A montessori birthday and work day

So, there was another birthday celebration not too long ago!  Because Josie has a summer birthday, she gets to celebrate her half-birthday at school. Here are some photos from the montessori tradition - her circles around the sun.

Our little family joins circle time:

 

"The earth goes round the sun, the earth goes round the sun. It takes a year, your birthday's here. The earth goes round the sun, and now you're one!"

...and now you're two!

 And now you're three...

 And now you're four (and a half)...

Bea loves the singing and get a little daddy-smooch:

Josie makes a special secret birthday wish:

A very special secret birthday wish:

Best friend Lucia gets chosen to help:

Bea delights the class with her infinite cuteness:

I pause to consider how quickly Bea will be taking circles around the sun:

A couple of weeks later, Josie's school had its bi-annual parent work day. On this day, we get to come to the school on a Sunday afternoon to be shown the montessori ropes by our little ones. Josie was SO eager to take us through a work-cycle. It was amazing to see how her work choices have evolved since our first parent work day.

Some math using the bead strings:

Preparing us a hummus & carrot bread snack:

Spelling with the movable alphabet:

Learning from the masters at the art desk:

Showing me the steps to thumb-print painting:

More math, sorting the rods:

I can't tell you just how much we love montessori education.  It's so well-suited to our philosophies as parents, our core values as people and our priorities as a family.  Here's a great little overview of the difference between traditional and montessori education if you are interested in learning more.