It’s getting very Autumnal this week at The Children’s House! We’ll be talking about the changes that the season is bringing that the children can already notice in their world – e.g. leaves changing colour before they fall off the trees, weather getting colder, days getting shorter & nights getting longer….then we will do a little science experiment using a torch & a globe, showing how the different parts of the earth experience seasons as they orbit the sun throughout the year!

We will also be looking at apples – halving them to use for apple printing, but examining their insides before using them, & noticing the colour & shape of the insides, & the seeds we can see there. Following on from this we will be introducing a space for our nature table, & encouraging children to bring in items from their gardens, or from walks, to put on it. Also, at the end of the week we will be doing some relaxing yoga, a great habit to practice from an early age!!

Head Shoulders Knees & Toes

Head, shoulders, knees & toes, knees & toes,

Head, shoulders, knees & toes, knees & toes,

And eyes and ears and mouth and nose…

Head, shoulders, knees & toes, knees & toes!

Ceann Lámha Gluaine Cos

Ceann, lámha, gluaine, cos,

Ceann, lámha, gluaine, cos,

Agus súil agus cluas agus béal agus srón…

Ceann, lámha, gluaine, cos!

The first full week at The Children’s House is here, & it’s going to be a busy one! The children will be creating their own rules for the classroom (all part of the Montessori ethos of respect, care of self & care of the environment) – they will be asked to think about what might be needed in order to make their classes safe & happy for all, & what they decide on together will be written down, so they have ownership of these rules. They will then be displayed up on the wall for all to see & live by!

We will be practising how we walk slowly, talk quietly, carry chairs and trays in the classroom (refining gross motor movements). The children will also be starting their All About Me books – as part of this they will be measured to record their height at the start of the school year, which can then be compared to their height at the end of the year; they will also be doing self-portraits – very cute!! At the end of the week we will be doing Music & Movement, which is always a big hit with the children!

All Of Me!

My hands are for clapping,
My arms can hug tight,
My fingers can snap or turn out the light.
My legs are for jumping,
My eyes help me see,
This is my body & I love all of me!!

A very warm welcome to The Children’s House to all our wonderful new and returning children and their families!! We have a short week to settle everyone back in, and we will be focusing on getting to know each other, learning each others’ names, practising how we walk slowly and talk quietly in the classroom, and lots of songs, games, and fun activities in circle time – we really can’t wait to get to know the classes!

Circle Time Song

Hello everyone and how are you today?
We’ve come to our circle time to sing and laugh and play!
And when we’re up we’re up, and when we’re down we’re down,
And when we’re only halfway up we’re neither up nor down.
So roll your hands so slowly, and roll your hands so fast –
Give your hands a clap clap clap,
And place them on your lap lap lap!

Bumble Bee Song

Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Won’t you say your name for me?
Child’s name, child’s name,
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Won’t you say your name for me?
(Until each child has said their name)

Unbelievably, it’s the last few days of the school year already – what a fast year it’s been!!! We’ve had such a wonderful year with your fantastic children – thank you all so much firstly for entrusting us with your children, it’s been a real privilege to facilitate them in their learning, and secondly thank you for all your ongoing participation and support in that learning, and for all the input you’ve given to us in the school! We’ve had so many visits from family members – parents, grandparents, siblings – you’ve been a big part of your child’s year whether helping out with our school tour, sponsored walk, primary school visit, or coming into school to be part of your children’s day – it’s meant so much to the children as well as us staff, so thank you, as it has added hugely to all of our experiences this year!!

So onto this short week! We will be having lots of fun & games – musical statues, sports activities, yoga – and in between we’ll be spending precious time with your children before they head off for the summer; it’s not an easy thing to say goodbye to all the little people who are moving on to ‘big’ school after spending the last 2 years getting to know them and being part of their wonderful journey of growth & learning, but they’re ready for that step, and it’s an exciting time for them and for us all! We’re so happy to be welcoming a lot of children back for their second year in September, which is always some consolation! If you don’t have a child returning in the near future, we hope that you & your child will continue to visit any time – and this year we had several secondary school students on TY work experience who were ex-pupils of the Montessori, so there’s no excuses – we can always find a space for your children! ❤️❤️

The Children’s House will be closing on Wednesday 26th June for summer holidays,

re-opening Wednesday 28th August 

– have a wonderful summer everyone, and thanks for another wonderful year!!

