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Welcome to the Nido classroom new school year. I look forward to sharing with you the many wonderful things we do in our classroom. Please check here often for updates and links to information. Thank you! Jeanette Kania jeanette@traversechildrenshouse.org "We see the figure of the child who stands before us with his arms held open, beckoning humanity to follow." ~Dr. Maria Montessori, Education and Peace Room Parents Callie Smith Lindsay Smith |
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Classroom Highlights
February 19, 2025
Hello Nido Families!
I hope you all had a lovely, snowy weekend. We have welcomed two new babies and their families into the Nido! Lilah has been with us for two weeks, and today we welcomed Henry. An updated roster went home in everyone’s bags today. Since so many new families have joined us this year, I wanted to share the back-to-school letter from the fall. It is also linked on our classroom page on The Children’s House website.
It’s been a busy month in the Nido! We’ve been observing the children interacting with their newest peers, and it is fascinating to watch their developing communication skills. The oldest babies are beginning to communicate using words and signs, and our youngest babies are observing and developing their screeches. Language development is so rapid during the time that the children are in the Nido, and we love getting to see the ways that it emerges. Today I’m going to focus on expressive language development, but receptive language development is equally as fascinating and will have to be a topic for another day : )
As Montessorians, we focus on supporting two very specific aspects of language development: creating a rich language environment and fostering the desire to communicate. In The 1946 London Lectures, Dr. Maria Montessori said, “A child can only acquire the words he hears spoken around him. This is not teaching but absorption. The child is, by nature, hungry for words.” We work to be very intentional with our language in the classroom; we slow down our speech patterns when talking with the babies, and we try to use specific nouns rather than words like “that, it, those, etc.” We use as many descriptive words as we can when talking about something the children are experiencing (food, the outdoor environment, clothing textures, etc.).
We know that the children are absorbing all the language that we give them and attaching their own experiences to those words. When they are at the table, and we say “Apple. Apple. You’re eating an apple,” they can attach the sensorial experience of the taste, smell, texture, and color of that fruit to the word itself. This is the first step in forming the concept of what a particular word means. This work is furthered by any other experiences the child has when that word is used; these might come at the grocery store or at an orchard in the fall. They might see an apple in a book. All of this helps to build what will end up being a mental image of the word. Finally, as they get closer to age two, they develop the ability to speak the words to which they have attached all these experiences.
In tandem with the rich language environment that we strive to provide, we also have to foster the desire to communicate. This is done by slowing down and allowing time for the child to interact with us. We ask questions and take long pauses for a response. Frequently that response isn’t verbal, but we act as if it was a logical answer to our question because we want the children to know that they are a valuable member of our community and their thoughts and contributions matter. We give them signs for simple words that help them communicate before they are able to speak full words. Please ask me in person for a demonstration of the signs that we use if you’re curious.
One of my favorite things to observe is how the babies approximate the signs that we use with them. We had an older baby who has since moved up to the Young Children’s Community who would sign “all done” and then point to her plate when she was asking for more. This was so great to see because it was a two-word phrase without using any verbal language.
I hope you have a wonderful start to your week, and I also hope you have the opportunity this week to observe the great strides in communication development your tiny humans are making.
January 23, 2025
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December 18, 2024
Hello Nido Families!
It is truly the season of transitions. Our friends Anna, Eve, and Quinn have all moved up to the Young Children’s Community. We’ve had a fun time visiting with them on the playground and in the gym and watching them settle into their new environments.
A couple of housekeeping notes first:
The Seasonal Sing is this Friday. It will begin promptly at 11:00, so we ask that you park and come in to pick up your babies and toddlers between 10:45 and 10:55. Many of them have older siblings, so I imagine we will see many of you down in the gym!
We will be sending home everyone’s clothes over winter break so you can assess and check to make sure everything still fits; everyone is growing so fast! We will pack everything up on your child’s last day for the week.
We had so much fun celebrating our Harvest Feast at the end of November. Our holiday photos have now shifted to a Yule altar, a decorated Christmas tree, and a family lighting a hanukkiah. We also have some seasonal books that are out right now. If there are any holidays that your family celebrates at this or any other time of year, please let me know so we can talk about how I can best add representations of those holidays in our classroom. We’ve been singing Jingle Bells and Fire’s Burning during the month of December; lyrics for these songs can be found here.
As we prepare for this long break, I’m soaking in my last observations of 2024. When we return in the new year it will be so fun to see how much each of the children in the Nido will change. Even over the long weekend of Thanksgiving it seemed like so much growth happened. We have new walkers, new crawlers, and even a little guy attempting to roll over! They are all changing so fast, and I hope you have time during this busy season to watch them as they are today.
