National Newsletter Volume -14 Issue -9
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National Newsletter volume -14 issue -9 PDF Compressor Free Version National Newsletter AUGUST 2015 Letter from the President By Jacquelyn Price Dear Members In this issue…. It seems a long time since the last newsletter. This must be an indication of how full our lives are, for which I am always Celebrating Montessori’s grateful. This newsletter is full of ideas around creativity, not just Birthday visual arts, but thinking creatively as well. Focus Features: As you know, being a Montessori director, creative thinking is Sewing in the Montessori exactly what one needs. To offer on-going opportunities which Classroom support development with all children who challenge us daily with The Montessori White Papers: their endless differences and quirks. If we are not creative with a Creativity flexible environment, then it is us who are challenged! Switch on your “write” brain With the introduction of two regional managers, Natalie and Debi, Randburg Montessori’s creative and from their feedback, SAMA has some clearer understanding of students the kind of further support and guidance member schools need from us. I am so pleased that they have chatted to you, given Montessori Life: Art in the Park support and some direction to many of the questions asked. We Provincial Directors Reports are aware that it is not possible to visit all schools across South 20 Years’ Celebrations in Africa at the moment due to economics and logistics, but would that Swaziland not be a wonderful goal. Please use our website and office for any information you may require in guiding you with your queries about Inspiring Play Spaces in Berlin school management or such like. Partnership made in Heaven I recently visited SAMA member school International Montessori Classifieds Preschool in Swaziland with Irmgard, and we joined in their Outreach celebrations of 20 years. We visited two other preschools as well as a lovely growing SAMA member primary school; Montessori Life. Vacancies We both enjoyed the hospitality and warmth shown by all. Job Seekers Page 1 of 27 National Newsletter volume -14 issue -9 I look forward once more to our walk on Heritage Day, the 24th of September,PDF as ICompressor really see this asFree an easyVersion opportun ity for all of us to come together with schools in our area and walk in solidarity, demonstrating unity in Montessori. Some suggestions for after the walk are to picnic together or even set up some cooperative games. Please find some ideas in this newsletter. Warm regards Jacky “We must not think of a passive, receptive mind, but of a creative, constructive mind in which, at every point, something is being created internally. We cannot help merely by imparting knowledge, but by giving those aids that are a help to the laws of growth.” Maria Montessori. The 1946 London Lectures COOPERATIVE GAMES IDEAS Cooperative games emphasize participation, challenge, and fun rather than defeating someone. Cooperative games emphasize play rather than competition. Cooperative games are not new. Some of the classic games we participated in as children are classic because of the play emphasis. There may be competition involved, but the outcome of the competition is not losing and sitting out the rest of the game. Instead, it may involve switching teams so that everyone ends up on the winning team. BLOB TAG In this variation of “tag,” the persons who are caught join hands with the “it” person to form a blob. As more people are caught, the The SAMA Policy/guidelines to prepare for the ‘Montessori Walk” and blob becomes larger. It’s probably an adjustable invitation are available in the ‘resources’ folder of D6 a good idea to limit the playing area communicator. Please contact the SAMA office should you require any so that the blob does not have to assistance. chase people through the neighbourhood. Page 2 of 27 National Newsletter volume -14 issue -9 CELEBRATING Dr Maria Montessori’s Birthday 31st August 1870 COOPERATIVE GAMES (CONT) PDF Compressor Free Version Here are some ideas for activities to celebrate Maria Montessori’s birthday! TOSS THE BIRD This is a tag game with a twist. The (Google dated 18/8/2015): www.montessoritraining.blogspot.com “bird” can be a knotted towel or Use Montessori’s birthday as an opportunity to some other soft object suitable for foster school spirit and appreciation. Have a throwing. You can have as many as you think are necessary. The point discussion with your students about how going to a is that you can’t be tagged if you Montessori school can be a unique experience. are holding a bird. People can toss Have each student write about their favourite the bird(s) to each other to help aspect of going to a