As always, please call or email me with any questions, and thank you for sharing your children with us!
-Catherine
Catherine Bailey
Director of Early Learning
(904)827-2835
VP: (904)824-4540
Sensorial: Philosophy and Methodology
Sensorial materials were the FIRST materials created by Dr. Montessori. The importance of this is to refine their senses. Senses for children to create purposeful engagement and manipulation of their surroundings. The focus of this area is to provide concrete examples of abstract concepts that are viewed through senses such as dimension, form, color, texture, sound, and scent. Not only that, they also develop muscular and nervous systems through physical activity such as pincer grip which helps coordinate the thumb and two primary fingers.
Sensitive periods are more definite periods which will heighten readiness and ability to learn specific skills or have specific experience. Meaning more focused on specific objects and have the ability to ignore other objects around them. They are driven during those periods and it is important to capture and support that development. Those also help with long term benefits when sensitive periods are over.
When driven toward senses, perception is a focus to help understand the world around them. When one perceives the word and the differences, it also supports their observational skills, concepts, and vocabulary knowledge.
Materials: Sensorial materials are there to help support sensory differences such as color, brightness, depth, loudness, and tone.
Characteristics of the materials:
- specific for young children to manipulate
- made of natural/delicate materials
- designed to fulfill specific educational task
- provide concrete examples of abstract concepts
- Allows progression of understanding from simple to complex
- Have control of error (self-check if they are correct)
- Two biggest focuses in the sensorial activity are pairing items and grading items by size.
This month, we are excited to immerse ourselves in the theme of Fall, where our activities are focused on exploring the vibrant and dynamic elements of the season. In our classroom, we have been honing our fine motor skills through a variety of hands-on activities. The children have been engaged in scooping and transferring different objects, such as beans, corn, and seeds, which not only strengthens their hand-eye coordination but also fosters their sensory exploration.
In addition to these fine motor exercises, we have been delving into the fascinating world of science. Our students had the opportunity to create their very own pumpkin volcanoes, an experiment that allowed them to observe chemical reactions firsthand while incorporating their understanding of seasonal changes. As part of our exploration of nature, the students have also embarked on a special project where they are growing their own pumpkins. They are nurturing seeds they harvested from pumpkins they carved, allowing them to experience firsthand the life cycle of a pumpkin while reinforcing important concepts of growth and sustainability.
Through these engaging and educational activities, our students are developing essential skills and deepening their understanding of the world around them in a fun and interactive way. We look forward to continuing this autumn exploration and seeing all the amazing things our students will learn!
Join our Baby Dragons Club!
Dear Parents,
We warmly invite you to our Baby Dragons Club, where parents can connect and learn together! Join us every Wednesday from 9:30 to 10:30 in Gore Hall Room 126, where we'll dive into exciting topics like cooking with kids, the power of fingerspelling in reading, and fun strategies to make reading time special. Plus, we have so much more in store!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Sonia Garcia-DeNight at garcias@fsdbk12.org.
We can’t wait to see you there!
