Teacher Appreciation Week

"Whoever touches the life of the child touches the most sensitive point of a whole which has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future." M. Montessori

PNMA Spring Sharing Fair - Seattle 2012

On Saturday the 28th, the staff at UMA attended the annual PNMA Sharing Fair, which was held at the lovely Bellevue Montesori School - Bellevue, Washington. So many creative ideas were shared by many of the Montessori teachers and interns residing in the area. In the upcoming week, we will be sharing many of these inspiring ideas with you...so come back to visit!

Laveeta Sweeney, UMA Staff (visiting from Washington DC), at the interior entrance of BMS:

Just a few of the vendors & workshop presenters we met:

Marshall Balick and his wife Megan Jepson are the owners of Montessori 123. Their materials are stunningly beautiful (their new website to be up in a few weeks). Stay tuned for information about a discount opportunity for UMA students and UMA members in upcoming blog:

Montessorian, Marnie Stromseth's workshop on "Movement and Cognitiive Development" as she shared how fundamental locomotor skills can be encouraged in the classroom and on the playground... here she demonstraties child-sized stilts: 

Brad Meyer (bmeyer62@hotmail.com) held a fun and informative workshop entitled "Hammers and Nails"...demonstrating tools, techniques, and safety for constructing simple woodworking projects, using a heavy-duty workbench designed for children:

Rowbes, the Puppeteer...True, these are fantasy characters, but he and his "pals" definitely made us giggle:

Montessori Quote

 “Children are human beings to whom respect is due; superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.”

M. Montessori

Math - Rock Dominoes

What a fun craft project to make for your Math area. This looks so inviting...makes you want to play! Click on image and you will be directed to the website for more information...thank you Martha Stewart. :-)

Earth Day Celebration - Tip # 5

What does it mean to be green?

This simple eco picture book helps children ages 4-8 and their parents start the conversation about how we can protect the earth's precious resources.

REMEMBER:

• Respect and Responsibility begin at home!
• Parents, YOU set the example. Your children are watching and imitating you...PLEASE, make conservation a daily habit. 

Click for video:     

Earth Day Celebration - Tip #4

Check out the Environmental Protection Agency current website. It is packed with GREAT ideas for Earth Day activities - and all year long! Also you can download an "Endangered Species Coloring Book" on their website. The illustrations are beautiful. Click on the picture to access the direct link.

 

Don't miss this:

 

You can order a free bound copy of the "Endangered Species Coloring Book" by contacting: National Service Center for Environmental Publications

Phone Number: (800)490-9198 
Fax Number: (301)604-3408 

Title: Endangered Species: Save Our Species (Coloring Book)
EPA Order Number: EPA-735K08001

Earth Day Celebration - Tip #3

Implement a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle theme...ongoing, year round. Here are two worksheets which your child(ren) can trace the dotted letters with a marker or colored pencil. Click the right sidebar under "Free Downloads" for a full-sized version of this for your classroom or home.  

Earth Day Celebration - Tip #2

Here's a "We Love the Earth" Bulletin Board Idea:

From A Cupcake for the Teacher.

Earth Day Celebration - Tip #1

Vegetable Gardens at Whole Earth Montessori in Bothell, WAEarth Day became an official "world celebration" back in 1970 in response to serious concerns about environmental degradation. As a result, primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities globally schedule acitivites to promote environmental awareness. 

Teachers: What will you be doing with your class to promote environmental responsibility... now, on Earth Day, and in the future?

Parents: What evironmental activities will you be incorporating into your every day lives with your children?

TIP #1:

Here are some creative "Going Green" activities for school or family celebrations, suggested by apples4theteacher:

1. Make your decorations. Use construction paper to make shapes, confetti and streamers. Store the decorations for future uses.
2. Shred regular paper to make stuffing for gift baskets and bags. Instead of filling an Easter basket with plastic grass, use green construction paper. In Christmas gifts, instead of tissue paper, use shredded paper and recycle it.
3. Buy from countries that sell eco-friendly products. There are many countries that participate in fair trade. They create ornaments and gifts created from natural products. The price is cheaper and you would be helping a craftsman in need as well as the Earth.
4. Decorate gift boxes instead of using wrapping paper. Kids can use crayons and markers to beautify their gifts. The wrapping paper just gets thrown away anyway. If you don’t have any drawing skills, wrap presents in colored butcher’s paper. It can be recycled when you are finished with it.
5. Give a gift that keeps on giving. Some folks opt to make a donation in the name of another to a favored charity. If you know the favorite charity of the person receiving the gift, choose that one. Another gift idea is to have a star named after someone.
6. Rent tables, chairs and meal utensils for big parties. You might not have enough silverware or plates for fifty people, but renting them is a better choice than going with disposable ware. You decrease your waste and everyone still has a good time.
7. Give people reusable containers for leftovers. These containers are cheap to buy and each guest can continue to use them in their own home. It’s better than using two disposable plates.
8. Go potluck. Each person brings a dish and they also take their dish back home. You have less to clean up and wash after the celebration.
9. Give eco-friendly party favors. Instead of birthday hats, give kids a wooden toy they can play with over and over. If you do the party hat thing, use real hats instead of paper ones. You can even make it a fun part of the party and let them bring their own crazy hat. Kids and adults alike will have fun with all the different headwear people can come up with.

Easter - A different Twist

Let's face it, Easter is a time when emphasis is placed on the Easter bunny, plastic eggs and baskets, lots of sweet treats, fluffy toy lambs, wind-up bunnies and battery-operated peeping chicks. We would like to offer just a few simple ideas for your next year's celebration, based on some Montessori ideas we (the Shepard's) incorporated into our own family traditions this Easter.

The dilemma and solution:

• It's Easter...what does it really mean? Make a miniature "resurrection garden" which the children can touch and retell the story, visually and tactiley. Just set it out and let the story unfold through the eyes of the child.

 

• All those plastics! What are we teaching our children about the environment? Resuse (or make) a cloth bag in lieu of an "Easter basket" and hide real eggs (colored naturally).

 

• How do we create an atmosphere of sharing and cooperation, and not competition? Provide one bag to two or more children (mixed ages). Assign a certain number of eggs to find (12). When all done, count them all out together as a family, and then discover the fun (hands-on) "surprises" at the bottom of the bag. 

Making bubbles:

 

Testing out the "Woopee Cushion":

 

Even baby enjoyed the outdoor festivities!

• And how do you avoid those sugary treats? Easy...don't serve them! We chose to provide veggie snacks, curried ginger-carrot soup as the main brunch entree, home-baked rolls, green salad, and fresh fruit for dessert. All organic and all "kid" approved...everything was gobbled up! (Follow Trudy Coumou Shepard on PINTEREST and get some great ideas for creative and healthy food ideas)

Whatever your faith tradition, may you have many happy, healthy, cherished times with family!

~ A Happy Passover to our Jewish friends ~