Election Day!

The polls at Trevose Day School and Neshaminy Montessori opened at 9:30am and closed at 2:30pm. The students had the opportunity to cast their vote and they had strong opinions on whether they wanted to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. They also voted for their favorite school cookie: Oreo vs. Chocolate Chip. 

It was an exciting educational experience in which the children practiced the exercise of voting. They learnt about the foundation of our democracy, the importance of developing an opinion and making a decision that will shape their future.

Each student had to be properly checked in and was able to place their votes in private. After they placed their ballots in the official voting box, they received "I Voted!" pins and stickers.

The votes were triple checked for accuracy. Hillary Clinton was the winner in the school. The results were Hillary Clinton 40 and Donald Trump 26. Chocolate Chip was the winner in the favorite cooking category, beating out Oreos by only 2 votes.

To celebrate the poll results and the duty of voting, all the students will enjoy some chocolate chip cookies tomorrow.

Christopher Columbus Adventures

This week in history.... In fourteen hundred ninety-two...

Columbus sailed the blue ocean.....

The children were introduced to the famous explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus. They learned fun facts about him and his infamous voyage!

The students learned that he was the explorer who is credited for discovering America. I then further elaborated that there were already people living in America at the time and they were called Native Americans or Native American Indians. Though Columbus was not the first to discover America, it was Columbus's voyage that started the exploration and colonization of the Americas. 

The children were then informed about the incredibly famous ships of  Columbus's journey known as the Pinta, Nina and Santa Maria. We did a clapping game to help reinforce the memorization of the ships’ names.

The children had their hand painted brown to create the ships vessel. They printed their hand on blue construction paper. They then traced, cut, and pasted the ships sails onto their boat. The children used paint markers to create the water (ocean) and cotton to represent the clouds. Lastly each child chose the ship that they wanted to create and wrote its name on their paper.

Next week the students will create spooky ghost's!

Little Farmers At Styer Orchard

This week the students attended Styer Orchard. We had the most glorious Autumn day. It was seasonably warm, but that did not discourage our little farmers.

The leaves displayed colors of crimson, amber, gold and emerald. The children were submerged into nature; from the chirps of the birds to the sway of the breeze, the students truly enjoyed the natural resources Bucks County has to offer.

We started our tour of the farm exploring "Ghost Alley" which we ended up taking a hilariously wrong turn, coming out the wrong exit of the maze. We continued our journey by taking a scenic hay ride on a wooden wagon being pulled by a tractor. The views were absolutely breathtaking!

We arrived at our first destination where the children were led to a large pumpkin patch. Each child had the opportunity to hand pick their own pumpkin. There were shrills and giggles galore.

We then boarded the wagon again and were pulled along serpentine paths of lush Apple trees. The children received a demonstration on how apples grow and the proper way to remove the Apples from the branches.

They all received plastic bags and separated off into their chaperoned groups. The children happily roamed the orchard picking Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Winesap apples.

Our field trip came to a happy end.  Each child got to choose two decorative gourds from an outdoor bin. Next week we will start our Halloween crafts.

Learning The Parts Of An Apple

This week the children have been introduced to the Parts of an Apple. This was a wonderful opportunity to integrate Botany in the classroom and teach the children the scientific terms of the Apple.

The children can now proudly share all the names of the Apple which are: the leaf, stem, skin, flesh, core, seeds, star and sepal blossom.

In group time the children and I dissected an Apple by cutting the apple in half horizontally. We revealed a beautiful star shape. The children were so excited to see the star form hiding in their Apple. Each child had the opportunity to hold the half of the Apple and observe the star.

They also were exposed to the beautiful fragrance of the Apple, which was lovely & Sweet. We also had the opportunity to count how many seeds were in the Apple. Our Apple contained 6 seeds.

I also Incorporated in the lesson the concept of light and heavy. Each child held the tiny seeds in their hands. In this case the apple seeds were very light.

Next week the children will learn about the Parts of a Pumpkin.

Artist Yosi

This week the students and Families of Trevose Day School & Neshaminy Montessori were treated to a riveting concert featuring award-winning children's recording artist Yosi.

Yosi who is of Israeli descent created a marvelous musical cultural experience for the students and their kin. The concert began with the many ways to say "hello". Yosi shared with the students numerous languages ranging from Hebrew, French, Español and many more.

Through the use of music, singing, and dancing the children all related to the music in a harmonious manner. This concert truly educated the students on the diverse range of beautiful intricate instruments that are played through out our world.

Yosi took the children on an international tour of the seven Continents. Yosi provided numerous examples of instruments for the children to physically play, observe and listen too; for example the Didgeridoo from Australia, the harmonica from Germany, the Rain sticks from South America, the Bulbul Tarang from India and much much more. 

Through the use of humor, and directly engaging with the audience he was an enthusiastic and captivating performer who made all ages smile.

Next week the students will learn about the Parts of an Apple. They will do Apple tasting, count the Apple seeds and do the Apple printing.

Returning to School and Meeting New Friends

This week at Neshaminy Montessori we started the 2017 academic year with a strong sense of community, respect, kinship and enthusiasm.

Two of our students in Sensorial are incredibly proud of their accomplishment. They worked together as a team to build the Pink Tower. What a fantastic first day!!!!

As the returning students were reconnecting with the prepared environment, they were also given the task to become helpers in welcoming our new friends! They were told of the importance in being kind, compassionate and supportive to their new classmates and to help them learn that school is an exciting place to be! Each of my returning students took on the honorable role of peer mentoring their friends. They assisted their fellow students as they became acclimated and taught them how to successfully navigate the classroom.

Movement is an essential part of the Montessori environment. This allows the students to have self expression, identify with rhythm, rhyming words and of course the art of memorizing fantastic educational songs.

For our first Art project, I thought that now would be a fantastic time to talk about the many "helping hands" used in the classroom. The children and I discussed numerous ways in which we can help each other and take care of the classroom.

We created a “Helping Hands” poster to reflect everything we discussed. Each hand was individually cut by each child and truly represents every child's unique personality!!!

Next week we will discuss the importance of "Grace and Courtesy".

Fondly,
Mrs. McNally

Back To School 2016-2017

Summer has come to an end with the children arriving to school and doing different activities throughout their first day!

There was much excitement in seeing old friends, meeting new ones, going to the classrooms and starting their day. The smiling faces and energy continued as the students set about their new routines.

Neshaminy Montessori wishes everyone a happy and healthy school year! Welcome back!

Join us Friday, June 3rd for our Annual Silent Auction!

The Montessori students completed their "Blue Morpho Butterfly" project for the Trevose Day School's annual Silent Auction. Each child has participated in hand painting this beautiful chair. All of the ornate designs were painted with acrylic paint. The children used the their fingers to create the delicate flowers and winding Vines. This indoor/ outdoor chair will go to the highest bidder and support our fabulous school!

Please come and check out our Blue Morpho Butterfly chair at our annual Silent Auction, which will be held on Friday, June 3, 2016. The Auction, Art Show and our Trevose Day School annual picnic will be a family friendly, festive event!