A kind and gentle North Austin community school
One aspect of Montessori that differentiates it from mainstream schools is the multi-age classroom. At any given time, about 1/3 of the students in our classroom are in their third year at HMS. In fact, a Kindergarten student is in her fourth year with us. Thus, in our classroom, when a child asks a teacher for help it […]
Springtime has arrived, both on our playground and inside the classroom. Bugs are on the shelves and blue and yellow (ahem, green) paints are on the easels. Art class has been outside several times, “baby” loquats and peaches are on the trees, butterflies flit around the playground, and flowers tend to come into the classroom. […]
This spring, teachers have left many “buggy” materials on our shelves. More and more every week! We are doing bug puzzles counting bugs drawing bugs writing about bugs making our own bugs. In the process, we are learning the names of the body parts, learning about the life cycle of bugs, finding the similarities and differences between spiders and […]
Valentine’s Day is a popular one for children. We started a few weeks ago with various heart-shaped materials on our shelves (why do we rotate our shelves?) and discussions of what and who we love. This week, students brought in their homemade Valentines to the school, and, like past years, the holiday culminated with our […]
After a break from the classroom for the holidays, this morning the students were eager to get back to their Montessori works. As usual after breaks from school the children arrived to find the usual Montessori materials on the shelves (middle and bottom photos), mixed in with some new items to work with (top photo).
Recently one of our students, just shy of his fifth birthday, pointed to the rack of beaded chains on our wall and asked “What can I do with these?” “You can form them into squares,” the teacher replied, “to help you count them. That’s called multiplication.” “Is that like when you multiply?” he asked. (Likely […]
A few years ago (maybe it was in our first year?) our parents suggested that we get together for a school camping trip. With Khuloud and Rick both being avid campers, it was a go. That first trip at Mother Neff State Park was such a joy that it became an annual occurrence. And then, […]
After a week of teachers’ preparation and anticipation, this morning we welcomed returning students to HMS. Some students went back to their old favorite works, while others explored some of the new options on our shelves. It’s great to be back! Placing stars in the sky
Last week, we said good-bye to some students who we have know for three years and are moving on to Kindergarten. Even more bittersweet, we also said goodbye to our Art Teacher, Dorte, who is retiring to spend more time with her family. Dorte has been at HMS since our earliest days, and has inspired so […]
Parents and teachers often remind children to “wash your hands.” It is not a stretch to imagine the child who wonders “Why do I wash my hands? They look the same before and after!” Last month, one child’s parent, a high school Biology teacher, offered to help our classroom do an experiment that would show the […]
Since the first of the month, our older kids have been working collaboratively to make a wall calendar. Along with circle-time discussions, especially birthday celebrations, calendars are essential to children learning about the basic concepts of present and past, the beginnings of our history curriculum. Calendars also teach us about the days of the week and […]
This year, we had not one, but two wonderful camping trips! Last weekend, HMS invaded Palmetto State Park and found lots of excitement. We found lots of animals: spiders, butterflies, birds, frogs and caterpillars, all of many different colors and sizes. The river was great for fishing and wading, and hiking trails provided a test […]