Imagination in full display on our playscape
Category: nature
Camping and the Solar Eclipse
This weekend our Fall Camping trip was another lovely time enjoying the natural surroundings of the Texas countryside. Nature always gives us twists. This year, the river was too low for swimming, but we found that instead we could just walk right across to the far bank. Instead of thousands of tiny green worms like […]
Lessons from Nature
This year’s caterpillars have arrived, and we were reminded of how much we can all learn from nature.
Our Community Camping Trip
The sun has set on another wonderful weekend together in nature. Those who know us know that we love the outdoors. From time to time we get the opportunity to extend that beyond our playground and birthday parties and go camping! Besides just enjoying the beauty of the central Texas outdoors, our camping trips are […]
rain, rivers, lakes and falls
our students have been asking about the rain, where it comes from, where it goes. And why it’s now gone?!?
We Are All One
“But what do humans do?” Khuloud asked during today’s lunchtime discussion about the sun and trees and what they “do.” After a moment to reflect, a 5-year-old responded “To not pollute the Earth!” Dr Maria Montessori spoke often of a Cosmic Education. She believed that we are all one, that the whole planet–plants, rocks, animals, […]
On the Playground – now more than ever
The path had begun years ago, but COVID expedited our emphasis on spending time on our playground.
Dia de los Meurtos
At HMS, we regularly talk with children about death as part of the natural life cycle. After all, the children have seen dead bugs, some have had pets die or have even experienced death in the family. Death is a part of life so this is not a topic that we shy away from when […]
Spooky new materials are on the shelves
We routinely change out the materials on our shelves. With the turn of the calendar and the change in the weather, this weekend the teachers were busy making new works. The children were eager to try out the new materials, including a variety of counting works, coloring calaveras, basting water into pumpkin molds and the ever-popular […]
Birthdays as History Lessons
Like many Montessori Schools, we go out of our way to celebrate birthdays. We do so in a way that emphasizes the passage of time a child’s life. The children discuss how the Earth goes around the sun each year, getting an idea of their place in time. Essentially these are among the first History and Science lessons […]
New Year, New Works
This new school year has brought with it some brands new works on our shelves: flowers and dinosaurs. With the help of our awesome parent community who brought in some cut flowers, we are happy to offer a flower-arranging tray for our students. To complete this multi-step work, they are asked to choose from the available […]
Little Texans on the Playground
Visitors to HMS know that our playground is a special place. We love our shade trees, flowering shrubs, the playhouse, playscape, the mud box and the “stage” (photo, right). We eat lunch outdoors and watch the squirrels and grackles watching us. While our classroom has a fair amount of structure, our playground subscribes to what […]