At Abintra, the children have the opportunity for exploration and discovery every day. They use their senses to understand the world. EC students have been studying backyard birds for the last few weeks. They are learning the names of the birds, listening to the sounds they make, and learning about their life cycle. They have had the opportunity to closely observe and experience how birds are born. A Carolina Wren built a nest in the bird house on our back porch. For many days, the female bird had protected her hard-shelled eggs by keeping them warm. The children learned that that process is called "incubation." Last week, the eggs hatched and we have four small birds being fed by their parents every day. The birds have captured the children's attention and they love to listen to their sounds.  Very soon the birds will fly away and start life on their own. This beautiful process reminds us of one of our favorite quotes: "You will never have this...

It is a joy to see students choosing Spanish books to read in their own time!      Lower Elementary students have been busy! Students wrote sentences using the verb ir - to go . Using the globe, student s chose a country they would like to visit.   Each grammar lesson is presented in a natural, informal way. We use question words like   ¿Dónde?   (Where?) and ¿Cómo? (How?) to engage students in conversations.   Questions and answers are important to ensure a student’s understanding of the lesson.   We also are describing pictures using the verb estar - to be.   For example: Los niños están corriendo -   the boys are running. We are using vocabulary to discuss animals and their habitats.   Students name continents and animals, and then we play games where students ask and answer questions about animals in their habitats .   ¿Dónde está el gorila? - Where is the gorilla? El gorila está en Africa....