Welcome to the last full week at The Children’s House – so hard to believe!!! This week we will be having lots of fun as we’ve got the legendary Angela from Super Smiley Parties coming on Thursday to do balloon twisting & make some wonderful creations for the children! We will also be having a dance party on Friday with streamers, & doing compliment circles with the children – encouraging them to praise each other & engage in positive thinking about themselves as well as others ❤️As well as this, we will be bringing those children who are finishing up in Montessori to visit the primary school here in Sallins, to see the classrooms & the layout of the school – we find it a really beneficial thing to do with the children. We then discuss the changes that will be happening for all the classes all next year, whether they are staying on with us in a different group of friends, or whether they are moving on to primary school somewhere – it’s all exciting changes for them, hard as it may be for us to say goodbye to those that are leaving!!

The Hokey Pokey

You put your right foot in, your right foot out,
Your right foot in & you shake it all about,
You do the Hokey Pokey & you turn around,
And that’s what it’s all about!

You put your left foot in…

You put your right hand in…

You put your left hand in…

You put your whole self in…

This week will be all about the men in our lives!! To celebrate Father’s Day on this coming Sunday, we will be celebrating the special men in our lives – not everyone might be lucky enough to have their dad around, but maybe an uncle or grandad or even a neighbour might be a positive person in their lives. The children will be making cards and pictures for those special men in their lives❤️❤️! We will also be doing our Barnardos Big Toddle this week, so it promises to be busy as well as fun!!

Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went swimming one day,
Over the hills and far away,
Mother duck went ‘quack, quack, quack, quack’,
And 1 little duck came waddling back!

Four little ducks…

Welcome to June everyone!!! It’s hard to believe it’s the last month of the year already, it’s really flown in! We’re going to make the most of these last weeks with your wonderful children, & this week we will be having fun with our water safety theme!! After the long weekend, the children will be doing sea shell painting, talking about water safety, doing water play & using the bubble machine outside in the garden. They will also be finishing their All About Me books & decorating their covers – finishing these books is a real end of year ritual!

Uisce Glé (Irish song)

Uisce, uisce, uisce glé,                                  Water, water, clear water,
Tá sé go deas,                                                 It is nice,
Is maith liom é!                                              I like it!

This week at The Children’s House we will be having a fun week celebrating summer, as well as having our Sports Day on Thursday!! The children will be doing sea shell painting, dressing up, & a lovely exercise of positive affirmations -it’s so important to get into the habit of being positive about yourself (something as adults we’re not always so good at!!), so we’ll be getting the children to listen to affirmations such as ‘I can do hard things’, ‘I am loved’, ‘I am kind to myself & others’, ‘I am beautiful inside & out’, ‘I am a problem solver’, ‘I love myself as I am’ – and choosing one to say about themselves, or to think of a different positive statement about themselves.

Five Little Flowers

Well it’s an exciting week ahead, as on Tuesday we’re going on our school tour to the Playbarn in Johnstown!! For the first time EVER, the 4 classes (the 2 morning sessions plus the 2 afternoon sessions) are going to be going at the same time – hope the teachers all get a good night’s sleep on Monday!!! So on Monday we will be pairing the children up into partners, revising our safety rules e.g. lining up, road safety, listening to instructions & safety on the bus, & also telling them which adult will be in charge of them; we are very grateful to all the parents who have volunteered to come with us, as without their help we wouldn’t be able to go on this sort of an adventure!!

As well as this, the children will be doing cooking & making delicious pizzas (yum!!), and on Friday they will be having a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, so don’t forget to let them bring in their favourite teddy/toy to have their picnic with at the end of the week!

Welcome back after last week’s break! We will be doing a lovely end of year project with the children this week, making Worry Dolls with them – this is a tradition that we do every year with the children; these are a traditional Guatemalan peg doll that the children can confide their worries in and the dolls are meant to take the worries away. We tell the children that they should always tell their parents/guardians/teachers about their worries, but if for instance they are awake in the middle of the night and need a bit of comfort, the worry dolls are a lovely support ❤️❤️

As well as this, we will be looking at the primary colours & colour mixing – making orange from red & yellow, green from yellow & blue, & purple from blue & red. Then at the end of the week on Friday we will be holding a Pyjamas Day, where the children can come into school in their pyjamas, which will be great fun – it’s always a favourite activity towards the end of the year! The children are welcome to bring in their favourite book with them on the day.

May Poem

May is the month of sunshine & flowers,
Birds in their nests, & one or two flowers,
Games to play & kites to fly, or just looking at the sky,
We could spend a year this way, if the year was made of May!