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We are looking forward to a wonder year together filled with excitement and adventure. We hope that the narrative below will help facilitate more conversations with you and your child and perhaps give you a better picture as to some of what we share during our time together. "Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment." Taylor VancilTaylor@traversechildrenshouse.org Room Parents Jen Superson Ashley Johnson |
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Classroom Highlights
February 19, 2025
Dear Thistle Families,
We hope your family enjoyed a snow filled weekend together!
As a staff, we had an opportunity to work through brainstorming favorable and unfavorable attributes of resolving conflict through avoidance, accommodating, compromising, collaborating, and competing styles. We all have a preference or comfort zone in how we go about navigating opportunities that arise and might ask of varying degrees of vulnerability. Collectively we were recognizing the default style of conflict resolution for ourselves, might not be the best type of resolution style for the opportunity that calls upon us. Conflict is inevitable in our lives. Conflict can be a cause of great fear and unrest in an adult sometimes. An unbeknownst gift to the children in our Primary classrooms is the gift of conflict resolution. This is a gift that has opportunity to become a superpower of children when given opportunity to practice with patience in a safe community.
The adults in the classroom model and facilitate conversations amongst children when conflict arises. We read books about real conflict that might arise for children in our class. We role play what to do when our personal boundary is impeded, how to offer accountability for our actions and some strategies for repair. Conflict might show up where one child takes the toy or work of another child. Think of a time when your child might have had this experience. How did you model handling conflict through this moment of distress for your child? Our response to conflict shows children how to handle conflict and sets precedent for future occurrences of similar conflict. How would you hope your child solves the conflict the next time they face it? What gift of resolution can your child attempt next time when you might not be on the spot to support them through a discomforting moment of conflict? When your child is an adolescent, a young adult, or an adult – how they will handle conflict is being shaped at this very moment.
In the afternoon, we read a picture book biography called “The Oldest Student,” by Rita L. Hubbard. This is the story of an African American woman named Mary Walker who was born enslaved in the year 1884. Mary was one day gifted a book that she longed to read. Despite the hardships of slavery, working tirelessly as a free woman, raising a family, working multiple jobs and surviving significant historical events keeping Mary from achieving this goal - Mary persevered in the end, learning to read at a young age of 116 years old. Children were amazed that Mary Walker lived to be 121 years old. At the end of the story, I asked the children in our classroom – “If Mary Walker was alive today, is there anything in her story you would hope to be different for her?” A child offered that they would hope for Mary to be treated fairly. When asked what that meant, the child said they wanted her to be able to read and write, to be treated with kindness and to not have to wear tattered clothing.
Montessori shared a lot about humans having common ground in our material needs and our spiritual needs. The material needs of humans that she outlined were shelter, food, clothing, transportation, defense (safety/protection), and communication. Dr. Montessori talks about our spiritual needs being love, culture, arts, music, self-adornment and spirituality. As we talk about people from all over the world in our classroom, it is easy to at first point out the physical attributes that make us appear different on the outside. With a closer and deeper look, we always come back to what ALL humans need and the ways we fulfill those needs might look different.
You may have heard your child singing our most recent favorite song! The song is about an interesting creature known as an Axolotl! Did you know the Axolotl is only found naturally in the fresh water of Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City, Mexico? They are not found anywhere else on earth! Attached are the lyrics and a link for the song!
We also shared a joyful Valentines Day together. Thank you all for chipping in time putting together cards with your little one! We were so lucky to spend the morning baking with Daniel's mom, Emily Stewart, who helped children bake delicious raspberry jam and strawberry cookies! Many children also had a chance to decorate a special card, and children that were writing helped fill the cards with thanks and love for the hard work our local police officers. Rachel helped get them to her husband to share with all of the humans at his department!
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Sincerely,
Taylor
January 15, 2025
The Thistle classroom has started off the 2024 school year with so many joyful moments!
Many of the children in our classroom greatly enjoy how much food prep and baking is out on the shelves! This is such an important practical life skill. There are many fine motor and gross motor skills that children can work towards mastering with preparing food as a motivator. Building a capacity to follow a longer sequence of activity is also built through food prep lessons, acquiring a singular skill at a time. Something unique about food prep in a Primary classroom is how we often share our work with the whole community. There are not many food works the children will do and then enjoy independently. Children have been filling pitchers for our lunch tables, juicing lemons so we have lemon water available at lunch, chopping cheese for snack, slicing apples, and baking crackers. Coming up, we are getting ready to also make our own hummus! Children are working on slicing enough fruit to make smoothies for an afternoon treat! If we don’t have enough, we use up the delicious fruit for snack as well.
