Next week, there will be parent/child nights! This is a most important night for the children as they come to school at nighttime with their Mums and Dads. The children change roles and teach their parents how to do “work”! They become the ‘teacher’! These little children are so proud of the work they do and it also allows parents to see all the beautiful project work displayed as well as socialize with each other!

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Over the past few years, I have discovered that children learn so much through project work. Even though these children are only 3,4 and 5, it is quite amazing to see how this happens! As I am a Montessori teacher with a science background, I love to share my love of nature and our environment with the children. By “following the child” and creating a sense of awe and wonder with them, the children can go on a path of discovery themselves(with the aid of their wonderful families!)

When the children have settled into school in October we start to examine and talk about the animals that live in OUR COUNTRY,IRELAND! They are familiar with rabbits, foxes, deer, squirrels, otters, etc from their stories! We then look at the pictures and animal models in school and each child will pick an animal from which they will do a project with the help of Parents! Children learn so much from each other and the children who are in their 2nd year, are familiar with sharing their information, so it isn’t long before new children see how it all works! Projects are displayed in the classroom along the beams(each beam has a different project theme). The children love to see their projects displayed! After a child has presented his project we have a question time which is always fun as the “audience” love to ask questions.

We have monthly projects which generally follow a theme of expanding the children’s knowledge and interests to give a bird’s eye view of our world! We visit Eagles Flying and see and learn about Birds of Prey so which leads to our 2nd project “BIRDS OF PREY”!

Bird feeders are up in the garden and the children love watching and getting to know our garden birds. Each child picks a garden bird and for our next project!

After Christmas, I introduce our Continents using school materials(a jigsaw continent map) and our animal baskets( a basket of animals for each continent). During miserable, cold Winter days, visiting and getting to know the animals of Africa, takes us on a lovely journey to a beautiful, exotic continent. At this stage, when the child chooses his animal, I am always amazed at observing how even the youngest child has grown in confidence when presenting his project to the class! Families also enjoy the project research allowing older children to help their younger siblings!

Australia is usually our 2nd continent as the strange animals that live here hold a special fascination for the children! The marsupials, reptiles, amphibians, and strange mammals like the duck-billed platypus and the echidna as well as the Tasmanian devil and the kiwi bird take them into another world. We have lovely stories in the school about these animals so there is plenty of materials to feed their curious minds!

Through project work, the children’s language and scientific knowledge expand and they absorb and learn so much from sharing with each other.

And so we move through the continents and are taken on a great journey. I love the project work as I learn so much too! Our classroom beams are filling up fast as we have now moved to S.America! We are learning about the rainforest and the sad plight that is happening to the animals which these children love so much. I hope that they will become great citizens and by becoming aware of the destruction that we, humans, are causing to the planet, they will make a change!! They are the future and they care!

Spring has arrived in our garden. Every day new life is emerging and the children want to be outside all the time! It’s a great time of the year. We planted tomatoes, peas, beans, lettuce, sunflowers, and sweet peas in March, just before the Easter holidays, and they have all germinated. Today, the children transplanted them into larger pots. It will be wonderful to see them grow.

We walked around the garden today and looked at the blossom on the fruit trees, We stood and watched bees flitting from blossom to blossom transporting pollen and being rewarded with nectar. Soon we will see the blossom turn to fruit. The garden is alive with insects and the children are besotted with them! Daisies and dandelions are everywhere and they love these wildflowers!! We will make daisy chains and they love blowing the dandelion heads! Simple fun but the best days! The little creatures in the garden are their best friends and they have such respect for them.

It’s wonderful to be outdoors and share nature with these eager and enthusiastic children. Great adventures await!

Last term, we were very lucky to have some of the Mums /Dads come into school and tell us about their work!

Siun s Mum, Fionnuala, told us all about going to the dentist! She talked about looking after our teeth and eating “healthy food”! She even brought in a giant toothbrush and all had a turn to brush their teeth. Best of all, everyone got a brand-new toothbrush and toothpaste!

Aoife s Mum,Caroline, also came into the afternoon class to talk about caring for our teeth. She had lovely charts and much fun was had in deciding on food with sugars and no sugars. Best of all, each child got a timer so that they could time the brushing of their teeth before bed!

Olivia s Dad, Alan, is a diver and he brought his laptop in to show us pictures of the rig he dives from and his diving gear. The children were fascinated by the fish under the water especially the giant ray and the sharks! It was lovely to hear him speak about the world under the water which we have never visited

Art s Dad, John, is an architect and the children had such fun as he came armed with blank paper and pens and drew the house the children designed! And then John created a house for each child out of paper which they proudly took home.

We had such fun when Michelle, Julian s Mum came in as she set up a Good 4 U kitchen. The children tasted seeds and dates, learned where they came from, and then donned caps and aprons and set about rolling and making their very own super bites! They were indeed very lucky children going home with delicious Super bites, their very own creations!

Noah s, Mum, and Anna visited too and brought in her sewing machine. Anna helped everyone to make a little bag and then write their name using the machine, It was fabulous as each child had a turn at using the machine.It was also a great lesson in telling children where things come from and sharing a skill that has sadly been lost to many.

Hopefully, parents will continue to visit and share with us. The children are so proud when their Mum or Dad visit!

We have a few vacancies in the ECCE afternoon class (1 pm-4 pm) for September 2023/24.

Phone:0861036207 or email marydorman@gmail.com

It was a good term. We had some great times. Noah, Art, Otis, Julian, Luke, Fia, and Hannah Mai returned as helpers in the morning class, and Sam, Hugh, Alex, and Siun joined the class. Then in the afternoon, Olivia, Cruz, Willow, and Alfie returned as helpers, and Aoife, Ella, Alex, and Izaiah joined the class! The children settled back into school and older children helped the new children settle and have fun.

We enjoyed an Indian summer for much of September and spent lots of time in the garden and orchard. We picked damsons and apples, made jam, and planted bulbs. Alfie’s dad built a new den in the orchard so another little place for fun. We picked vegetables and found and observed little creatures doing their work. Otis is particularly interested in all the tiny creatures living under stones and logs!

In October we visited Eagles Flying and it was lovely that Mums and Dads came too. It was exciting to see these birds of prey and a fun day was had by all. This led to our Birds of Prey projects and each child chose a bird for his project.

Sometimes older siblings help with the project and it’s so nice to have their input too. It is really lovely to see these little children stand up and deliver their projects and then answer questions from a very interested audience!

In November,Trisha , from the Forest school paid a couple of visits and we made huts and fairy houses in the orchard with her. We were very honored to have Dr Aga, the soil expert, come and do a workshop “Mud is not Dirt”. We were joined for this workshop by Miss Rachels School and even though it was wet and windy, we enjoyed examing the tiny creatures found in mud as well as having our minds and eyes opened to the world beneath our feet.

December has been busy. As always the children are entranced by the story of the Nativity and the 1st Christmas. I am always moved by how much they love this story!

Miss Rebecca has been making wonderful crafts with the children and the school is full of fun and laughter as we sing and practice our Nativity Play It’s been brilliant having Vanessa directing the play and adding some lovely songs. The parents are in for a very special concert this year!!

And it has been so cold and frosty, a winter wonderland outside. The `little birds are so hungry and the children are getting to know all the garden birds as they watch them on the feeders. We will do garden bird projects next term. Santa robin is visiting all the time and keeping a watchful eye on everyone!!