Casa 2

During the few days in December prior to our Winter Break, we are discussing the “Basic Human Needs” that our bodies require: air, food, water, sleep, shelter and clothing. We have given special focus ot our need for air (how long can you hold your breath?), clothing and shelter. We looked at the different kinds of shelters that people live in around the world, and discussed weather-appropriate clothing in Cayman. A great way to expand on this idea at home would be to look at clothing from other cultures, or to talk about the importance of food, water and sleep to your family members.

Next week our theme is “People in Need,” and we will talk about different charities and ways that we can help others during the Holiday season.

This exposure to basic human needs is preparation for our Elementary Program, when the students will get more in depth about Fundamental Human Needs and the various ways that they are satisfied in different cultures. These needs will also include “spiritual” needs, such as vanity, arts and religion.

We talked about bees during our “Bugs!” month, and today we visited some REAL bees at Otto Watler’s farm. Mr. Watler had some pictures to share with us, and he let us know that his bees range about 3-5 miles around his farm-the only honey farm that he knows of on island. We were able to see the hives and bees from a distance.

A highlight of the trip were the cages of Cayman parrots, with toys made by our very own elementary students! These parrots were orphaned, and thus unable to live in the wild. The kids got to see and hear them up close. We also saw the biggest chicken that many of us had ever seen (“as big as me!” said Brandon J.)

Some new things that the kids reported that they learned:

“I didn’t know bees lived in boxes like that!”
“I didn’t know chickens can fly!”
“I learned that bees have jobs, and one job is “water carrier.”

We had a great time, and special thanks to Majestic tours for a safe and fun ride!

This week we’re studying insects, spiders and centipedes. We are discussing the characteristics that make insects different from other bugs (6 legs, 3 body parts- head, thorax and abdomen), the special role that bugs play on our planet, and where different bugs live. Students have the opportunity to read books on the subject in our reading corner, to “prick out” bug shapes, work with bug models, and much more. Many curious students might like to go to the local library with you, where they can find books for identifying crawly creatures in their own backyards.

Halloween is fast approaching, and we have incorporated some fun activities for the children to do. We carved a pumpkin and saved the seeds. We washed, dried and tossed the seeds in olive oil and salt, then roasted the pumpkin seeds in the oven. The children loved them! A good nutritious snack for the children during Halloween.

This week, the children of Casa will be learning more about our island home. Previously as part of our Earth studies we have been talking about the meanings of the words “island” and “lake”- a body of land surrounded by water and a body of water surrounded by land. This week we’ll talk about the geography of our islands (how many islands there are and where we are located), some of our national symbols, as well as some of the animals and plants that are special to this island such as the mangroves, Cayman parrots and wild bananna orchids. For cooking, Casa1 will make pumpkin bread and Casa2 will make bananna bread, two delicious recipes with local ingredients.

Today, we made food from Italy and what better dish to cook than Pizza! We made the pizza dough from scratch, lots of rolling/tossing in the air! We cooked up the tomato sauce with herbs, spread it out and added pepperoni and lots of cheese. What a Feast!

This week we introduced the seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, and Antarctica. Second Years will be focusing on learning the colors that we use for each continent throughout the Montessori curriculum, and on recognizing the continent shapes and locations on the globe and map. Kindergarteners are re-familiarizing themselves with the above and are also going into greater depth by focusing on flags and some individual countries.