Our fantastical loose parts
This fall, enjoying the outdoors is our #1 prevention tactic against "the virus"--as the children call it. As such, it seems appropriate to use this space to discuss just how our playground operates. What's cooking?…
On the Playground – now more than ever
More and more we'll see our Montessori materials being used outdoors. Over the years, we have been spending more and more time outside on our playground. It's little secret that Rick and Khuloud love the…
Play is the Work of the Child
Children often choose imaginary play before moving on to what we think of as our "academic" materials. We adore Mr. Rogers. His long-running show, and its spin-off Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, are the only TV shows…
A Time for Independence
This month, with our self-isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak, we understand that children are staying at home. These are trying times for us all, when simply leaving home can be a stressful experience. We…
Hand Washing Lesson
This morning we had a meeting to learn about hand-washing, and how it makes germs go away. We had our 3rd annual springtime visit from a H.S. Biology teacher. (See results from 2018's experiment.) The…
Happy New Year
新年快樂 !! Back by popular demand... Many thanks to the Grandma of one of our students for her wonderful lesson on the Lunar New Year. We learned about dragons, dumplings, firecrackers, and how at this…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Friends help friends
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,…