A kind and gentle North Austin community school
During these first two weeks of 2026 we have been discussing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s messages, focusing on his words of love, kindness and friendship. Children under age 6 are known for their concrete thinking. Abstract thinking and large, complex thought and reasoning is still under development. As we know from our readings in The Whole […]
We regularly speak about the importance of consistency in the lives of young children. From school drop-off to lunchtime procedures to bedtime, routines help kids find comfort and a sense of place in our busy day-to-day lives. Indeed, Dr Montessori established that it is through the repetition of everyday tasks that children learn best. How […]
At the end of his very, very busy day off Ferris Bueller reminds us that “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” For many of us in Austin, October is a busy month, what with two weekends of ACLFest and the Grand Prix. […]
We are now two weeks past Halloween and two weeks until Thanksgiving. While October in Austin is a busy time with ACL Festival, Formula 1 and Halloween (and we usually spice up the month with our camping trip), October pales to the excitement of the weeks from Thanksgiving through New Years. At school, we embrace […]
December is always so busy. With all of the events, shopping, travel and more it can be hard to keep up. With adults so busy, even the children can get drawn into it and feel an extra level of excitement. This year, more than most years, our kiddos have been drawn to the classroom’s art […]
This year, we had a special lesson on the sense of smell. In particular, gingerbread cookies.
This month we are particularly grateful for our community. October and November have not at all been normal months for us, but with flexible teachers and parents, the kids have had a wonderful time.
October brings not just the cooler weather, but we are finally settling in after the start of the school year. We get to go camping together. We enjoy the playground more and more. Of course, October also means Halloween our classroom turns orange and we start to see witches and ghosts and pumpkins everywhere!
Today may be Valentine’s Day, but we’ve been talking about it for several days already and no doubt it will last into next week. Here is a glimpse are saying and doing this week…
We had so much fun making our Jack-O-Lanterns this morning! It definitely takes a village of varied talents to accomplish carving 7 pumpkins in one morning. Above all, you need an amazing parent community. Many thanks to the two parents who were able to help. Their patience and organization made it all possible. It takes […]
Monday might be his holiday, but today MLK would have turned 92. In honor of this event, and so that our young students might be aware of why Monday is a holiday, this morning we read a book about him, Martin’s Big Words (by Rappaport and Collier). (Note: for our ages, the story is abridged, […]
Our holiday materials are back It’s December, and that means cooler weather and new works on our shelves. After a month of smashing golf tees into pumpkins and learning the parts of a turkey, now we’ve moved on to cutting out snowflakes, learning the parts of a snowman and sorting wreaths and candy canes. but… […]