Every August, after weeks of preparation by our wonderful teachers, we welcome returning students back to school. They return to a classroom with many of the materials they know well from last year, and some new stuff to spice up. And so they did return last week. After weeks of preparation it’s so refreshing to see the kiddos eagerly attack their learning materials.
We see this by watching their hands at work. There is so much to do: from the five-year-old building complicated pyramids, to the four-year-old receiving his first writing journal or the 3-year-old rushing to her favorite pink frames.
“The hands are the instruments of human intelligence.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
This week, we welcomed our eager new 2-year-olds. They watch the older kiddos so intently, trying things out, they are all so quietly focused… Little by little they venture to the shelf to try things out. That attractive little puzzle, the large beads that go on a string. Containers to open and close and bowls of water to pour. It’s a rich environment, and they are absorbed completely into it. For us teachers, this is everything!
“The transition from one state to the other always follows a piece of work done by the hands with real things, work accompanied by mental concentration.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
