Happy February, Spruce families!

After Winter Break, the children returned to the classroom excited to see their friends and dive into new works. We welcomed a few new children last month and it has been so sweet to watch them join the community! This past month, we started a unit on peacemakers. We are focusing on three levels: how to feel peaceful in your own heart, how to bring peace to our classroom and school community, and how we and others can spread the message of peace to the world.

For the first level, we have introduced some guided meditations from the book “Breathe Like a Bear” by Kira Willey. We’ve talked about tools we can use to calm our bodies when we are having big feelings, like taking deep breaths, getting a drink of water, or doing some movements that activate our big muscles. We added a small “calming corner” to our classroom as a place where we can “take space” if we need it.

For the second level, we talked about how we can all be peacemakers in our classroom by going over our ground rules again: using walking feet, using inside voices, using gentle hands with bodies and materials, not disrupting others’ work. We have also formally introduced a basic conflict resolution model using a classic Montessori material: the peace rose. This is a tangible item that children can hold when they take turns talking to resolve a conflict. We are practicing using “I” statements to communicate our feelings and asking for what we need.

For the third level, we are learning about some peacemakers from around the world. We are trying to focus on one per continent. So far, we have learned about Mahatma Gandhi (Asia), Martin Luther King Jr. (North America), and Adolfo Perez Esquivel (South America). These peacemakers all stood up for human rights through non-violence and shared their message with the world. In the coming weeks, we will be talking about Wangari Maathai (Africa), Greta Thunberg (Europe), Jacinda Ardern (Oceania), and Maria Montessori (Europe). In addition to sharing some of their major achievements in our lessons, we are also trying to share stories of how they inspired peace when they were children. Hearing these stories may help empower our learners with the knowledge that they can bring peace to the world even now.

Beyond our peacemakers unit, the classroom has been a steady buzz of activity: lots of tea making, button sewing, reading lessons, and more! We can’t wait to see what the next month brings. Thank you all for sharing your sweet children with us. Every day with them is a gift!

Warmly,
Lydia and Cydnie