What can we learn about friendship from the goby fish and the pilot shrimp? Quite a lot, it turns out! Afternoon learners are finishing their study of coral reefs with a focus on symbiotic relationships. Animals like the goby fish and the pilot shrimp keep each other safe and provide access to food by helping each other out in special ways. 

Just like the goby fish and the pilot shrimp, learners help each other in many ways. Group time is one of the times that learners share how they are helping each other. This morning an older learner told the studio, “I helped [a younger learner] put his backpack in his cubby.” Younger learners love to help in a number of ways, such as bringing a pencil or material to a friend during the work period, or holding the gate open for other learners to enter the playground.  

As part of the Montessori curriculum, we offer many group “grace and courtesy” lessons to help the learners develop prosocial skills and learn how to be a friend and a peaceful member of the community. We often introduce grace and courtesy lessons through role-playing, and invite each learner to take a turn practicing what to do and say in different scenarios. Children learn to ask questions such as “Would you like some help?” or “Excuse me, could you help me?” or “Could I use that when you are finished?”

At Acton Academy, we showcase our learning during exhibitions. Instead of proving what they have learned through test-taking, learners have the opportunity to show their family and friends what they have learned through a creative event. At previous exhibitions, learners have invited guests to solve crimes, play custom-designed games, view published books, evaluate artwork, and listen to persuasive speeches. 

Acton exhibitions are learner-driven affairs. For our first exhibition of the year, learners had to get creative with technology to virtually walk their parents through the different stages of Build the Tribe Quest. Because Build the Tribe does not culminate in a final, physical product, learners demonstrated the success of their quest by showcasing the community they have built and commitments they have made to each other. 

Never help a child at a task at which he feels he can succeed.

— Dr. Maria Montessori

As Montessorians, we are looking for every opportunity to empower children to be independent.  A child’s self-confidence arises when she genuinely masters a challenging task. In the last week we have seen many beaming faces showing us deepening self-confidence and independence.  From the new child who overcame her fear of climbing the two big steps to the sink, to the returning learner who composes new words independently with the moveable alphabet, to the kindergartener who counted all the way to 125 on the bead chain, all showed the same pride when they realized they could accomplish something they couldn’t do before!

When we set up the studio before school starts, we are always thinking about how the environment sets learners up for independence. Are the towels to wipe up spills available in an accessible place for a child? Is the paper on the top shelf within reach so a child can get it himself without asking for help? The underlying question we are always asking is: are we setting up children to be dependent on us or independent?  

If you were a fly on the wall in the studio this week, or indeed any week of the year, you would see learners engaged in an activity unique to Montessori environments: taking out a rolled up mat, unrolling it on the floor, getting a work out, doing the work on the mat, then returning the work to the shelf, carefully rolling up the mat, and putting the mat away. This process is called the work cycle, and it is the basic unit of activity in the studio.

The work cycle asks a lot of new learners. They have to learn and remember where objects are in the environment; remember the sequence of an activity, including how to set up before beginning something; and keep their attention on a particular task all the way through clean-up. One young learner this week took out a tray with materials that she wanted to work with, and then wondered how she would be able to get out a mat since her hands were full. She learned that she needed to do one thing at a time in a different order. She put the tray back, got out a mat, and then retrieved the tray. This was an experience of delayed gratification and problem solving. This week in the studio, the older children challenged themselves to roll up their mats so tightly that the mats could stand upright by themselves. The younger learners watched this feat of fine motor skills and coordination, and it gave them extra motivation to practice.

We welcomed learners back into the studio under some different and still exciting circumstances. On the first day, the learners demonstrated their ability to adapt to, and thrive with our new way of learning. Many learners recommended their own best practices for how we can stay safe while still having fun. 

We dedicated the first week to emphasizing the importance of building the studio community and introducing learners to Acton’s unique qualities. Learners spent time familiarizing themselves with our space and each other through fun games outside, hero board activities, and thoughtful discussions about the Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is an important metaphor at Acton. Learners begin to imagine themselves as the heroic protagonist in their own journey in life. 

New learners, with the help of returning ones, are working towards several certifications in studio maintenance and processes such as sweeping and doing the dishes. Both Acton elementary studios began regular core skills in the morning. This included practice getting into flow, or getting in the “zone,” as well as the introduction of civilization, where we explore questions such as “Why do some civilizations rise while others fall?” and “How do you know which version of history is true?” 

