The school resumed as planned on January 6th, face-to-face in the classroom. One day it was predicted that it would snow even in the Kanto area; and taking the necessary precautions, the school was canceled.  But the storm front stayed away. While the Montessori children stayed at home, they were encouraged to draw a picture of an imaginary snow day, or a memorable day they would have in the snow. Some children wished for some snow so that they could make a big snowman like this one.  This picture was sent from my friend. The snowman looks warm with his hat and scarf, with a carrot nose and a big smile!  The friendly dog wants to play with him.

Although we wished for some snow that day, we know that spring is on its way.  If you look carefully at Sister Carmel’s Sakura tree near the Fine Arts building, you can already see the little buds coming out. They will soon open up to show their five pink petals!  Just wait and see.

Then, we went back to online-learning again from Jan.25th for at least two weeks.  Our goldfish miss the children during the Online Learning.  They love being greeted by the little ones as they come through the entrance after sanitizing their hands at the door.  Do the goldfish look a little sad and lonely to you?

We have two child-size skeleton diagrams in the classroom. Every bone has a special name. The children learned the names of the main bones:  skull, clavicle, humerus, rib cage, pelvis, femur (thigh bone, the longest and strongest bone), patella (knee bone), and so on.

Look at all these girls with braids!  Aren’t they pretty?

Some children are practicing how to braid with three yarns of different colors:  “Take the one on the side, bring it to the middle, take the other side, move it to the middle…”

Below is a timer. ” Wow, how does this work?  Look at all the bubbles moving!”

Thank you, Ms. Momo, for reading to us. We love storytime… 

And drawings on the marker board.  The children have great stories to tell about them; just ask.

The magnetics can make creative 3-D shapes. The younger children learn from observing the older children.

Snack time and lunchtime, and birthday treats are some favorite times of the day. “Look at me! I have tongari-cones on my phalanges (finger bones)!”

“What shall I eat first? Vegetables, rice, fish or… can I eat dessert first?”

We say our grace together before we eat, thanking God for the food we are about to enjoy.  “My lunch is too cute to eat up…”

The birthday child has treats to share with everyone in the classroom.
“Would you like one?” “Yes, please. Thank you, and happy birthday!”

Show and Tell:  “Does anybody have a question? Show me your hands.”

“Can you see the skeleton of the pig?

Sometimes, a child who brought a card game for “Show and Tell ” can teach the others how to play the game and in groups.

The Montessori bells have 8 bells, representing a full musical scale. Some children can play the songs that we had practiced for last year’s Christmas concert.  The virtual concert had to be postponed due to online learning.

“May we watch you?”

Children attempt to write a story using the Large Moveable Alphabet.

Some enjoy the Trinomial Cube:  “Yes, I did it this time!”

Some of the children will learn the names of the territories of Australia before pinning the map.

Hope that we can soon be with each other face-to-face again in the classroom. Please remember to keep your mask on when you go outside.  See you soon.