Around the Sun: Happy Birthday, Dr. Maria Montessori!

146 times around the sun; Happiest of Birthdays, Dr. Maria Montessori!

Today is a day we celebrate the life and legacy of the most important, influential developer of the Montessori pedagogy.

Our Primary community celebrated by participating in a traditional Celebration of Life for Dr. Montessori.A few friends were chosen to walk the earth around the sun, signifying the years of her life. Naturally, we didn’t make it around the sun 146 times, however we did talk about significant milestones in her life after each lap.

Students were asked “What do you like most about Montessori?” One child said they thought she had good ideas about children. Another reflected on how she worked in a hospital. We learned lots of interesting facts today!Following tradition, we baked muffins for the occasion, and shared them as a class.

Happy Birthday Dr. Montessori!

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Biography

A physician, scientist, educator, innovator, child rights advocate…

Dr. Maria Montessori spent a lifetime developing an educational method focusing on the way that children learn. This method is still widely known and practiced today.

Dr. Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. She later graduated from the University of Rome in 1896, becoming the first female doctor in Italy. She chose to focus on pediatrics and psychiatry as her specialties.

Maria Montessori became the director for the Orthophrenic School for developmentally disabled children in 1900. It was there that she began her research on early childhood development.

The first Montessori home was developed in 1907, called Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House). This is where Montessori first practiced her pedagogy, preparing each classroom environment to promote creative learning and exploration. Her methods soon became internationally recognized.

Around 1940, the Montessori movement began to fade, and Maria was forced out of Italy. She fled to India, where she developed a program called Education for Peace, which earned her two Nobel Peace Prize nominations.

In the years following, Maria Montessori continued to advance her approaches to education. She lectured all over the world, documenting her theories in books and articles. She developed a program to prepare teachers in the Montessori method; through her efforts, her pedagogy was adopted worldwide.

Happy 145th Birthday, Dr. Maria Montessori

Happy 145th Birthday, Dr. Maria Montessori!

Today, we celebrated our dear Maria Montessori’s birthday by having a special Celebration of Life in her honor. We heard stories about the things she had done in her life, and saw pictures of her childhood. This is a very special day for our community, as we honor the woman who brought light to the Montessori pedagogy, and established the principals that our very school is based upon.

“Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870.” – Ms. Patti shows us a special book with pictures and descriptions of Maria Montessori’s life.

We walked the earth around the sun symbolizing the years of her life that had gone by, just as the earth goes around the sun in a year-long rotation. We talked about the many important things Maria had done in her life, including her family history, her schooling and education, and the educational programs that she developed due to years of observation and scientific study.

Happiest of birthdays, to the woman who made all of this possible!

Scientific observation has established that education is not what the teacher gives; education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. The task of the teacher becomes that of preparing a series of motives of cultural activity, spread over a specially prepared environment, and then refraining from obtrusive interference. Human teachers can only help the great work that is being done, as servants help the master. Doing so, they will be witnesses to the unfolding of the human soul and to the rising of a New Man who will not be a victim of events, but will have the clarity of vision to direct and shape the future of human society.

– Maria Montessori, Education for a New World

Click HERE to read about the life and work of Dr. Maria Montessori
(article credit, michaelolaf.net)

Splash Day Fun!

A few moments captured from last Friday’s Splash Day. Obviously, we had a blast!

(Parent Reminder: Our next Splash Day is scheduled for Friday, July 31!)

 

National Safety Month: 5 Summer Safety Tips

June is now known as “National Safety Month“. What better time to practice and recognize different ways to keep safe than during the summer? With the frequent outdoor visits, high temps, easy access to swimming pools/water, it’s very important to know how to be safe at all times, and what to do in an emergency situation. Here are some very helpful parent tips to keep your family safe this summer:

1)  Never leave your child alone in a hot car, even if just for a few minutes

It can happen to the best of parents. We get busy and forget our sleeping little ones are just behind us, nestled comfortably in their car seat. The thought is enough to keep you up at night. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, the temperature inside an average car or truck can increase 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. A child’s body can heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s, causing heatstroke, brain damage and even death. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. That’s why it’s so important to never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. There are so many tips to help you not forget your child in the car. You can place all of your belongings (purse, briefcase, phone) beside your child’s seat so that you’re forced to check the back seat. A stuffed animal placed in their car seat when they’re not in it can be removed and placed on your lap while driving with baby-in-tow. A large object like that can serve as a reminder that there’s someone in the backseat.
https://www.kidcentraltn.com/article/look-before-you-lock-don-t-leave-kids-alone-in-hot-cars-1
http://www.safekids.org/tip/car-seat-tips

2)  Wear sunscreen every time you go outside, and apply multiple times!

You don’t need to hide from the sun completely or wrap up like a mummy to protect yourself. But you should take these two steps:

1. Always wear sunscreen.
2. Take frequent breaks from the sun by going indoors or moving into the shade.

These steps are especially important between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon, when the sun’s rays are strongest. Use a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 or higher. Put on sunscreen 15 to 20 minutes before going out in the sun. The letters SPF stand for sun protection factor, and the number rating tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned. But this isn’t always true, so reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, just to be safe. Do this more often if you’ve been swimming or sweating a lot — even if the sunscreen is waterproof. And remember that you can get sunburned more quickly when you’re swimming or boating because the reflection from the water intensifies the sun’s rays.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/summer_safety.html?tracking=83954_H

3)  Keep your car locked and your keys out of reach from your children

Children copy what they see. Perfect example, my two year old son will take my keys and go around the house trying to unlock all of the door knobs, even if they don’t have a key hole. This can actually be quite dangerous if the child has access to your car on a hot day. If unsupervised, they can unlock the car very easily and hop inside. However, they may not be able to get out as easily. Be sure to always lock your car, even if it’s parked in your garage, and place your keys in an area away from your child’s reach.

4)  Keeping Fit & Having Fun

Incorporate a water sprinkler, pool or child-safe water table during outdoor playtime. A water sprinkler creates a fun source of exercise for your little ones, allowing them to stretch their limbs and run around, while staying cool at the same time. Using a water table also allows the child to explore different water toys, learning to discriminate against what does and does not float, or transfering water; a great work in concentration and hand-eye coordination.

5) Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons are extremely essential in teaching your child how to swim properly, or to prevent drowning. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend beginning formal swimming lessons until kids are at least 4 years old because that is the age that children are thought to be ‘developmentally ready’ for swim lessons. However, it certainly would not hurt to introduce your child to the water at whatever age you are most comfortable with! Personally, the earlier they dip their toes in the water, the better as this will help them become better acclimated to the guidelines of a swimming pool at an earlier age. Make sure they are wearing age-appropriate safety equipment. Proper adult supervision should be present at all times, of course.
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/weeklyquestion/a/swim_lessons.htm

Most importantly, remember to hydrate, wear sunscreen and maintain appropriate clothing coverage while spending time outdoors this summer. Remember to have fun and stay safe!