Something I have mentioned before is the importance of bringing our world down to the child's level. This has been something we've tried to do for Sasha because we feel that when she knows she can make a difference by contributing to the daily chores, this gives her a sense of place and purpose. It isn't always easy to get small tables and chairs, and right now in our case, there's no space for it! So we've made sure that she has stools readily available. She can be completely independent when she has her little stool. When possibly exciting things are going on in the unknown adult world above, all she has to do is bring her stool over to ease her curiosity. And then she always wants to help of course, so James and I do our best to set a task aside for her to do all on her own. For example, in the mornings before school, she brings her stool into the kitchen, where I have already set aside her package of oatmeal, a bowl, a spoon and a cup of hot water. She knows to open the bag, pour its contents in her bowl, pour the hot water over it, and stir.

Here she is using her stool to wash her hands:



and clean the kitchen counter!



She's gotten more interested in learning to use the scissors. Here she is cutting along the line:



And drawing her own line to cut:



We had a tea-party with real tea (which she helped prepare). It was so exciting for her:




The rest are of her playing with Daddy, her beads and puzzles:

Thank you grammy and grampy!

Sasha received a box of the most adorable clothing from grammy Kathy and grampy Barry! She tried everything on, and looks beautiful! Thank you so much!
I didn't post all the pictures because for some reason they're coming out blurry.
Some things are a little big, but she will grow into them in no time.
Here are a few pictures:

In her turkey outfit!





She wore this outfit to school today for picture day!








Off to school in her new dress:

Our cute little munchkin!



Her friend in Boston, Mariel, had been taking care of the doll house while we were in Houston. She seems to be more interested in it now that she's a bit older:



A low-five for daddy on her way down the slide...or up it:



The parents from her class organized a play date at the park. I had the chance to get to know everyone, so I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures. They are a very diverse group, it's so great. Here she is with her friends Madison and Sofia.



She loves her paints and paint brushes:

Reunited

We were so happy to be reunited with our friends:








Sasha was also happy to be reunited with her smock and finger paints:




Posing in her p.e. uniform! (Her school started their special classes this week: art, music and gym!)

Sasha's Classroom

I didn't get a picture of the whole classroom, and I didn't get pictures of every activity (this post was mostly intended for my mom who is familiar with the Montessori activities and would have cared more to see all of them, I think). But here's a general view of her classroom.

Grace and courtesy are important aspects of the Montessori method and are emphasized throughout the lessons.
They have snack together at mid morning, and they are encouraged to serve each other. They even are taught to cut up the fruit/vegetables and place it on trays and then go around the room and serve it.
They sit down for lunch at midday. Afterwards, they take their dishes to the sink and are taught to wash them and put them away.
Self-centeredness is a normal part of childhood. But as they get older it’s important that they start noticing the needs of people around them. Being of service to their family and to humanity is a fundamental principle in Montessori (as well as the Baha'i Faith). So we've embraced this wholeheartedly and encourage Sasha to take her dishes to the sink and help us wash them (at this age she loves it anyway!)

Here she is at home:

And this is her sink at school: (notice that our sink is the same size as their child-sized sink at school!)

Their dishes:

This picture is part of the Practical Life section which teaches them how to scoop and pour.
They also have dressing frames which teach them how to buckle and button, and how to tie their own shoes.

They become familiar with flags from other countries and have world map puzzles. One particular map/puzzle has one texture for the continents and another texture for the oceans. Montessori uses colored maps to help the children remember continents, countries, and states. (I didn't get a picture of these, you can only see the flags in the picture below).

Learning about different sounds:

Their reading corner is a comfy, cozy place. The books that are at their reach (only a few at a time) get rotated.

Sand paper letters
When children are allowed to feel the rough letters of the alphabet, they start understanding exactly how each letter is formed, and it becomes easier for them to write them.

Rods:
10 wooden rods varying in length from 10 centimeters to 1 meter. Each rod is colored in an alternating red and blue pattern. The first rod is red. The second, which is 20 centimeters divided into two 10 centimeter sections, is red and blue. The rods go on until the last rod is divided into 10 sections.
Children learn the names of numbers 1-10 and visually associate the numbers with the quantity. This teaches numeral recognition, quantity and the beginning of addition:

They are encouraged to learn about their surroundings. They go for walks outside together and talk about everything they see. Sasha comes home telling me about it and sweetly and joyously describes the beautiful things they saw on their walk.
The puzzles below (among others) help them learn about the different parts of plants and flowers. They will also be dissecting one.
Order and beauty are important aspects in the classroom. There are lots of plants as well as flowers in vases, which the children arrange and place on the tables.

This activity is useful for learning how to count (by placing the correct number of spindles in each compartment), but it also allows them to understand the value of zero, by leaving that compartment empty.

They are taught about 3 dimensional shapes and practice using their actual names, (sphere, instead of ball for example).

There's so much more in the classroom that I didn't capture and so much more to Montessori that makes it so ideal.
But this will give you a glimpse.
The teachers take pictures in class and have promised to send these to us often! So I will post those soon!