Montessori school (you can “protect” each other from being record this information for younger students) caught. Obviously you will want to through stories or poems and display them in your have fewer birds than you have Montessori school or highlight some of their people who are being chased. More impressions in your school newsletter. than one person can be “it.” WALKING STATUES V Do a “walk around the sun” for Maria Montessori. Light a candle to represent the sun (or use a battery.operated light if an open flame Two teams start from opposite is not an option and have your students sit around it in a circle. ends of the eld. The leader stands Have students take turns walking around the sun while holding a in the centre of the eld. The goal globe (each trip represents one year . /ou can either do enough is to reach the leader rst. Teams trips around the sun to represent how old Maria Montessori lived or can move only when the leader is facing the other team. If individuals the total one hundred forty.five years since she was born. are caught moving, they must go back to the start. V 0ith your students1 e(plore the Montessori math materials (such as bead chains1 etc. while using the number 125. DRAGON TAIL V In honour of Maria Montessori’s altruistic spirit1 your Montessori Players form one long line or train students may en4oy organi5ing a service opportunity. Older students by holding onto the waist of the and younger students can collaborate to help with tasks on campus1 child in front of them. The child in or students may choose an off.campus volunteer opportunity at a the front becomes the dragon head. hospital1 shelter1 or other organi5ation with need. The child in the rear is the dragon tail and a colourful scarf is V Create a timeline that shows Maria Montessori’s life with attached into a belt loop. The corresponding historical world events. "head" is to try to catch the scarf flapping behind the "tail". All of the V Students can write historical fiction from the perspective of Maria other players, members of the Montessori or one of her first students. "body", are compelled to work together with both ends and both V 9ecome internet pen pals with students at another Montessori school and share facts about Maria Montessori. the goal of the head and the tail at that same time. The main objective Resources: throughout is to keep the dragon intact with no players letting go. • Maria Montessori: A 9iography (Radcliffe 9iography Series 1 by Rita Kramer This game is best for older children • Maria Montessori: Her -ife and 0ork1 by E. M. Standing and requires a large area. Page 3 of 27 National Newsletter volume -14 issue -9 SAMA Montessori Walk Flag example: PDF Compressor Free Version In order to save on printing costs we thought 4 flags can be printed SAMA Stickers in black and white on an A4 size hard paper for the children to Should you wish to buy the colour and decorate. These can then be stuck onto a small dowel artwork for these stickers please stick or straw. Should you want a more lasting end product you may contact the SAMA office. print on canvas and colour with fabric pens or paint. Again this banner can be printed in black and white, paper/canvas in A1 size for children to decorate. Sturdier poles or bigger dowel rods can be fixed on either side to create a flag. Page 4 of 27 National Newsletter volume -14 issue -9 SewingPDF Compressor in the Montessori Free Version Classroom When I started Somerset Montessori 18 years ago as an inexperienced directress, I avoided craft activities such as sewing as I thought that the involvement of the directress was too frequent and dominant. As time went by and I saw how children acquired skills and knowledge and how eager they became to create something with their acquired skills, I started to put more sewing activities on the shelves. Paper weaving, making pom-poms, sewing templates, cutting exercises with paper and fabric, bead stringing, threading needles, tying knots, sewing buttons, finger knitting, French knitting and weaving looms are activities that should be on the shelves as preliminary exercises. But, once the children, especially the five-year-olds, have mastered these, they have a need to make something useful. The Montessori term meaningful work, says it all! Parallel to the preliminary exercises, there are also language classification cards on sewing utensils on the language shelf so that the children can name and identify their tools! Aimee Fagan showed me the way Then I read Sewing in the Montessori Classroom, a Montessori Practical Life Curriculum for Primary Ages, by Aimee Fagan (ISBN 978-069239325) available from Amazon and Kindle. Everything she wrote made sense. The scaffolding of sewing activities ensures that the child is not set up for failure.