Maria Montessori wrote, “The child has a different relation to his environment from ours… the child absorbs it.  The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul.  He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear.” 

If we adhere to these powerful words of Montessori then we are to believe that our young infants and toddlers are absorbing all that is around them, and are really creating a version of their future selves.  If we want these future selves to be emotionally mature beings who have empathy for others and aren’t afraid to express themselves then it is our job to teach these children how to identify and respond to these emotions, and maybe most importantly of all that it is ok to express and have these feelings. 

​Talk About the Emotions
Labeling how your child is feeling in the moment may be one of the most helpful tools in learning about emotions.  It allows the child to have a real example of what it means to be sad, frustrated, or even angry.  When we put the words, “I see that you’re sad,” or “I know it’s frustrating” into context with their tears or angry outbursts we are helping them understand what is going on inside of their body.  The words sad or frustrated begin to have a context and meaning apart from just being a word that adults use.   It gives these children a way to eventually start discussing their feelings with others.
 
Model
Not only is labeling a child’s emotions helpful, but we can also label our own feelings for children.  When we lock our keys in the car and have a moment of frustration that could lead into a not so pleasant expression of words; we can think twice and say, “I’m so frustrated.”  It’s ok for our children to see our vulnerable expressions of feelings.  It again puts a context to the words and makes it more real for the child.  Saying, “I’m sad right now.  I can feel the tears on my face”  may be exactly what your child needs to see and hear to know what sadness means. 
 
Empathize
Go beyond just labeling emotions, and let your child know that it’s normal and ok to express their emotions.  We want to create humans who are in touch with this side of themselves, and don’t hesitate to let others know how they are feeling.  When your child is throwing themselves on the floor because they didn’t get that toy they wanted; feel free to say, “I see that you’re angry right now.  It’s ok to feel that way.  I get angry sometimes too.”  The simple words of “it’s ok to feel that way” may be the magical words that stop the tantrum.  Most importantly they are the magical words that your child will remember when they are the adult who may be feeling angry, and instead of bottling up these emotions they will be able to express them in a healthy way.
 
Simple Responses
At the infant and toddler level we need to remember to keep our responses simple and to the point.  Once we’ve labeled and empathized with our child then we can give some words and directions that will hopefully help our child self-sooth and manage their emotions.  Taking a deep breath and exhaling can often work wonders for the child who is very upset.  This moment of taking a breath often relaxes their body in a way that very few things can, and lets them begin to focus on what comes next.  When taking a breath doesn’t work we can also offer the option of needing some time and space.  It’s ok to tell your child that it looks like they need some space, and slowly step back to give them the time and space they need to work through their emotions.  Not all emotions have an easy resolution, and sometimes the best thing is to  allow the toddler to feel the emotions and let it pass.  Other times asking them if they need something or asking them if they would like a hug is a sign of respecting them but offering a tangible connection they may need to work through their emotions.

Dealing with emotions is not always an easy thing to do.  However, the work you put in now will only help to benefit your child’s future self!    

April has been a great month of exploration! The flowers have been blooming around campus, insects have been crawling and buzzing around the playground, and the toddlers of Celeste have been enjoying it all!

It’s wonderful to hear the children asking about the different bugs they see, and pointing out the colors of flowers.

Inside the classroom the children enjoyed using tongs to transfer colorful bugs onto grass, as well as arrange flowers in Terra Cotta pots. They have also been enjoying painting an apple tree, and using stickers that have fun Spring Time themes.

The month of April concluded with an Earth Day Concert from Eric Ode. The toddlers greatly enjoyed dancing to his songs, and watching all of the wonderful props he uses in his story telling. The toddlers also got to sit near the Seniors who were visiting from Aegis and were able to share many wonderful smiles with them!

The month of May promises to be just as exciting for the toddlers of Celeste. They will get the chance to paint with some very vibrant and bright colors, as they create gifts for Mother’s Day.
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February was a wonderful month for the toddlers of Celeste! They got to experience some more snow, and had so much fun stomping in it and talking about how cold it was. They even tried to make some snowballs and roll them around the playground.  

The month also brought a celebration of our friendship for one another that culminated in a friendship fruit salad for Valentine’s Day. The toddlers enjoyed peeling, cutting, stirring, scooping, and of course eating the fruit! The older toddlers were so patient with their younger friends and tried to help them with the fruit. This is one of the wonderful perks of having a Montessori mixed-aged classroom. The way in which the toddlers learn from one another is a highlight of our classroom.  

February also showcased a few favorite works of most of the toddlers in Celeste. These included mixing primary colored water together, and seeing what new colors they could create. The work also had several steps to it, so the older toddlers were able to follow many multiple step directions to complete the work in its entirety. A few other new works that were enjoyed were peeling and cutting bananas, squeezing sponges, using dot markers, and hammering nails.  
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March will hopefully bring some sunshine our way, but if not the toddlers will continue to appreciate the rain and the wonderful puddles it brings. The emergence of early Spring signs will be a focus for the toddlers of Celeste during the month of March. This means teaching the toddlers to look for budding flowers, a change in temperatures, as well as birds and insects that will start to buzz around.  We will soon do another sign-up for fresh flowers, as well as a sticker sign-up. It’s always a wonderful thing to see the toddlers working on flower arranging in our classroom.

