Ready to Read

As the snow swirled, we sat with tea and coffee, sorting books. We flipped through books about bats and whales, about the universe and things so tiny we can only see them with a microscope. We sorted with joy through a stack of oversized books of cross-sections, which fascinated us as children and continue to fascinate us now. And from the hundreds of books we looked at, we kept the best, starting to put them on shelves for children to explore.

In the coming weeks, we’ll look through fiction and perform a similar project there, keeping only what is most appealing to children and most appropriate for the world we live in. It’s important to us that every book in Hyacinth not only be interesting and beautiful, but lend itself to the projects of developing healthy identity, justice, and peace. We usually favor books with illustrations of people to books with illustrations of animals; nonfiction with photographs to nonfiction with illustrations; and books that show and celebrate the diversity of our world.

Let us know if you or your child have any favorites!

The Many Faces of Geography

Geography in a Montessori classroom is about so much more than what to find where on Earth. It’s about the interplay of people and place, the work of air and water, and the ways goods and resources move. It’s not separate from geology, or biology, or history. Instead, it’s the place where all of these subjects intersect.

Something interesting to notice with children is where the foods we eat and the things we use originate. A look at a label can introduce the concept that many of our day-to-day essentials come to us from far away. It’s interesting to find those places on a map, and to talk, in an age-appropriate way, about why so much of what we eat and use is not grown or made nearby.

In the elementary, we develop this into consciousness of the international trade and labor practices that make our lives possible—as well as the questions of justice, fairness, and equity that play into the choices people can make. We also develop gratitude for the many, many unknown people whose work we rely on each day.

Coming Up

Two of our last three shipments of furniture and materials are on their way! That means it’s time to move everything to its final place. And it means it’s time to move our book overflow out of the school building. We are exploring options for what to do with our excess books, including places that are accepting donations. We’ve already sorted out anything that is too outdated or damaged to read, but we’re left with many duplicates and books that are too old or young for elementary. If you know of a community organization looking for book donations, please let us know!

As mentioned last week: starting in April, we’ll be hosting weekly Walk-In Wednesdays, when you’re welcome to visit the school during the day and see our (close to) complete space. We’ll host on-site events to welcome the community. And we’ll happily accept visits by appointment. Keep an eye on our social media and your email for more information!