It’s raining BUGS! As the weather starts to warm and spring approaches, this month we will be getting outside and soaking in all nature has to offer and heading to the continent of South America with the amazing Amazon rainforest filled with so much amazing nature! We spent the past month learning about caring for our bodies, and this month we will be learning about caring for our environment. We will be focusing on work choices such as table and chair washing, sweeping, and other more guided activities to maintain the cleanliness and beauty of the classroom environment. We will have a dishwashing activity out, as well as a toy washing activity in place of the baby doll washing we did last month. We will be focusing on responsibility and taking care of our belongings. We will continue to focus on classroom jobs and every student playing their role in the classroom community. Along with caring for our classroom, we will also focus on care of the outdoor environment through learning about plants and insects and building a deeper connection to nature. These activities will include plant watering, plant leaf washing, flower arranging with fresh flowers, and gardening. Along with getting outside into nature, we will bring the outdoors into the classroom through our nature themed sensory bin and planting seeds to observe the germination process and watch plants grow in the classroom. We will have the Montessori parts of a flower and parts of a tree puzzles out as well as plant and insect matching and sorting activities and taking a closer look at different types of insects. Later in the month, we will also watch the life cycle of live caterpillars as they build chrysalises and transform into butterflies. Going along with caring for the environment and responsibility, we will be working on our fish tank and getting it ready for some new aquarium pets. Our food prep activity and “ants on a log”. The students will chop celery, spread sun butter on the celery, and place raisins on the celery as a fun take on our insect theme this month.
For Our larger science unit this month all about nature, we will be exploring plants versus animals and the characteristics of each. We will also be exploring the categories of animals,
starting with invertebrates. This month the students will learn what an invertebrate is and some different types. Going along with our investigation of plants and bugs, throughout March we will be traveling to the continent of South America to explore the Amazon rainforest for our geography unit! We will learn about the different animals that live in the rainforest such as poison dart frogs, black caiman, emerald tree boas, green iguanas, giant anteaters, tapirs, capybaras, macaws, toucans, harpy eagles, jaguars, howler monkeys, and so many other unique animals. We will have out rainforest animal matching and sorting activities as well as various books that show real pictures of the Amazon and all of the interesting things that live there! We will talk about each layer of the rainforest, the different features of each, and the animals that live there. There will be a work available in which the students have to sort animals by the layer of the rainforest that they live in. Miss Monica has traveled to the rainforest and brought back puzzles handcrafted by rainforest wood that the children will be able to explore this month!
For our environmental study this month to help the students develop a Montessori mindset and awareness of our earth and how to protect it, we will be talking about deforestation. We will learn how cutting down the trees and not taking care of our environment can displace people and animals from their homes and harm our world. We will be specifically discussing the causes and effects of this in the rainforest. We will be brainstorming some ways we can help contribute to preserving our earth and continuing building the cosmic awareness of how all living things relate to one another. We will bring awareness to all our earth gives to us, and our responsibility to preserve our environment in return. To continue to connect the real world aspects of Montessori education, we will have Insectropolis visiting our classrooms March 11th to show our students real bugs and other invertebrates!
Special dates to remember this month. Our Glow Party will be Saturday March 9th, so don’t forget to sign up and buy your tickets! We will be discussing the history of St. Patrick’s Day this month, and we will have a special St. Patrick’ Day snack on Monday, the 18th. Conferences will be March 11th through March 15th and March 18th through March 22nd. We will have OFF Friday, March 29th through Friday, April 5th for the Easter holiday and spring break.
Songs for circle this month
Layers of the Rainforest:
Rainforest Layers:
Invertebrates Song: to the tune of “Oh Christmas Tree”
- Invertebrates invertebrates, You poor things have no backbone
- Invertebrates invertebrates, you poor things have no backbone
- No backbone for a sponge or worm no backbone for echinoderm
- Invertebrates invertebrates, you poor things have no backbone
- Oh arthropod and jellyfish and mollusk it won’t do to wish
- Invertebrates invertebrates, you poor things have no backbone
Bug’n Roll:
Ladybug Ladybug:
Movement Songs
The Ants Go Marching (1-5):
Reminders:
- March tuition due at your earliest convenience!
- Glow Dance March 9th! Please purchase your tickets and make your donations through venmo @RMA20, cash, or check.
- Presentation March 11
- Monday, March 18th St. Patrick’s Day snack!
- Easter Celebration March 28
- CONFERENCES week of March 11th to March 15th and March 18th through March 22nd
- NO SCHOOL Friday, March 29th through Friday, April 5th for Easter andSpring break