T.P.R.S. - Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling Lower Elementary, Middle Elementary, and Upper Elementary work with activities that involve food from around the world.  Preparing, serving, and asking for food in Spanish is fun! We made ensalada de frutas - fruit salad. A great start to Spanish class is a “Mingling Warm-Up". Lower Elementary students begin to speak naturally to find out more about each other. When I call, “Cambien de compañeros,” (change partners), the students change. This warm-up lasts 5 minutes. Lower Elementary performed a play about a family of mice who is looking for food. Lower Elementary had a great time learning how to dance by watching dancers from the Global Education Center perform dances from around the world. During our Lower Elementary Parent Education Night we had a great time learning first hand how we use TPRS.  It was fun! Middle Elementar...

As Lower Elementary students are learning about the Coming of Humans to Earth and the Fundamental Human Needs (food, clothing, transportation, shelter, religion, and defense), they received a lesson from a guest on crocheting. The students learned about the uses for crocheting: clothing, gifts, re-sale, and donations for needy people. The students had fun listening to the guest speaker, Dan Trimmer, give the lesson and discuss how he started crocheting because of his need for a winter hat while skiing. As each student had their own individual ball of yarn and a crochet hook, the students learned about the importance of care and responsibility for materials, as well as how to utilize their fine motor skills in a creative way. The students  will have the opportunity to work on their crocheting each day while listening to the read-aloud Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We have already begun to see the benefits of crocheting in the LE classroom as students practice key habits suc...

Now that we have described solitary, parallel, associative, and cooperative play, let's look more closely at some of the reasons why children may have preferences for one style of play over another. Just like adults, children have innate tendencies that influence their thoughts and feelings about social activities. At Abintra, we respect these inclinations while encouraging children to develop the social competencies that will enable them to be active community members. This often requires individualized support that builds upon student strengths and addresses any social and emotional weaknesses. Temperament is one of the greatest influences on a child's preferred style of play. The construct of temperament is, sadly, too often over-simplified. Infants and young children may be broadly characterized as easy, slow to warm up, or difficult. In reality, temperament reflects the culmination of a vast number of social and emotional traits. Here are a few o...

As a fundraiser for the school, we are partnering with Bongo Java to do a once a year Abintra coffee and cocoa sale. these make great gifts for family, friends, and clients. Coffee will be packaged in a commemorative Abintra tin, and cocoa will be packaged in bags. To order, please use the PayPal link below. All orders must be placed by Tuesday, November 25th. Coffee and cocoa will be available for pickup beginning Friday, December 5th at Friday Coffee in the Parent Education room. Coffee orders are now closed at this time.

ART Early Childhood artists had their first lesson with our artist in residence guide, Sarah. To celebrate Picasso 's birthday and to integrate their classroom study of diversity, they created artwork inspired by Picasso's " Flowers in Hand. " Early Childhood A artists ar e studying South America. They created this three-dimensional model of the Chilean national flower . Early Childhood B artists learned about artist Wassily Kandinsky and created family trees  inspired by his work.  Kandinsky's work is currently exhibited at the Frist .   Please take your little ones to see his work in person! Lower Elementary artists explored the element of design and form by making 3D circles inspired by Wassily Kandinsky .  To integrate their classroom study of the solar system,  they each created their circle as a planet.   Lower Elementary artists also explore the element of design and space through several projects. ...

Early Childhood students have the opportunity to experience a music and movement program with Kari Buishas called Musikgarten. Kari has been teaching all levels of Musikgarten  for over seven years.  Her classes are structured with movement in conjunction with music, giving the children the ability to feel and understand many musical concepts.  Through Musikgarten lessons the children learn many concepts, including the difference between a duple meter and a triple meter, stationary movement used with "the stick passing game" where they develop ensemble activity and a sense of connection with music, plus ear training with tonal and rhythm patterns.  At this beginning level, the children are using primarily percussion instruments to make music, with some use of tonal bars. There are many things being taught in these classes that are an integral part of developing true musicianship.  In working with a music ensemble it is important to learn ...

Young children progress through distinct stages of play as their social and emotional skills improve. While the stages of play are somewhat sequential, I tend to think of the stages as styles of play. As children mature they will use the different styles of play that they've mastered in appropriate moments and as they are ready. Solitary Play Solitary play is common for children under the age of two or among children who are still developing the social skills needed for successful peer interactions. Some children may need adult guidance to help them learn how to engage appropriately with peers. Parallel Play Children engaged in parallel play will work beside one another but will each focus on their own task. They interact very little with one another during this time. Associative Play Children who are developing interest in peer relationships may observe the actions of another child and decide to join in. Children engaged in associative play ar...

November News From Within As I watch our oldest students consider where they will continue their education after graduation, I am reminded of what a huge transition this is for those families. Every year, Middle School students and their parents seek to discover the "best fit" in education for high school. For some, there is a clear vision of where they want to go next. For others, consideration about how the student learns is a factor and also what their family values are around education and community create the need to make harder choices.                 These Middle School students, after years of study at Abintra, see that education is not just about math and science, but also about community, social dynamics, and teaching methods. While the priorities of the Middle School students themselves seem clearer at this point in their education, the guides and I are often consulted by paren...