Our community is so grateful for the presence each of our Kindergarteners and the role they play in our classroom. I was blown away last week when I had to step out of the classroom to help a child during lunch. When I returned to the classroom, I was surprised that the Kindergarteners were still in the coatroom. I came to find out that they spent over half of their recess cleaning up the entire classroom from lunch, and when I asked why they did that – they told me they wanted to do it so that I would not need to when I came back. I could not help but smile in that moment. I simply love being at school with your children and listening to the Kindergarteners share what all they accomplished was heartwarming. Since that day, the Kindergarteners have continued to help clean the classroom – not because they have been asked to, but they genuinely have wanted to.
We have finished our afternoon quiet reading book “The Year of the Dog,” by Grace Lin. The children are excited about possibly following up with a sequel to the story called, “The Year of the Rat.” I need to finish reading it first! In the meantime, we are reading a National Geographic chapter book about Crocodiles and different ways scientists might study a creature in their natural habitat. The first story told us about a human who was tracking the temperatures of the areas where crocodiles lived throughout the year. Their goal is to help maintain habitat for crocodile species that have become endangered. Children were amazed at how a elementary child had given this scientist the idea of using a pretend crocodile suit made out of steel to get close enough to attach a thermometer/transmitter to its back. The scientist had to overcome sneaking by a herd of hippos and crocodiles sleeping next to him to finish his mission.
Angela has been singing songs in the Spanish language with us from South America. See below in the specialist updates for links to listen to our Spanish counting song and the greeting song we started learning this week. The children absolutely love them. We welcomed a new student to our class this week as well! It was very sweet to a Kindergartner make sure that Angela was aware we had a new student, and that Angela also knew this child was their friend, followed by a chorus of “she’s my friend too!” What a welcoming community to be a part of!
Wishing you all great health as we move through his cold season! We will be practicing lots of handwashing in the classroom and exploring ways we can limit sharing any germs we might be carrying.
Specials Highlights:
The kindergarten group has been working at learning some group games each afternoon. Many of them seem to enjoy the games we have played using the scooter boards. The entire class comes to the gym each week and have had fun riding balance bikes and tricycles this winter.
-Steve
Kindergarten has had some wonderful lessons in the art room. In the previous lesson last month we worked on drawing snowmen in perspective to make them look giant! We used colored construction paper and pastels for this work. In our most recent time together we discussed primary colors and how to mix them into secondary colors. Each student drew 6 birds and painted them with the primary and secondary colors in watercolor.
-Alison
Spanish Song Links from Angela:
Counting Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ydJr1Is8xI
Hola, Hola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK0vp8LlDiM
December 16, 2024
Our Harvest Feast was magnificent! Thank you all for pitching in and supplying ingredients for the children. It is always a treat to watch their feast come to fruition. Many children exclaimed it was the “best harvest feast ever!” We spent the entire morning washing/slicing/skewering fruit, peeling/chopping/sauteing vegetables, shredding cheese, rolling wraps, baking blueberry muffins from scratch, and preparing rice. Emily Stewart came in the day before to help the children prepare pumpkin pie crust twists. We love our tradition of making our meal together in the classroom all morning. The children look forward to potentially holding another feast on Nadine’s day in the spring.
We are reading a book in the afternoon called, ‘The Year of the Dog’ by Grace Lin. The story is fictional, but almost all events in the story are inspired by the author’s life as a 10-year-old experiencing the Year of the Dog for the first time. Grace describes her journey of being a girl of Taiwanese-American ethnicity at home with the name of Pacy, and the ways in which her identity feels blurred at school where children see her as a Taiwanese girl name Grace. The Year of the Dog is a story about friendship, family and finding one’s passion in life. The children absolutely love the book and they ask to hear just one more chapter daily.
We were recipients of a surprise invitation to the Maple Upper El community to make birdfeeders! We read a story called “Chickadees At Night,” by Bill O. Smith. Following the story, we talked about what birds might need and how we can help this time of year. The children thought the birds might need bugs or seeds. They were right on the mark! Then we made our way down to the Maple community where a child from Thistle was paired up with a child from Maple and worked together following the birdfeeder recipe. The birdfeeders are currently being refrigerated in the greenhouse at school and will come home later this week! They can be hung from a tree or post outside. Attached is a recipe for making a similar birdfeeder if you would like to try making your own with your child over the upcoming break.
