Tuesday, January 3, 2012

top 5

(montessori bead frame math materials)


the top 5 reasons i love going back to school after christmas break:

5.  getting back into a routine
4.  enjoying our warm school culture
3.  seeing dear friends who are also teachers (just seeing - too busy to visit)
2.  doing interesting work with the children
1.  the kids, the kids, the curious, learning, quiet, loud, tired, joyful however-they-are kids.

here is a fun quick lesson from today.  

i took a latex balloon and held it in my hand.  then i made a big show of effort to blow up the balloon.  next i held the half-blown balloon and told the children, "wow, that was hard.  i worked really hard blowing, and the balloon got bigger.  that's like learning.  the harder you work, the more your brain grows."  lastly, i let the air out of the balloon.  "if i don't do anything, will the balloon get bigger?  it's the same way at school.  you have to work at school, and then your brain will grow.  also your brain is unlimited - it will never pop, no matter how much you learn!"

very fun and joyful, and i love it because it emphasizes that they must take charge of their day at school, and challenge themselves.  


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14 comments:

  1. cathyJanuary 3, 2012 at 6:15 PM

    hey noreen! love that shot--those colors and the simple way they're hung are awesome. happy new year. hope Christmas was wonderful! xoxo

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  2. AnnJanuary 3, 2012 at 8:32 PM

    Love! Love! Love this! All three of my children are Montessori kids and all three are kind and compassionate learned! You sound like one of the great teachers! The world thanks you! And so you're saying if I read 52 books in 52 weeks my head will not explode? Ok, we will see! (and I read until I've only got one eye open!)

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  3. AnnJanuary 3, 2012 at 8:34 PM

    Learners! My iPhone corrected me!

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  4. Theresa / InspirationCOOPJanuary 3, 2012 at 10:29 PM

    I absolutely love this lesson and how you taught it. We have gotten pretty lucky with a traditional preschool for our 4 y/o, but Montesorri (and Waldorf) has always peaked my interest. In the end, my greatest hope is that my kids are 'kind and compassionate' as Ann mentions.

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  5. KateqJanuary 4, 2012 at 8:15 AM

    Great lesson ;) I love whatever is going on in that photo ! Is that in your classroom ? I want to come learn too :) !

    Enjoy + Happy 2012 to you

    Kate

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  6. LaurenJanuary 4, 2012 at 8:18 AM

    What a great gift you are to your students! Callum headed back today. He loves his school, but two worlds colliding is so, so hard. He's rather stay home and watch movies all day with me (his words), but I feel so good knowing that already he's in the thick of it, catching up with friends, settling into routines. School is good. For all of us.

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  7. rebecca @ Beck's Chic LifeJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:28 AM

    What a great encouraging lesson!

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    Yay, to routines. Love that photo of the montessori beads, a piece of art in itself. Enjoy Noreen.

    Margie

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  9. HeidiJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:44 AM

    I think this photo may help my 9 year old see that math can be beautiful. (She's really having a hard time with it right now, and would much rather be making pretty things). I'm inspired to find some ways to bring art and math together...

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2012 at 2:57 PM

    I so miss Montessori-I can see so much in my girls that is a result of the 3 1/2 years they spent in that environment. beautiful lesson to start the class Noreen.

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  11. Ada (new york)January 4, 2012 at 3:16 PM

    Great analogy with the balloons Noreen!

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  12. HeidiJanuary 4, 2012 at 5:00 PM

    Noreen, just showed Amia the beads. We are wondering what they are used for and how they are used. :)

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  13. noreenJanuary 4, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    heidi, tell amia there are lots of lessons from preschool through third grade with the beads. these are the bead chains, and they have the squares - if you put four sets of the four bead chains next to each other, they really do make a square. same with cubes. our students use the colored beads for lots of math work. in third grade, they lay out the whole multiplication table, and then put the squares where they go. a beautiful work. please tell her that math is really cool. the deeper you go into it, the more interesting it gets. also, if it's math facts that are slowing her down, tell her they're like vitamins - something she has to do to make math easier for her. good luck! email me if you need more information. lauren, it's hard for all the kids to come back. but he'll get into the groove. school is hard but fun, usually.

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  14. leah of sang the birdJanuary 8, 2012 at 2:05 AM

    a beautiful way for kids to learn! my son was at a steiner school till he was almost 11... you are such a special person, thank you for noticing i was absent. i am not ok at the moment, but i will be, eventually. love to you x

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