Hello Cedar families, please enjoy our February blog! The following were the themes we focused on this month. 

Asia

We talked about Asia – depicted by yellow in the Montessori map of continents. It is the largest one among the continents, made up of 48 different countries with people who have a variety of skin tones , different languages, religions, and cultures.   

Chinese culture

We talked about traditional Chinese foods, customs, and arts. Children learned to use chopsticks to transfer the noodles (yarn) from the Chinese to-go container to another, and to serve tea with the tea set.  It is the year of the Dragon Year this year.  We learned the story of the New Year and how Chinese people celebrate it over a two-week period.  We explored different materials and activities with visual and hands-on experiences and enjoyed the rice noodle dish we made together.

Thanks to Lisa, Adeline’s mom, for giving us a presentation on both Hong Kong and Vietnam.  We learned where they are located on the map and some of their similarities and differences. Both have big red backgrounds on their flags, but one has a flower and the other has a star in the middle. Also, their dress styles looked similar in appearance but there are differences, especially due to climate. Because of the different climates, Vietnam uses lighter fabric and has a higher slit, and Hong Kong is colder and therefore uses thicker material.  She also read stories about how people prepare themselves to greet the coming of the new year and the story of the Chinese Zodiac.  In the end, the children got some treats: stickers, a tangerine, haw flakes, a red envelope, and a rabbit candy to take home. 

India

Thank you to Eden’s grandmother and mom, Pia, and Ishaan’s mom, Nitya for giving us a presentation on India. “Namaste”, is the first word we learned, a manner of greeting by placing both palms together and bowing the head slightly while saying “Namaste”. 

There are many important holidays like Holi and Divali celebrated in India. Holi is the festival of colors that happens in March; people throw natural colored dyes, which are made out of different kinds of dried flower petals.  Divali is the festival of light that happens in November; people use Mehndi to make beautiful designs on their hands and feet and draw colorful designs of rangoli on the floor or ground.  

Music and dance are of great importance within Indian culture. Dance tells different ancient stories depending on the movements and styles of dancers. Tabla is the most commonly played drum in Indian music. We learned that the black round spot on the drum is called Syahi, which helps improve the resonance of the drum. 

The traditional dress for women is the saree, and for men the mundu with a shirt.  Nitya demonstrated how to wear a dhoti for men and boys – with a single piece of rectangular cloth tied carefully around the waist and extending down to cover most of the leg.

Spices play a crucial role in the taste and aroma of Indian food.  We smelled turmeric, black pepper, bay leaves, cardamom, and more. 

Indian architecture is rich and diverse. Taj Mahal is one of the most famous Indian landmarks. 

Yoga, a popular practice nowadays, originated in ancient India.  We learned about Rickshaws or Tuk-tuks, the three-wheeled form of transportation popular in India. We had fun singing the song “The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk All Through the Town.”  Nitya also treated us all to a beautiful shining Bindi.

Iran

Samira, Kian’s mom started by playing lively Persian music and talked about the old culture of Iran 5000 years ago. We learned about the country’s geography, landscapes, and architecture.  Their worldly famously handmade tiles and rugs are precious cultural heritage.  We smelled the saffron and rose water that people use for baking, and learned the national fruit–pomegranate. We also learned about the big structures of the ancient Persian refrigerators built for food storage in the hot, dry desert climate. Samira printed everyone’s name in Farsi which it’s read right to left. We cooked Tahdig, the crispy, caramelized rice on the bottom of the pot, and coconut dessert.

Friendship Day

We celebrated Friendship Day on Valentine’s Day. There were many heart-related activities in the classroom for children to explore. Everyone decorated their own friendship bag and received handmade art from their friends, showing how much they love and care about their friends and their relationships. We also made Japanese-styled fruit sandwiches with bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. They tasted so soft and sweet just like our friendship.😉

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Saul’s 4th birthday. Fiona’s 5th birthday we celebrated- just a few days before her baby sister Magnolia Rose was born. 

Inside Time

Outside Time