January–II

Hello Cedar families, our focus in the past two weeks were fish–the first vertebrate and the continent of South America.

Fish

We learned about different kinds of fish. Some have patterns like stripes or dots. Also, some fish live alone, and some live in groups. We studied the parts of a fish like the tail, fin, gills, and scales. We also talked about the diets of fish, and how they protect themselves through either traveling in a school or camouflaging or blending in with their environment. We also talked about some fish that live in freshwater such as rivers and lakes some are in saltwater or called marine fish. We talked about how we can take care of the fish in our classroom. We feed them everyday, clean the fish tank so they have clean water, and we never tap the fish tank so they can feel safe and happy. Many fish-related activities are prepared to allow children to explore. Finally, we made aquarium crafts.

South America

South America is the pink continent on the Montessori map. We talked about there being different countries on the continent and mainly Spanish speaking. We explored some instruments like rain sticks, pan flute, Quena flute, and chajchas, shakers made out of goat’s toenails, and traditional dolls. Their traditional fabric or clothing is with bright colors and special patterns. We also learned potatoes are from Peru originally, and there have over 4,000 varieties. We got some different kinds of potatoes to cook and taste. Children were washing, brushing, and cutting them. After seasoning, we baked them.

Ecuador

Thanks to Paulina (Nicola’s mom) for giving us a presentation about Ecuador! We learned that Ecuador is a geographically and culturally megadiverse country. People there are of indigenous, European, and African heritage. There are many volcanoes (22), most of them active. The famous Galapagos islands have animals like blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, seals, and giant tortoises. Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest contains one of the most wildlife-rich regions in the world. The most popular food in Ecuador is ceviche, and they also produce lots of potatoes, corn, plantain, and quinoa. Paulina also showed us her poncho, a traditional piece of clothing that keeps the body warm. We examined a long instrument with beautiful carvings on it and a colorful belt. Finally, we tried some savory snacks of corn, fava beans, plantain, and bananas. Yummy!