January was a wonderful month of focus and concentration in the Celeste classroom.  The toddlers enjoyed working with some new materials for counting, sorting, and language.  Some of the favorite works were sorting elephants that were small, medium, and large sizes.  They also loved counting snowmen while using tongs to place them in a sorting tray.  Identifying different parts of a train, and sorting colored pegs was a favorite as well.  It’s been a joy to capture some of these moments in pictures or videos, and share them with everyone through Bloomz.  
 
The month ended with a long-awaited celebration of the opening of the sandbox on our toddler playground.  The children anxiously watched as our maintenance crew worked on completing the project.  They were excited to see them cutting wood, hammering nails, and using wheelbarrows to fill the sandbox with sand.  The moment that Mr. Ryan lifted the gate the toddlers have loved playing in the sand.  We’ve filled the sandbox with pots and pans, ladles, muffin tins, and cake molds.  Lots of pretend cakes and muffins have been the talk of the playground.  
 
February brings Valentine’s Day, and an occasion to celebrate our friendships’ with one another.  Toddlers don’t quite understand the concept of passing out Valentines, so they will be sharing a friendship fruit salad instead.  This allows the toddlers to work on chopping, peeling, stirring, and serving one another fruit.  Some new works will also be brought into the classroom that revolve around heart shapes include sorting colored hearts, using tongs to transfer some wooden hearts, as well as hanging some heart bracelets on a horizontal post.  
 
The end of the February will hold a parent night focusing on how to deal with difficult behaviors for infants and toddlers.  This will be a great opportunity to build a stronger connection between home and school.  This is also a nice time to chat with other parents, and share stories and get support.  

With November behind us it’s always fun to look back over the month, and see what wonderful things the toddlers have been doing.  They continued to work on flower arranging, as well as admiring all of the wonderful colors that the flowers added to our room.  One bouquet of flowers had pinks, purples, yellows, and even blues in it! This was definitely a favorite of many of the children.  


During the month of November, we were also blessed with several new works from our classroom wish list.  Thank you to all the generous parents who have added some great new works into our room.  Some of these works included counting spots on ladybugs, sorting colored magnetic pieces, a barnyard animal counting/sorting work, as well as a shape puzzle.  All of these wonderful new additions aid in continuing to keep the love of learning alive for these toddlers.  Thank you again!


A highlight of November included listening to Margaret Read McDonald share some of her stories with all of the toddlers.  We gathered in our classroom and listened as she shared some stories about picking peas, a hungry cat, and animals that were big and small.  The toddlers loved her animated voices, and the colorful pictures in her books.  


December is often one of those months that passes so fast, as everyone gets ready for the holiday season.  It’s also a wonderful time to let the toddlers create a unique gift that they get to take home and share with their families.  They often walk around talking about what they made, and are so proud of the work they put into it.  This year the toddlers are getting the chance to pick their own colors and shapes, as they create a wonderful gift.  


The month of December also usually brings to light the effectiveness of Montessori’s mixed age groups.  Now that we have been in school for awhile and the children are all settled into their routines we really get the chance to see many of the older toddler’s starting to embrace this role, and beginning to help the younger children in our classroom.  The toddlers will be given the opportunity to do this in the shoe room, as they work in the classroom, as well as during our play outside.  


The end of the month brings Winter Break, and a wonderful time spent with family. I just want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays!

The start of the school year has been great, and started off with a wonderful BBQ and concert with our MCH community. 

We’ve only had a few new students join our classroom this September, as we have had many returning children and friends who started this summer. 

It’s wonderful to see how caring and kind the toddlers have been to each other, as they have helped our new friends get settled into the classroom and routine. 

This month often brings a focus on self-help skills with the toddlers learning to dress and undress themselves, as well as helping get themselves ready in the shoe room. 

A few new works that really held the toddler’s interest included tracking balls down a circular ramp, wrapping shapes in tinfoil, and identifying different types of tools by their names. 

The month concluded with a community park gathering at Farrel McWhirter where the infant and toddler families got to see many farm animals, and run around in some unexpected sunshine!
 
The month of October is starting off with a visit from the Redmond firefighters and their trucks! The toddlers love this opportunity to see the trucks up close, and get to hear the firefighters talk about some fire safety issues. 

October also brings a wonderful change in the temperatures and sights on the playground with bright Fall colors.  The children love picking up the leaves and talking about the colors.  In the classroom some Fall works will adorn the shelves.  These include sorting different colored acorns, counting pumpkins, and a basket of Fall socks to practice putting on.   

Parents will also start to bring in bouquets of flowers for arranging and putting around the classroom. These are beautiful additions into our environment.  The month will end our Harvest Festival celebration where the entire school comes together to play games and visit with each other.  
 

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