I know I frequently invite you to observe certain things in these highlights. I realized that I never quite delved into what the concept of observation in a Montessori environment actually entails. We think of observation as a silent inner discipline that requires us to be mindful, present, and still in ways that we may not be used to. The first step to observing is to try to quiet our minds and bodies. Noticing the distractions and thoughts that enter our minds while sitting and observing is an important part of the process.
I find it significantly more difficult to observe my children at home than I do at school or out and about. There are always 10,000 other things I think of doing rather than taking a quiet few minutes to sit and observe my children. Observation is always a practice in the same way that meditation and yoga are practices; it is not something that is ever truly perfected.
Thank you all for a wonderful 2024! I hope you have an amazing break, and we will see you in the new year!
November 21, 2024
Hello Nido Families!
I cannot believe that November is already half over! We have shifted two adults into our classroom and added a new babe. Welcome to Oliver and his family! You should have received an updated roster with Madison, Anna, and baby Oliver.
As many of you know, Carly had her baby on November 15th! Onyx Gene was born at 3:38 pm weighing 8lbs 8ounces and was 19 inches long! As Carly and Alex are settling into life as new parents, we are hoping to support them with a meal train. There are still several dates available; please see the link for more details.
Our Harvest Feast celebration is quickly approaching; here is a link to a signup sheet for all families who currently have babies eating solids. This will be the lunch for Tuesday; we do not need very large portions of food.
As we are getting into the season of many holidays, I like to remember that this is the first or maybe second time that the children are experiencing these celebrations. Many of the babies in the Nido are quickly becoming toddlers with their own thoughts and opinions, and it’s exciting to observe all the babies get excited about new songs and decorations in our classroom. I’ve been anticipating the first snow flying outside of our window so we can observe the reaction to this amazing phenomenon of weather.
Thank you to everyone who has sent a snowsuit for their child. Several of our older more mobile children still need snow gear. Please let me know if you would like us to keep it in their bag so it comes and goes or if we can store it in their outdoor gear bins in our coatroom. If you need ideas for specifics on snow gear please let me know, and I’ll create a list of my favorites. The changing of the seasons is a good reminder to please label anything and everything that you send to school for your child.
As you all know, we focus on the shift to independence in our classroom as the children continue to grow and become more able to care for themselves. Our littlest babe is working on independence on the floor; every day he spends a few more minutes focusing on a mobile or tracking the fish as they swim. Our middlest three babies are working on being able to independently feed themselves and get to where they want to be! It’s a joy to behold as they work and focus in this new way. Finally, our oldest cohort of young toddlers are working on asserting their independence from us as caregivers. We offer them choices while dressing and try to encourage them to push their legs through pants and even pull them up or down. Their feeding is completely independent except for the serving aspects. They are all beginning to test the limits of the expectations of our classroom. Every single one of them has crawled on to the table or tried to take a material (or food!) from another child to see what the reaction will be from the adults.
All of the children in the Nido experience the philosophy of “Freedom and Limits.” We strive to be consistent and logical with our limits and allow for as much freedom as possible within the limits and expectations that we place. The babies are allowed to eat whatever they would like from the meal as long as they are seated at the table. Once they try to leave the table, we remind them they need to stay if they would like to continue to eat, but if the pattern continues, we help them clean up and move them away from the table so there is a clear boundary that their personal meal is over even though others are still eating. If you observe our mealtimes, you will frequently hear “You chose to be all done.”
In the Nido, there are three basic freedoms: the freedom to move, work, and communicate. We intervene if there is a limit that is being crossed and work to redirect what we observe that the child is trying to accomplish (e.g. if they are climbing a shelf, we will move them to the climber and say “You may climb on the climber,”). Sometimes we have to repeat our intervention multiple times in a row. This can happen because the child’s purpose is not what we believed it to be (climbing) or because they need to continue to test the limit to be sure it is a strong limit. Strong limits help all children feel safe. Inconsistent limits can cause children to feel unsure and less secure in their environments.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and have the opportunity to observe the growing independence in your own children.
October 18, 2024
Hello Clover Families!!
It’s been a busy month in the Nido! Emmie moved up to the Primrose classroom last week, and we welcomed William and his family into our class this past Monday. We’ve already had so many visits with Emmie in the gym and outside, and it’s wonderful to see her enjoying her new classroom. William is settling in so well that it seems he’s been with us for ages!
