Montessori Visiting Day

Prior to the Holiday break, Maksim's school hosted a Parent's Visiting Day.  We always look forward to these days, as it is uncommon for us to get a glimpse of his daily routine at school.  In Florida, there was a Mom's Visiting Day, a Dad's visiting day, and a "Special Guest" visiting day for parents, relatives or friends.  These events occurred once per school year, respectively.  So, I usually had 2 chances per school year to see what was going on firsthand.

Hollis Montessori School - Children's House II

His new school is very similar to his old one (both are AMI Montessori schools).  There are more opportunities to sign up to observe the classroom individually (but let's get real - how likely is this to happen with a younger sibling at home with me?), but they also host a formal "Parent's Visiting Day" in December.  We'd planned on Bryon attending for 30 minutes and then myself experiencing the final 30 minutes of the visiting hour.  However, Deklan was invited into the classroom with us.  He thrived!  He's so excited to go to school himself, but after much contemplation about him starting school this January, we've decided that he's going to wait until Fall 2017!

I can remember back to Montessori Children's House of Hyde Park and how he spent the majority of his time during those years perfecting this area of the classroom - practical life.

The order and organization to these classrooms has my heart SINGING every time I step inside.

Maks had picked out a specific lesson that he wanted to show to us.  His choice: Sound Cylinders.  Most likely because Bryon likes to joke around with Maksim and refer to them (incorrectly) as "sound tubes."  Maksim has been waiting for his opportunity to prove his dad wrong!  Anyhow, I love watching these little Montessori bodies in action.  Every little detail is thought out.  You can tell that the students have carefully observed their teachers in each presentation they've received.  The way they carry items, the step-by-step process that they go through...everything has a purpose.  It's amazing.

After our sound cylinder lessons were complete, Maks was excited to branch out and show us other lessons/presentations he's received.  He's currently spending a lot of time at school doing map work.  I didn't know what to expect with map work, but this kid completely blew me away!  He started by showing me how to put together the entire map of the United States of America.  He'd take each state and move it from the wooden board and put the new map together without any sort of frame or picture to work off of.

He needed the placement of each state to fit perfectly.  No exceptions!

But then!  My 4 year old put together a map of Africa!  I was of absolutely no help in identifying the countries or their correct placement (and thankfully he didn't need me to be!).  Time for me to brush up on world geography...and probably every other subject he's about to school me on!

Maksim also enjoys freehand map work - where he takes the individual states/countries/continents and traces them with a coordinating colored pencil onto a large piece of paper.  When he's finished, he'll have an entire country/continent/world map completed.

Deklan was ready to jump in with both feet when Miss Anjali offered to give him some of his very own presentations!

Deklan's very first Montessori lesson/presentation.

After receiving the lesson once, he knew exactly how to get to work solo!

Working diligently.

Poor kid has no idea that when he'll begin school in the Fall he will need to go to Children's House I (Maksim is in Children's House II) because they like to separate siblings between the two classrooms.  In the meantime, I'm sure he'll spend the rest of Winter (and Spring and Summer) dreaming about the day when he gets to get out of the car with his older brother in the morning drop-off line!

He's so anxious to begin Primary school!  These counting beads had better watch out!