Why are bees so important?The first and second grade students were buzzing around the Walden school yard on Friday, September 21st looking for the last evidence of summer. Pollen! With a Q-tip in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, these bees gathered pollen and learned first hand how bees travel from flower to flower before heading back to the hive to continue the honey making process. Later, inside the classroom using cotton balls and colored chalk, we simulated cross pollination while enjoying the organized chaos of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee. What a great way to officially end the season of Summer!
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No, we're not looking for Carmen Sandiego... Rather, where in the world is Walden? And, where do we live in relation to our school? These are the questions the 1st and 2nd Grade children were posed with this week during our Fun Friday activity and exploration. WHY? Maria Montessori believed that a Cosmic Education is necessary for children to develop a foundational sense of perspective. By starting with the whole (universe, galaxy, solar system) and working toward the parts (planet, continent, country, state, town, personal address) the child can begin to understand and conceptualize their place in the world. WHAT? We started our lessons by reading a powerful, wordless text Looking Down by Steve Jenkins. With each page of the book, the author "zooms in" from space, narrowing in on a child observing a ladybug through a magnifying glass. The story simply illustrates the perspective we are looking to develop within the child's mind. We then explored several quintessential Montessori materials: The story Born With a Bang and the corresponding illustration cards & the Cosmic Nesting Boxes demonstrating Big Picture to Small Part of the universe. The students began to work on their own Cosmic Address booklet. We discussed Cardinal Directions and oriented ourselves in the classroom and on the school playground using a Compass and a Smart Phone version to apply our newfound sense of direction. Students practiced writing their home addresses in proper format. We then located our homes using Google Maps to figure out which direction we each live in relation to Walden and our distance from school. Scroll down for more photos from our Cosmic Education afternoon...
These pictures speak for themselves! Our eggs started hatching today at approximately 3:30 pm when a few teachers who were working in school noticed movement in the incubator. So far, three chicks have slowly pecked their way through the eggshell into our Walden world.
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Ms. Kate
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