First I have quite a bit of logistics to highlight for you, and at the end of this email there is a sweet story about one of the Clover classmates and some thoughts on development milestones and sleep.
Monday is school picture day. We are the first class to have photos done, so I’m hoping any cute outfits will still be looking fresh by the time we get down to the gym.
Next week we have another adult education opportunity on Thursday afternoon. We are discussing The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies. This book is a great overview of how to translate what happens at school into your home environment, and it’s a great preview of what is to come developmentally for your babies. Please sign up here if you haven’t already.
In Waypoints there will be a signup for conferences for all levels aside from the Nido. Due to frequent well child visits at this age, we typically do conferences before babies start solids and then as they become toddlers before transitioning into the Young Children’s Community. If your child is transitioning this school year, I will be reaching out to you to discuss conference dates soon. As always, if you would like to schedule a time to talk aside from these two times, please let me know, and we can find time.
Horizon Books Day is also right around the corner. This annual tradition helps keep our classroom library fresh as the babes truly explore our books with all of their senses. Horizon gives 10% of sales that day to the school, and there will be a basket of books marked for the Clover classroom if you are interested.
It’s officially fall! There is a pumpkin on the shelf that’s been rolled to and from every corner of the black rug. In a few weeks, we will cut a pumpkin open and explore the seeds together. We’ve been singing a few fall songs at group lately: The Apple Tree Song and Five Little Pumpkins.
A couple of weeks ago, I had an amazing conversation with Anna’s parents about a late night she had earlier in the week. She had had a hard time falling asleep, and after 10:00 o’clock they brought her out into the living room where she stood up and took a few steps forward. She went to sleep once she had accomplished the task that she so clearly felt that she needed to do.
I loved this story because it’s the most concrete example of this developmental stage that I’ve heard firsthand. This is so common with young children– especially babies; there are so many milestones that happen in the first two years that can sometimes keep a baby or toddler up at night. These regressions are usually brief, and it’s best to stay consistent with your routine as much as you can.
On that topic, there has been a time of major gross motor acquisitions in the Nido! We have new walkers, new crawlers, and a new freestanding classmate, too! It’s so amazing to get to observe these little people as they are learning to trust their bodies.
I’ll leave you with the link to lyrics to our two autumnal songs that I mentioned earlier as well as a hope that you get to take some time to sit back and observe your amazing movers at home this weekend.
September 16, 2024
Hello Nido Families,
We have had a busy first two weeks of school! We’ve welcomed a new baby, Viera, to our classroom, and we’ve had two babies return after taking the summer off. Thank you to everyone who attended our Back-to-School Night and Class Picnic; I love getting to spend time with you outside of the day-to-day carline interactions. We have a new adult starting in our classroom today. Zenia has previously observed in the classroom and is officially working with us as of this afternoon. I will do my best to introduce you all to her over the next few weeks.
Please let me know if you are not getting photos on Transparent Classroom. I've been trying to take as many as I can and upload them throughout the week.
Everyone has changed so much in the past months, and it’s amazing to hear and see the development of your children. There is so much babbling, signing, and word use going on! Carly, Jenn, Madison, and I have been surprised so many times over the past two weeks by the language expressions we have heard and seen.
In her book, The Absorbent Mind, Dr. Maria Montessori speaks of the importance of language development, “Not only does it fuse men into groups and nations, but it is the central point of difference between the human species and all others. Language lies at the root of that transformation of the environment that we call civilization.”
One difference between the Nido and other Montessori environments is the amount of language that the adults use throughout the day. We are frequently modeling conversation and labeling the environment for the babies. We strive to choose our words carefully so that the babies have a rich language environment to listen to and absorb. We read as much as we can, but we also explain what we experience throughout the day; we ask permission before doing care tasks such as changing diapers, and we do our best to “sportscast” through the day so the babies aren't surprised by our actions.
It is so important to talk to all children directly with respect for their humanity, even if they are not yet able to speak back. Having conversations with preverbal and early verbal babies is so delightful; they engage wholeheartedly when given a pause or asked a question. Mealtimes are an excellent time to have these conversations.
Another huge part of language development is in listening and understanding; seeing receptive language milestones being met is just as exciting as experiencing first words and sounds. Seeing the babies follow through on a request such as going to the sink or putting their feet on the floor is always an amazing part of my days at school.
If you have some moments to observe this week, try listening for embedded words while your child babbles; try giving your mobile child a single-step instruction and see if they understand and can turn that request into action.
Have a great week!
Jeanette