Hello Lila Parents,
It’s hard to believe that May is already here!
 
In April, we started out with learning about our digestive system. We simulated the journey of food in our body and the children absorbed facts like small intestine is longer than large intestine, our stomach has acid that breaks down our food etc.
 
This month the children also learned about bugs. Ms. Rachel introduced a lot of new “bug” themed materials and activities and the children have really enjoyed learning how to use these new materials. We talked about the difference between bugs and insects. We also learned about the parts of an insect - 3 body parts (a head, thorax, and an abdomen) and details that help us differentiate between a bug and insect.
 
The children learned about the Butterfly and Ladybug lifecycles. To make learning about bugs interactive, we have live caterpillars and ladybug larvae in the classroom.  The children are learning so much as they observe their “metamorphosis”. Once they reach adulthood we will release them to the wild. 
 
In cultural studies, we talked about the importance of bugs in history and discussed the story of Khepri, an Egyptian God of the rising sun, who the Egyptians linked closely with the scarab (dung) beetle.
 
To end our fun unit on bugs, the children explored the nature trail with Ms. Rachel and found bugs that they put in a plastic bug box to observe.
 
I look forward to seeing you all during the student led classroom event on Tuesday, May 2nd. It will give you the opportunity to see the classroom through their eyes.
 
I also hope to see you all on May 13th for our 30th Anniversary party!

Hello Lila Parents,

In March, we talked about “Our Lungs”. We discussed how the lungs work and how exercise and nutrition play an important role in keeping our lungs healthy.

In Botany, we focused on the stem and conducted an experiment to observe how water travels through the stem to the flower. We talked about making a hypothesis and testing it. We also planted seeds and watched the process of how a seed turns into a plant. We observed the development of roots and then the appearance of leaves. The children wanted to plant the seeds after germination to see if they will grow into big plants. We have planted all of them in a pot and they love to watch it and take care of it.

We learned about Evaporation and did a simple experiment where the children could see the hot water turn to vapor and condense.

In April, we will learn about our “Digestive system” and we will also learn about bugs and insects! We will explore the difference between bugs and insects and study their life cycle.

It was beautiful to watch the children perform at the Montessori Week Celebration. I am so proud of how hard they worked!

​Hope you all had a great spring break!

Hello Lila Parents,

It was great to see you all at the conference and sit down and talk about the children.

February was all about the Human Body. We briefly discussed the different organs and then focused a little bit on the Human Heart. We talked about the functions of the heart and why we need to keep it healthy.

We had a visitor from Seattle Opera on February 14th. She shared a few key aspects of the Opera with the children like, who is the “Audience” who is the “Conductor”. The children practiced singing and listened to a story.
The children were very excited about Valentine’s Day. They enjoyed giving out Valentines and we used it as an opportunity to talk about love, tolerance and acceptance for all.

In botany, we continued the parts of the plant. In Geography, we started our study about the Water Cycle. The children were introduced to the concept of evaporation and precipitation and next month we will be getting into more detail.

Our first parent led cooking project was a huge success! The children enjoyed prepping the fruits and making their own Kebobs. We are looking forward to more cooking projects in the coming months. Thank You, Mackenzie, for volunteering for this event!

In March, we will continue with our human body unit and discuss the functions of the Lungs. We will also be getting into more details about the water cycle. 

I look forward to seeing all of you at the Montessori Week Celebration on March 18th!

​Hello Lila Parents,

We had a wonderful start to the New year. The children were refreshed and ready to get back to work! We welcomed three new students to our classroom in January; Vailula, Luke and Akshara. They are adjusting well to their new environment and making new friends, I am sure you are hearing about them at home.

In January we started our study of the human skeletal system. The children learned about the different bones in their body and we talked about why we need bones. We sang the “dancing bones song” and created our own skeleton in the classroom. The children decided to call it “Mr. Bones”. They were very excited to listen to Camille (Cole’s mom) talk about the different bones and share life size models of various bones of the human body.

In botany, we started learning about the parts of the plant. In Geography, we are learning about the different sources of water and discussed the bodies of water. We also discussed fresh water and salt waterbodies.

In music, Ms. Amy is helping the children prepare a special song for the Montessori Celebration week in March. I am sure some of the children are singing it at home already!

In Spanish, Ms. Sonja discussed parts of the human body, seasons and reviewed colors and animals.

We discussed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream and all the children made beautiful wall art for the classroom with their handprints in different shades of brown. We talked about peace and love and kindness and how we can show kindness in the classroom, at the playground and outside the school.

In February, we will continue with our human body unit and discuss the functions of the Heart. We will learn about the water cycle and do some science experiments involving water.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the conference!

​December was all about the holidays! We talked about how people in different countries and cultures celebrated the holidays. The children were especially amused to hear about how it was summer during the holidays in Australia and instead of a snowman they build a sand man on the beach!

We discussed the changing season and talked about the signs of winter. This lead to the discussion about where the animals go in winter. We learned that some animals “hibernate”, some hide, and some “migrate” to warmer areas.

The children enjoyed the story of Goldilocks in Spanish with Ms. Sonja. She talked about big, medium, and small in Spanish and reviewed colors.

Ms. Amy brought in some Holiday cheer with her songs and the children made some beautiful gifts for their parents with Ms. Michelle.

