The Upper Elementary and Adolescent classes engaged in a wonderful outdoor program with Earth Village Education in Marshall on Monday, October 16, 20017. The program was lead by Kevin and McNeal who are fabulous outdoor educators. Read more
Sculpture Collection:
Wednesday, Oct 4th, the Adolescent class was invited to walk the grounds of St. Bride’s Farm to view their sculpture collection. The collection is vast and each piece is both artistically and physically impressive. Read more
Every year the Adolescent class goes on an Odyssey trip in the beginning of the year. The purpose of an Odyssey trip is so that we can bond as a class as the year begins and share time exploring sites and living together for a few days. This year our first day was rainy so we altered our plans and adjusted to the weather by spending it at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Many students have family members who served with the Marines at various times.The museum was incredibly informative and all had fun and learned a lot.
The adolescent students, ten in all, raised hogs, lambs and goats, to participate in this livestock event. It is the culmination of many months of hard work. Read more
The Adolesc
ent group got an early start on spring break by taking in the beautiful blooming trees and flowers at the Virginia State Arboretum in Blandy, VA. The students used the self-guided materials to explore the park and enjoyed an al fresco lunch.
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The adolescent class of Mountainside Montessori School went on their Odyssey Camping Trip on September 14th. When they got there they started setting up the camp, and Rachael said, “Everyone be quiet”. There was a little kitten sitting right behind everyone. Everyone tried to get a little closer, but the cat kept on hissing and moving back into the bushes. Zoe suggested giving him food. The students gave the cat pepperoni for the first time, and he loved it. We also gave him tuna salad! That night he decided to stick around for dinner. For dinner he was served fresh hamburger, and then he ran into the forest. He came back later that evening while everyone was playing charades, and watched from a distance.
The Odyssey Trip is a key component of the Montessori adolescent program academic and social experience. The goal of the Odyssey Trip is to provide a rich educational experience for the students with a focus on learning and bonding. The students focus on team-building, decision making, communication and cooperation skills, in a beautiful natural environment. These experiences provide the much-needed element of “bonding” as a community. The students live and work together for extended periods of time, which gives them the opportunity to forge strong working relationships with their peers. Read more
Since there was no school on Monday because of Columbus Day, the first day of the week was on Tuesday instead. Everybody got to school and got off to a good start. All of the chores were done and everybody got to work. An exciting part of today, however, was meeting the baby goats that had been born just this past weekend. I cannot exaggerate how much our classroom loves baby goats. Who doesn’t? They’re cute, furry, and always fun to play with.
At Mountainside, the students run a small chicken operation, and work hard to sustain its economic viability. They sell eggs to the parents and feed the chickens scraps from their lunch boxes. They do basic accounting to track their profits and, in some months, their losses.
These chickens have enriched our lives and provided many educational opportunities for our children. They also work much better than speed bumps as they free range around the parking lot! Read more