*The third of three blog posts about the Montessori Small Bead Frame. The Small Bead Frame is an arithmetic material which helps a child move toward an abstract understanding of mathematical operations.  Addition, subtraction and multiplication equations are solved using this material.   The Small Bead Frame The Small Bead Frame is introduced at either the end of the Montessori casa program (ages 3 to 6 years) or at the beginning of the Montessori lower elementary program (ages 6 to 9 years).  Work with the Golden Beads Decimal System material   T ..read more

Each December, we count ourselves lucky that Santa takes the time to visit our little yellow school.  Santa always tells us that Christmas would simply not be Christmas without a visit to our school.  Last year, December 2020, covid kept Santa from visiting yet he, Mrs. Claus and those rascally elves sent us a special delivery of treats from the North Pole.  The elves made gingerbread cookies and Mrs. Claus made us face masks to help keep us safe from covid.  They are always thinking about us. December 2020 Treats From the North Pole North Pole Treats ..read more

Halloween is an exciting time at our little yellow school.  The children and teachers enjoy everything about our Halloween celebration - songs, stories, crafts, pumpkin carving, treats for our friends and dressing up for our big party! At our little yellow school we especially love books!  Here are some of our favourite Halloween stories for the spooky season.  They are not too scary and just perfect for our little ghouls and goblins. Gustavo The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago Gustavo is such an adorable little ghost who loves doing the things that ghosts do.  The ..read more

This month the children at our little yellow school have been experiencing holiday traditions from around the world.  A game my extended Italian family and I looked forward to playing every Christmas was Tombola.  My Family's Much Loved Super Tombola Game (circa the mid-1980s) Playing Tombola on La Vigilia Di Natale (Christmas Eve) is a must for Italians living in Italy and around the world.   As Maria Montessori was Italian, Tombola was most likely part of her family's Christmas celebrations.   Dr. Montessori Tombola is a game similar ..read more

Sink or Float is such a popular piece of work at our little yellow school.  While on an Autumn walk around our school grounds, the children collected some items for an Autumn Themed Sink or Float.  (Sometimes the children call this work 'Sink or Swim'.) Autumn Themed Sink or Float The children took turns dropping items into the tub of water. There was much discussion over whether the gourd and the pumpkin would float.  Will they?  Scroll down to find out! Our first student grew the gourd he is dropping into the tub in his own garden! A gourd grown by this s ..read more

Looking for a healthy seasonal snack?  Let the children at our little yellow school show you how to roast pumpkin seeds! After carving your pumpkin, separate the seeds from the pulp.  Rinse the seeds with water and air dry on wax or parchment paper. Salt, clean pumpkin seeds and olive oil. Place dry seeds in a bowl.   Drizzle some olive oil over top. Drizzle olive oil. Drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle with a tad of salt. Sprinkle a tad of salt. Sprinkle a tad of salt. Stir well to coat the seeds. Stir. Stir ..read more

*The second of three blog posts about the Montessori Small Bead Frame. The Small Bead Frame is an arithmetic material which helps a child move toward an abstract understanding of mathematical operations.  Addition, subtraction and multiplication equations are solved using this material.   The Small Bead Frame The Small Bead Frame is introduced at either the end of the Montessori casa program (ages 3 to 6 years) or at the beginning of the Montessori lower elementary program (ages 6 to 9 years).  Work with the Golden Beads Decimal System material  Solving ..read more

The 2020 - 2021 school year will be one that we won't soon forget.  The covid-19 pandemic came in to our lives and altered our world.   At our little yellow school, we had a very happy and healthy school year.  This school year provided us with the opportunity for our school community to come together and be thankful for the large and small in our lives.  Although we were socially distanced, we were closer than ever.  Everyone worked together and did their part to ensure a healthy school year for the children.  The children were the stars of our year.&nb ..read more

* The first of three blog posts about the Montessori Small Bead Frame. The Small Bead Frame is an arithmetic material which helps a child move toward an abstract understanding of mathematical operations.  Addition, subtraction and multiplication equations are solved using this material.   The Small Bead Frame The Small Bead Frame is introduced toward the end of the Montessori casa program (ages 3 to 6 years) or at the beginning of the Montessori lower elementary program (ages 6 to 9 years).  Work with the Golden Beads (Decimal System material) and the Stamp Game ..read more

The children at our little yellow school take great delight in exploring the natural world.  In our little corner of the world, we are so fortunate to experience the four seasons.  The Seasons/Les Saisons As Fall changes to Winter, many things are changing all around us.  Let's discover them! For the children, winter means one thing - SNOW!  As the temperature dipped, we were rewarded with a bounty of the most amazing and beautiful snow! Beautiful Snow! How fun it is to work together with our friends to make snow friends! The little animal ..read more