The birds are back in abundance and feeding constantly.Its so nice to watch them and every now and again the children fall silent as someone draws attention to blue tit ,great tit, goldfinch, coal tit ,chaffinch or green finch feeding on one of the many feeders outside the window. Little robin seems to be living in the hedge and we watch him peep out and fly over to the “fat balls”. Willy wagtail paces up and down on the path and 2 collared doves visit every day.Thrush and blackbird feed on the apples we put on the lawn.Winter is really  alive with all our beautiful garden birds. Once again, the little birds are loved and admired by all and every child can now recognize all of our garden birds.We have all the lovely owl projects on the wall and have now started a garden bird project.Each child has chosen a different bird so we learn from each other and for ever more that particular bird will become his bird. Their observation skills are enhanced as they watch the birds feed noting difference in beaks,colour and size.It gives me such joy when one asks the question “why”when observing anything in the environment.The most important thing for me is to nurture the sense of awe and wonder in little children and I have no doubt that if one can create the respect for all living creatures great and small ,that we will have wonderful citizens for the future.

We were truly blessed this year with a warm September and  a delightfully sunny October. We made the most of it and spent much time outdoors. The excitement of finding and examining little creatures with the magnifying glass was the highlight of many of these days.Worms and snails became their best friends and these tiny creatures found it hard to escape little fingers and sharp eyes.Words like “invertebrate” and “vertebrate” have become part of everyday vocabulary as the little children absorb new language so easily. We watched the Autumn leaves on the sycamore,ash ,birch and beech change colour and fall to the ground as the Season slowly moved on.We tasted the last of the raspberries in the garden and delighted in the smells in the herb garden.The children played games and had fun with hoola hoops and every day was special.

Winter has arrived and we are now confined to the classroom as wind and rain beat down. However,last week a  blue tit appeared at the window and seemed to be asking for his nuts and seeds! We filled the feeders and it didn t take long before tits,chaffinches and gold finches appeared. The children work happily whilst observing the birds on the feeders and they enrich all of us as we discuss them.Once again,there is an owl project in progress and Mums and Dads are excelling in the beautiful work that they are producing!The owls never fail in arousing the interest of even the smallest child into the world of birds and for many of them,I hope, that it may lead to a life long love affair with birds!!

On one of the first days in September,a little robin landed on the top of the garden slide.I opened the school door and invited the children to come quietly over to see him. All gathered to watch the little robin.I then picked up our little robin(from the IWBC) and pressed his tummy and he sang as robins do.I told the children that we had to stay very quiet and watch and maybe the garden robin would sing back.After a little while, with children and robin  eyeing each other up and down,garden robin answered!  The delight in all the little faces when robin sang back was  a joy to behold and one of those magic moments. It was also an early introduction to “The Silence Game”!

Two weeks ago I welcomed my new Montessori class to school on a glorious late summer day. The first few weeks can be difficult for all. Mums saying goodbye  to  their little ones for the first time and the  for children on their  journey towards independence!However, sunshine makes all the difference!I was able to ease them into school by spending  much time outdoors.And,what a thrill it was for all to go for a walk and discover Farmer Sean s tractor parked in the lane way. Best of all it had a flat tyre!The boys were thrilled with this and back in school they spent  much time discussing the flat tyre!They had fun going through the bars of the gate and I use this activity as a gross motor activity..some can t figure out how to go through whilst others scramble through so easily!However,over that first week all learned the way to do it!We watched the horses and sheep and saw the swallows fly overhead..We will be waving goodbye to them very soon.Slowly but surely, the children are settling and we are getting to know each other.I am sure we will  have many happy days ahead

and I look forward to an exciting new school year!

The second week at school was a little difficult for all as it rained continually for 2 days and confined us to the classroom.Slowly but surely they are all mastering little exercises like taking off their coats,hanging them up and putting on and off their slippers…not easy at first but with practice it will become a simple part of school life.We visited the greenhouse and I gave each child a tomato plant to water whilst counting up to 20!What child doesn’t enjoy having a hose in his hand!