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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
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