OUR MONTESSORI WAYS OF BEING, DOING AND KNOWING

Manners and Courtesy, Respect/Kindness, Order, Independence, Responsibility, Care for Environment (kaitiakitanga)

Maria Montessori has many wonderful quotes, and the above goes some way toward explaining why we have our ways of being, doing and knowing. We know each of our STARS are capable of many things, and instilling in them the knowledge and skills to fully embrace this are what we do here (plus much more!).

Therefore, our focus this month has been to ensure we are not only being the best role models, but giving our tamariki (especially our new STARS), plenty of opportunities to gain, strengthen and demonstrate their understanding of this concept.

This enables our STARS to feel confident in themselves, their abilities and their place in our world – and how they can be the change they want to see 🌎❤

During this month we also had an additional important focus – the wonderful celebration of Matariki (the Māori New Year). 

Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of stars which is visible in our night sky at a specific time of the year. It is a time to celebrate new life, to remember those who have passed and to plan for the future. It is also a great time to spend with whānau and friends – to enjoy kai (food), waiata (song), tākaro (games) and haka. We did plan to have a shared kai with all of our whānau, but unfortunately illness necessitated we cancel to keep everyone as safe and healthy as can be 😷❤ Our tamariki learned all about this special and significant time of the year, and participated in many activities, stories and waiata throughout the month.

Here are some photos of many of the experiences we shared during this month:

Another action packed, chock-a-block, super fun and full of learning month! 😃Opportunities and possibilities. What’s next?

This has been such a wonderful month where we have explored, understood and demonstrated our Montessori ways of being, doing and knowing – we will absolutely continue on with encouraging this with our tamariki. In particular, we will be focusing on the aspects of Grace and Courtesy, as well as Order.

 Grace and Courtesy is a necessary part of Montessori education, because it helps tamariki develop and refine the lifelong skills of communication and self-control. With these important lessons, tamariki can better orient themselves in any environment and feel confident about asking questions and participating in society. No wonder Maria Montessori often stated:

“A child who becomes a master of his acts through repeated exercises of grace and courtesy, and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy.”