This month in Roadrunner...

Hello all,
We are really getting in the swing of things in the Roadrunner community. We are solidifying the procedures we learned the first week and introducing some new concepts!
Gathering time is filled with lots of big group lessons that in Montessori we call "grace and courtesy". The teaching of these lessons is often done with a lot of dramatic flair and employs returning children who know the routines to role model scenarios. They're a lot of fun! 
The orientation of the room and schedule of our day allows for free movement and lots of decision making opportunities. Within all this freedom, we spend a lot of time building the culture of our class at the beginning of a year. This provides the structure that the children need to be successful. These lessons fall into the category of grace and courtesy. Some examples of grace and courtesy lessons we are learning so far are:
how to pass through a tight space without bumping into others
how to push in a chair
how to ask for help (Elisabeth and I each have a "waiting chair")
when is it ok to interrupt and how to interrupt
how to wait for a turn working with a material
Grace and courtesy is especially important at the beginning of the school year, but these lessons show up all year long. I encourage you to ask your children about these lessons!
We learned a favorite poem this week that returning children are very familiar with, The Woodpecker by Elizabeth Madox Roberts. There are hand motions to go with it your child can show you.  
Warmly,
Melissa
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