Over the last couple of weeks of Acton from Home, Acton Elementary has had a tradition of scavenger hunts following discussions throughout the day or after close. These scavenger hunts initially began with guides asking all learners to find objects meeting certain criteria, for example, “blue and round.” However, learners quickly took the reins of the scavenger hunts, making more and more complex criteria for items, such as “multi-colored and oval-shaped” or “purple and from nature.”

Over time, we began to see that learners were taking this scavenger hunt framework and turning it into an opportunity to share pieces of their lives with the group. When one learner asked everyone to find a metal disk, another learner quickly pulled out a coin from Romania, wanting to tell the group about the currency and her connection to that country. Another learner challenged the group to find and share a favorite t-shirt, resulting in each learner (and guide!) explaining the favorite shirt’s significance.

Then the challenges became even more specific and geared toward sharing objects of significance or connected to passions. One learner challenged the group to find something three feet long and carved out of wood, and since no other learner had an item that fit the description, that learner took the group on a virtual tour of his workshop, culminating in a view of his brand new longboard that he carved and put together himself. Another used the scavenger hunt opportunity to take the group through his home and outside to share the stash of walking sticks that he plans to turn into a booth for the business fair. 

Self-care is a phrase we often hear, especially now as individuals and families navigate a new set of routines and expectations. Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Effective and consistent self-care is key to a positive mood and mindset in both individuals as well as groups of people such as families. It can also improve relationships with oneself and with others.

In the Montessori studio at Acton Academy, the learners practice self-care in a variety of ways. Many of the practical life activities that take place in the studio fall into the category of “care of self” and are generally aimed at meeting the physical needs of the children. Examples include handwashing, food prep (such as tea making and apple slicing), independent dressing (putting articles of clothing such as shoes, gloves, and coats on and taking them off), and physical movement activities, such as yoga, that address the child’s physical as well as mental and emotional health. 

The learners also practice mental and emotional self-care in the studio. This occurs through singing, dancing, arts and crafts projects, reading, and breathing exercises (such as “the candle and the flower” demonstrated here). The learners also have opportunities for self-reflection. The studio’s library is the perfect location for this as it is designed to welcome one child at a time. 

Here are some self-care activities that your child can do at home:

This week the studio reconvened after a relaxing and rejuvenating break, jumping back in with a tough question: what is the difference between effort and motivation? Learners agreed there was a difference, but that effort and motivation often feed into one another. One learner posited that effort involves more of a constant push toward a goal, while motivation centers around passion and excitement for an activity. Another learner added to this idea with an example from sports, saying that effort is important during practice and matches, but that the motivation changes and ramps up when you are facing an opponent and the stakes are higher.

Learners then turned to the question of whether effort or motivation is more important in life. Though most agreed a combination of effort and motivation is necessary to achieve goals, when asked to take a stand and pick the more important of the two, learners were split. Some argued that motivation is more important because it can make you want to put in more effort, while others responded that it’s more important to focus on effort because motivation is sometimes difficult to find for certain activities.

Throughout Quest and Writer’s Workshop this week, learners faced challenges that required consistent effort while also leaving room to find deeper motivation. For instance, on Tuesday learners were tasked with adding to their world cartography factbook as they ventured to Europe. While learners were tasked with researching coordinates, major cities, languages, and political leaders, the country within Europe that they conducted this research about was entirely up to them. Further, if they chose, learners were challenged to dive deeper and research border disputes between their chosen nation and its neighbors. One learner found an article about border disputes having to do with native reindeer populations.

While verbal communication and the use of kind and respectful spoken messages are modeled and encouraged in the Montessori studio at Acton Academy, the learners and guides also convey messages to one another nonverbally through various modes of silent communication. These methods can be useful and beneficial in a variety of situations at home as well as in the school setting. For instance, these tools can be used when working with a pre-verbal or nonverbal child, communicating with a child who speaks another language, encouraging children to preserve the silence and peace around them, and promoting ways to get an adult’s or another child’s attention without interrupting.

Reading to and with your children starting from infancy can have a profound effect on their development. Studies strongly suggest that early reading with children is directly linked to language and vocabulary acquisition, social-emotional development, preparation for academic success, improved focus and concentration, increased creativity and imagination, and the child’s bond with their caretakers.