Term 3 - Week 10

On Monday and Wednesday, groups of children enjoyed looking at the new human skeleton job.

Several families stayed for lunch after Monday's session - the last session for Sarah, Ruby and Eleanor before they move to Perth! After lunch, there was a flurry of brooms, brushes and sponges as the children cleaned up. It was great to see them caring for their environment with such enthusiasm.

There was a good turn-out on the last day of term as we packed up the class and moved everything in preparation for classroom renovations. It was a huge job clearing everything off the carpeted area - many thanks to all who helped.

Term 3 - Week 8

Carmelina attended an encouraging and inspiring talk by Dr Steven Hughes at Beehive Montessori on the night of Monday 7 September and kindly provided us with a summary of his talk in our newsletter. The slide shows from his talk can be viewed at the website http://www.goodatdoingthings.com/ , though it is somewhat difficult to imagine what some of the slides represent without the explanations! Apparently you can also view a podcast of the entire talk from the website - has anyone had success with viewing this?

Inspired by the classroom at Beehive, on Friday Carmelina presented an art activity of finger painting flowers and introduced parts of the seed.

Saturday was more busy than usual, with the participants of the library workshops attending and a few members doing a make-up session.

Term 3 - Visit to Dolphin Discovery Centre

Several families gathered together on Thursday 3 September to visit the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury. The children enjoyed touching the shells decorating the display stands and were fascinated by the skeleton of the dolphin, though the biggest attractions were the touchpool and the loggerhead turtles. The little loggerhead turtles are in rehabilitation at the centre after being washed ashore on the beaches around Bunbury, and will be returned to warmer waters around Shark Bay once they are strong enough. It was interesting to watch the volunteer staff feed the turtles.

The weather held off for a relaxed morning tea picnic on the lawn outside the centre. The children played in the cosy playground and the mums enjoyed having a chat.

Many thanks to Renee for organising the event - a good choice for Biodiversity Month, which is held in September every year and aims to promote the importance of protecting, conserving and improving biodiversity (the "web of life") worldwide.

Term 3 - Week 1 - ECU Visit

On the first Thursday of Term 3, a group of Edith Cowan University students in the final year of their teaching degree visited our classroom to learn more about Montessori education.

The morning started with Leah giving an informal talk on general Montessori information. The students then split into small groups and tried out selected equipment themselves, guided by the manuals.














After working with the materials for a while, the students explored the classroom.

One student emerged from the practical life area saying he'd just had a profound experience with a child, and recommended other students take a look. Michael (2.5 years) was absorbed in the transfer of beads, and a few students gathered to watch him.

Thanks to Leah for her efforts in coordinating the visit, and Sandy, who looked after the children.