The Seasonal Sing is this Friday at 11am! Your children will be performing Jingle Bells up on the stage. They will be excited to see you all out there in the audience. I suggest arriving early to snag a seat in front to have the best opportunity of seeing your child. At the conclusion of the event, Michele usually asks the children to stay where they are, and you will send a family member up to where our class is sitting. Please make sure you confirm with one of the adults in our classroom that you have your child. We have been practicing and the children are so eager for the day to come!
Attached are the lyrics for songs we have been singing this month: Jingle Bells, Fire’s Burning, Frosty the Snowman. I also included The Continent Song by Hopscotch Songs. You can find The Continent Song by them on Spotify if you want to listen! The children are absolutely in love with it.
Wishing you all a warm, joyful, safe holiday season! We are all looking forward to the year ahead with your children!
November 25, 2024
Hello Thistle Families,
Thank you all for making time in your busy lives and days, to attend conferences. I found so much joy taking a moment to share in the incredible growth your children have been undergoing in our time together here at school!
We took part in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day paired with the Maple Upper Elementary classroom. Ruby was one of the first people of color to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans during 1960. Prior to the day of our walk, a group of children from the Maple classroom came to visit and read a book they wrote about Ruby Bridges. All Elementary and Primary met in the gym before heading outside. In the gym, Elementary learners read a brief announcement in recognition of Ruby Bridges. Following our walk, many children still asked why we walked. Meeting children of our age group where they’re at – we talked about how some humans have made a choice to be unkind to other humans because something as simple as the color of their skin was different. Sometimes I like to also follow-up with a question like “Could you imagine telling another human they can’t walk into our classroom because they look different than you?”
We have begun taking a few moments at the end of the day to share voice to help we received from someone throughout the day. This past week, I have been nothing short of amazed by the care I observed the children having for themselves, each other, and their Children’s House. One of the important roles of the adult in the classroom or at home for children is to model how to notice and thank another person for going above and beyond for the benefit of others. There is so much value in modeling gratitude more consistently than offering praise.
Another recent discovery for children in our classroom took place when several Kindergartners recognized they could read our quiet reading book! We have set a schedule where children who want to read the book are able to take a turn on Monday’s. It has been joyful to see their peers offer kindness and patience while our children that are reading practice how to project their voice.
The Thistle children are beyond excited about the Harvest Feast before we all have time to spend with our families this time of year. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to bring ingredients the children have requested! A big shout out and thank you to Jen Superson, Ashley Johnson, and Emily Stewart for helping me organize this event for the children!
As the weather changes, please send in your child’s winter gear if you have not already. Weatherproof mittens are best for many of the children in our community. As the weather turns snowy and the temperature drops, the knit finger gloves are really challenging for children to put on independently. More importantly they are quickly soaked, and the temperatures make their hands really cold at recess.
Wishing you all a lovely week together with friends, family, and those nearest your heart. We look forward to hearing the stories your children share as we see each other next in December!
October 16, 2024
Good Afternoon, Thistle Families!
It has been a tremendous month, and are so excited about things ahead! Singing has become a huge part of our day. So much so that last week, we spontaneously decided to celebrate the end of our day with a dance party. Who knew Dustin and Rachel would have all the moves to share with us? We are singing songs about fall, a Canadian folk song, and another song about birds. Attached are the lyrics to some of our favorite songs this month. There are a variety of versions on Spotify or YouTube if you are curious of the tune.
We are looking forward to our Harvest Feast next month. In preparation, children from the Maple Upper Elementary classroom have been visiting to assist and give lessons to children in our community on how to make leaf rubbings on watercolor paper. Once all the children have made their rubbing, they will use watercolor paint to decorate them. We will then laminate them, and the children will use them as their placemats during our special feast. The Maple community visits most Thursdays to bake, make art, sing, or read. It is such a special and symbiotic partnership.
This week, the Grace and Courtesy lessons focus on how we feel when someone tells us to “stop.” Children shared that they feel sad, angry, mad, frustrated, or even want to yell. We concluded that more information would be helpful. We are working together to use “I need …” instead of “stop.” For example: “I need your hands to touch your work.” Instead of “Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop touching my work!”
Of course, we might still need to use “STOP” when someone’s safety is at risk, but we also have a responsibility to share more with someone about what we need or mean when we say it.
Through role-play, we are playing with the idea of asking once for what we need and then holding space for a peer to follow through. Many of the children giggled as I asked one child to “please tuck in the chair” once and another child to “turn off the lights” about seven times on their way to the door. They agreed it felt a little silly to ask over and over when someone was already on their way to do it.
