“The senses, being the explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”  -Maria Montessori Lower Elementary students made puppets representing their families. Lower Elementary students did a Hanukkah presentation in which everyone had a chance to ask questions and play with dreidels. Middle Elementary students worked on making family trees. They learned Spanish vocabulary to describe the family, including uncle (tio), cousin (primo), etc. Then they put each member of their family in chronological order on a family tree. To reinforce the verb vivir (to live), Middle Elementary students built a house made of sticks. The students learned about the Cultural Celebration “Las Posadas,” a Mexican tradition in which people go from house to house looking for a place to stay. Middle Elementary students did a small presentation in Spanish. Upper Elementary students drew family portraits and practiced descr

Early Childhood A students have been studying South America. They created God's Eyes, a traditional craft that the Aymara people make as symbols of protection. They believe that each end of the stick represents one of the four elements (land, water, air, and fire). By thinking about each element while weaving they believe that they gain protection from the elements. They typically hang these in children's rooms so the child will be protected. Early Childhood B students learned about the work of Georgia O'Keefe and created flower paintings inspired by her work using oil pastels and watercolor. In  Early Childhood  music with Kari connections are being made, lights are going on. Their confidence in their ability to solve musical puzzles and create melodies is skyrocketing. There is a musical community developing where they respect and help one another. This is foundational for ensemble work. From the beginning, the students have been working on a gr

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What a great few months we have had! TPRS is working!   Lower Elementary students have been learning about animals and their habitats. Students drew pictures of their favorite animals and wrote about what they eat and where they live.  L ower Elementary students prepared and helped serve the fruit (from Spanish vocabulary work) during a special class activity. We all said the Spanish version of "We are Thankful," “ Damos las gracias… ” and then ate our  ensalada de frutas together. The whole Upper School is learning about food. Each class has written illustrated stories about food.  Middle Elementary students compiled a list of many fruits and vegetables. Students tasted fruits and vegetables with their eyes closed and determined if they were dulce (sweet), agrio (sour), etc. We followed up the activity by writing stories about going to grocery stores and restaurants. Upper Elementary students wrote stories and created comics about go

We wanted to speak about a non academic but equally important component of our curriculum. Physical movement and learning success are correlated, which is why Montessori programs are so attentive to childhood motor development. At Abintra, students benefit from ample opportunities to practice these skills and even receive individualized lessons. Below is a description of our goals and developmental expectations for EC students.   At three years of age, children are very motivated to develop their gross motor skills, which help bring awareness to the body in space. They enjoy balancing, jumping, and climbing. Self-care skills such as dressing provide additional opportunities for them to refine these skills. At age 3, most children: Run smoothly, making sharp turns and avoiding obstacles Jump forward, backward, sideways, and over a short barrier without falling Stand on one foot for 5 seconds   Four-year-olds are comfortable with gross motor a