We started November with an exploration of our five senses. The children used the Sensorial didactic materials like the “Sound Cylinders”, “Color box”, “Rough and Smooth boards” etc. available in the classroom to further build on their understanding.
 
We discussed the fundamental needs of Humans; food, shelter, love, music and dance, clothes, and transportation. It is always refreshing to hear their perspective about the basic needs of humans. When I posed the question to them they came up with answers like presents, hugs, bedtime stories, pies, playground etc. This laid out the foundation for our detailed study about the Human body starting January.
 
The children really enjoyed learning about Claude Monet. We read a few books about his life and then everyone got an opportunity to make their own versions of Monet’s painting of the bridge over the water lily pond. We visited our nature trail to look at a real bridge with an arch!

We also discussed what Thanksgiving meant to them and used it as an opportunity to talk about sharing, friendship, and peace. The children did such a great job of prepping the fruits for our friendship salad. They all sat together and enjoyed sharing their fruits with everyone!
 
We also welcomed a new child to our classroom in November: Evie. The older children are excited to show her around and take on the role of mentors.
 
In December, we will learn about the changing season and discuss Hibernation. We will also learn about the how people celebrate the Holidays all around the world.
 
As holidays are approaching, please do let Ms. Crystal or I know if your child will be missing school in December due to travel plans. Also, it is getting cold outside so please remind your child to bring a warm coat for playground time.

We started October with a discussion about Seasons. We read books about the different seasons and explored the signs of Fall. The children enjoyed collecting leaves from the playground and looking at them through a magnifying glass. We also conducted an experiment about “why leaves change color” and we talked a little bit about “photosynthesis”.
We had many fun events in October. The children had an interactive session about insects and arachnids with the instructors from the Mad Science Program and a visit from the Redmond Fire Rescue team brought them up close with a fire fighter in full gear!
In Botany, we cut open a pumpkin to explore the different parts of a pumpkin. We also carved a Pumpkin together. It was a beautiful team effort, the children decided on the facial features and pin punched the outlines.
In Zoology, we discussed vertebrates and invertebrates. The children sorted objects and pictures into the different categories. We also started our yearlong study about the Human Body by talking about the different parts of the body, labelling them and exploring our five senses.
We read a book about “Mahatma Gandhi” and discussed the power of words against use of physical force.
It was very nice to meet all of you during the conferences! It was also fun to see you all at the classroom potluck at the park. Thank you, Heather and Miranda for arranging it!
Next month we will continue with our study of the five senses and talk about the fundamentals needs of Humans.  

Welcome to the new school year! September in Lila was all about getting to know each other. I have enjoyed getting to know your children and am looking forward to a great learning year ahead!

In September we spent a great deal of time reviewing grace and courtesy in the classroom. We talked about how to ask for help, using inside voices, and being safe in the classroom and on the playground.

Group time was spent learning about living and non-living things. In the coming months we will be building on this concept and talking about Mammals and then the Human Body.

We also discovered “our place in space”, where we visualized the big picture- space and narrowed down to our present place- MCH.  In Botany we looked at the different parts of an apple and also talked about the journey of a plant from seed to fruit.

We celebrated two birthdays in our classroom; Aarnav turned five and Alicia turned four this month! We also said goodbye to Emmie who had to move to another city- her friends and teachers miss her!

It was great to see some of you on Parent night and I look forward to meeting all of you during the conferences. I have posted the conference sign-up sheet up on Bloomz.

In October, we will continue with living things and classification of the Animal Kingdom- Vertebrates and Invertebrates. We will also be hosting the Harvest Festival which would be my first in MCH and it sounds like a lot of fun!

As a reminder please email me or Ms. Crystal if your child is going to stay home, be late or needs to leave early on a particular day.
​
Important dates to remember:
October 13 and 14th: Conferences
October 28th: In service day – no school
October 29th: Harvest Festival
October 31st and 1st: School Picture Day

​April was spent exploring the continent of Europe. We discussed various plants and animals that inhabit the area. We were interested to find out that the animals in Europe are very similar to the animals in North America.

Europe also had many different ways to travel. In Denmark there is a town you can only access by boat. All the roads are waterways! In the Netherlands, many people use a bike to get from place to place. The South part of Europe you can travel from country to country by train.

Thank you to Ms Karolina for coming into class and cooking a European favorite, crepes. The children truly enjoyed stuffing their crepes with delicious goodies as well as eating them. ** Look for the recipe in backpacks this week.

In May we will continue our study of Europe as well as incorporate the study of the flag. 

We ended March learning about healthy eating. We used the 5 major food groups; grains, protein, fruits, vegetables, and dairy to categorize all the different types of foods there are. The children enjoyed sharing what they had in their lunches that were examples of these 5 food groups.
 
Some children are still inspired by the South American rainforest and are continuing to add Orchids and Poison Dart Frogs to our rainforest tree. I’m guessing they will continue to do this for the rest of the year. They are truly invested in the health and maintenance of this rainforest.
 
The beginning of April has been spent exploring a new part of our planet, Europe. They are also learning about the many different kinds of vehicles. Europe is a great continent to explore the various kinds of transportation available. Keep your ear out for new information being shared about these subject areas. ​