It was a pleasure to be part of the conversation with many TCH families last Friday about our summer reading book, How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Holmes. You can watch the Ted Talk where Julie presents by clicking here. While reading the book, my partner and I both enjoyed having opportunities to reflect on how we support our little human at home. I welcome any thoughts you might have on the book and conversations surrounding strategies to encourage your child to feel a sense of belonging and contribution as a member of your family.
Observation is the best way for us to learn what children need, what obstacles they face, and how we can best support their growth and development. We want to share these opportunities with you. I want to encourage each of you to try to come by during our morning work cycle to see what our day looks like. Children are more capable than we know! Click here to access the sign-up for observation outside our classroom’s window!
Each day, we work in partnership with your children to build confidence, acquire skills, and contribute. Every human in our Thistle community is important and our community would not be the same without all the unique abilities each individual brings each day!
A note from our specialists, Angela (music), Alison (art) and Steve (gym):
The kindergarten group has been practicing lots of throwing and catching both independently and with a partner. The 3 and 4-year-olds have spent their time in the gym on balance bikes, tricycles as well as balloon play.
Kindergarten art has its first lesson this Friday, can’t wait to spend some time with the students in the art room!
In group time in the classrooms, we have been singing “Funga Alafia” with the arms and legs motions. Eventually this becomes a circle dance. It is a song of welcome and community. We have also started working on keeping a steady beat while singing “Senwa Dedenda.” We are also 5 instruments into our exploration of new sounds from African origins. Kindergarten music starts next Friday!
Have a beautiful weekend!
September 16, 2024
Hello Thistle Families!
What a beautiful first few weeks of school we have all experienced in welcoming your children back to The Children’s House! Our classroom picnic was a lovely evening spending time with each of your families. I am so grateful to team up with you in this year ahead. I have no doubt this year is going to be wonderful!
If you missed stopping by our classroom on back-to-school night, please read through the welcome letter on the Thistle classroom’s webpage as there are some changes to birthday snacks, our morning schedule and gym. Reach out to our room parents Ashley Johnson, Jen Superson-Smith, or myself if you have any questions!
We are trying out a new system for bringing work home from the classroom. Each child has a file folder with their name on it. These folders live in a crate next to the island in our classroom. We have circled two Fridays a month where finished work that is ready to go home will be prepared to go into their backpacks. Work that is still in progress will be saved in the folder to continue when the children next return to school. Using the folders gives me an opportunity to sit down with older children in our class to review progress and growth they’ve made. For younger members of our community, waiting to take this work home is an effort to support children having time to practice skills without focus put on the end result. I am curious to observe if there is a shift this schoolyear in children rushing to put things in their backpack as they are excited to take home what they can.
One of the beautiful things about art and work in a Montessori classroom is each lesson provides children an opportunity to practice skills. We want to encourage children to practice these skills over and over in their own creative pursuits. We wish to support children naturally in mastering skills without focus on the end result. We are very careful with the feedback we deliver on the children’s work as the words we offer might cause the child to step away from exploring all they can do with a material or developing a variety of skills. In turn, they might showcase or replicate one particular result while seeking praise and approval.
In the afternoons we have been reading from a collection of folk tales that come from countries all over the world. Following each story, we have a conversation about what parts of the story might have been mostly true, mostly untrue and possibly a little bit of both. The children never cease to amaze me in the way they recognize acts of kindness and moments of unjust throughout our reading. The story of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox was one of our favorites from last week.
Attached you will find lyrics to a few of the songs we have been singing. We LOVE to sing throughout the day and before we get ready to say goodbye to each other for the day. Ask your child what their favorite song so far is! My guess would be a song called Sarasponda. Sarasponda is a Dutch nonsense song about spinning thread or yarn. Jambo is a call and respond song of greeting others from Kenya. Some of the words in Jambo come from the language of Swahili. I Love the Mountains has also had its good share of “boom diada, boom diada, boom diada, boom diada, boom,” being belted out as children enter the coatroom to go home for the day!
Coming Up:
September 25 – World Peace Day (school sing along)
September 25 – Back-To-School Momentum: Prepping Children of All Ages for the Challenges and Successes of a New School Year (find details in Waypoints)
October 6 – Fall Festival 11am-1pm at TCH
October 10 – Montessori Up Close: How to Raise an Adult 6:30pm-8pm at TCH