No Name-Calling Week took place last week, January 21 st – 25 th . GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network) created No Name-Calling Week as a way to launch on-going dialogues in schools about name-calling of all kinds and provide schools with the tools and inspiration to do so. A national survey conducted by GLSEN in January, 2012 showed that “School climate and victimization can affect student educational outcomes and personal development at every grade level.” Some results from the survey are as follows. The percentages refer to the amount of students and teachers who heard this language regularly*: ·         Most common forms of biased language  in elementary schools, heard regularly by both students and teachers, are: The use of the word “gay” in a negative way, such as “that’s so gay” - Students: 45%; Teachers: 49% Comments like “spaz” or “retard” - Students: 51%; Teachers: 45%  Homophobic comments; usi...

ECA started the new year off with a collaboration project.  The students painted their hands and then spent a significant amount of time carefully making handprints to form this large piece art.  ECB & ECC also started the new year off with a collaboration . They first discussed the different biomes - ocean, jungle, and forest.  They talked about which animals live there and which plants grow there.  Then they split up into three groups and began by drawing the waves for the ocean, and the ground, sky and trees for the forest and the jungle.  They added more plants, animals, insects, and other things they would find in that habitat.  They were very creative and elaborate with their drawings! During the 3rd quarter, LE will be exploring different mediums in painting.  They started by exploring watercolor through creating winter trees.  This project was a great review of the elements of design. They first drew a tree using short ...

The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention .   Mary Sarton I believe it true that yoga is meditation in motion. As of late, our young yogis have been taking that motion into the woods of Abintra. Our walks through the woods exercise the body, and also provide opportunities for mindfulness activities. Walking slowly and quietly, we pay close attention to the muscles of the legs and feet, how we place our feet upon the ground, and how we keep our balance. We try to be aware of the things we might otherwise miss: the sound of the wind in the trees, the sight of woodpeckers and robins flitting from branch to branch, the textures and colors upon the rocks along the path. Occasionally, when available, we sit in a sunny spot just to pay attention to the sensation of warmth upon our faces. Our mindfulness hikes are certainly an enjoyable way to promote greater health and well being. -- By John...

ECA friends created a collaborative art piece completely driven on their own without the help of the guides. This included crumbling tissue paper and gluing it on a large piece of art paper.  ECB created jellyfish after looking at different types of jellyfish in their study of the oceans. This project involved cutting and gluing tissue paper bodies and cutting and gluing pieces of yarn for the tentacles. ECC is exploring music by using a keyboard through creative expression. Friends are learning to distinguish high and low sounds. This also helps strengthen the hand muscles for writing.  LE collaborated and created a salt map of Pangea as well as a salt map of Laurasia/Gondawanaland to go along with their classroom study of the formation of the supercontinents. ME learned the art of making sushi!  They spread the rice on the seaweed, put the ingredients of their choice on top, and then rolled their sushi all while learning the vocabulary in Spanish....

ECA is practicing their cutting work to help them develop the control and coordination necessary for later cutting activities. ECB explored creating art with a marble that went along with their study of the primary colors.  The children squeezed drops of primary colored paint in the center of the paper and then moved the container to roll the marble through the paint, creating the design.  ECC created a mosaic of dots to create intricate detailed patterns.  This work also helps strengthen the hand muscles for writing and performing practical life activities.  LE learned about the work of the master artist, Claude Monet. They created their own watercolor inspired by Monet’s love for painting water forms.  Monet Inspired Watercolor by Kate LE also received the final piece of the collaborative fall art they did with Kolidiko. ME did a Mandala Project to honor someone or some place important in their lives.  It was a way of giving...

The Abintra Montessori School is proud to be a partner of the West Meade Conservancy. The outdoor education curriculum in the Upper Elementary classroom at Abintra strives to help students develop awareness, foster respect and share enthusiasm for the natural environment and learn how to work as a community to protect and preserve our local ecosystem. Currently, the class is building a database of organisms on the Abintra campus, following the example of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) project taking place in the Smoky Mountains National Park. It documents parts of the biodiversity existing in the hills of West Meade. Members of the WMC have been very supportive in our efforts: Jane Bibring donated several field guides to our classroom and Willi Honegger recently presented a lesson about insects. We hope that this collaboration will continue and become stronger. Jonell Smith, Upper Elementary Guide, Abintra Montessori School Above: Abintra representation at the West M...

In ECA, students do a sewing activity while learning the vocabulary in Spanish:  aguja (needle), hilo (thread), nudo (knot), coser(sew), cortar (cut), tijeras (scissors). ECB created a representation of the Earth's core with red as the inner core, orange as the outer core, yellow as the mantle, and black as the crust.  The students are creating these through pin punching, using a push pin to create the shape, which strengthens the three-finger grasp.  This is a continuation of our study of the Earth's core, providing the students with the opportunity to experience the lesson in another form, incorporating movement and fine motor skills. ECC took some time during November to study the beautiful season of fall.  Each child created their own unique fall tree using paper bags and torn pieces of construction paper. LE kicked off their study of printmaking this week.  Using leaves that have fallen on campus, the students did positive and negative prints...