November lessons

We have been busy learning and having fun! Enjoy the pictures :o)

The Land and water globe as well as the Montessori continent globe have been introduced and now the children have been playing games, learning songs and engaging in activities as they learn more about the continents. Our main focus this month has been on the continent of North America.

The children had the opportunity to learn about artist, painter, illustrator Norman Rockwell and engaged in Thanksgiving related activities starting with the story of first Thanksgiving, they learned about Squanto and Native Americans, they had an opportunity to view a short video about Native Americans that included Native American children, traditional clothing and dance. We took turns sharing Native American artifacts and working on various theme-related activities. We have been engaging in discussions about gratitude and being thankful for the people and things that makes us happy.

Of course, we had to discuss the turkey as we learned about the life cycle of a turkey and the different parts of a turkey. We continue to practice grace and courtesy as we discuss polite conversation when we enjoy lunch together, how to fold napkins, place setting and of course we have to throw in a little Spanish in the mix.

As we learn about the different continents, we have started to see pictures and videos of children around the world and differences in their living conditions that are starting to spark interest as the children start to view similarities, differences and start to develop appreciation for some of the things they have access to that compared to other children around the world. I am planning a gratitude project for the holidays (I will be sharing information with you shortly)

Never a dull moment, children are always engaged in a combination of independent, shared and whole-group activities that keep them learning and having fun.