Our Blog: August 8, 2024
- 855.471.2589
- Schedule a Tour
August is a special month in Montessori schools as new and returning students join their classrooms to begin the school year. Montessori classrooms are a diverse, multicultural community of learners. Teachers encourage families to share information, culture, and holiday traditions and customs with their child’s classroom. We are all enriched when we learn from each other. It makes a significant impact when this information is shared by parents and grandparents.
One of the first events a new class might celebrate as a community in the fall is Dr. Montessori’s birthday. A Celebration of Life recognizing Dr. Montessori is a perfect time to provide lessons and set the stage for future student birthday celebrations too.
Dr. Montessori’s birthday (as well as the birthdays of the children) is often recognized with a “Celebration of Life” event. Encouraging children to gather in the classroom’s community space, the Guide (or teacher) will gently place the celebration sun in the center, signifying the start of a special event. The Globe of Continents is then retrieved by the Guide or a birthday student and a reminder lesson of how Earth revolves around the sun is presented. This also encourages students to recall additional vocabulary and discussions of months and seasons.
Celebrating a child’s birthday in a Primary classroom typically involves a song (such as “The Earth Goes ‘Round the Sun”) and clapping while the child carries the globe representing Earth one time around the group, walking the ellipse to symbolize the passage of each year of age. At the end of each revolution, the child will pause, and a parent or teacher will give a short synopsis of all the things the child learned during that year. For instance, during year one, that may include turning over, reaching, sitting, and crawling. Ideally, an adult then shares a parent-provided picture of the child at one year old. The song begins again as the child carries the globe around the sun making another revolution, and the process repeats for each year the child has been on Earth.
The family-provided photos representing each year of their child’s life are integral to the Celebration of Life. Sometimes it’s hard to pick just one photo for the year! As an extension of the celebration, the child may create their own timeline using these photos. As they progress through their Primary classroom and move on to Elementary, a new photo can be added as well as short sentences and paragraphs to capture milestone events. Timelines typically spend a short time in the classroom for all the students to enjoy, then are sent home for the family to preserve as a precious keepsake.
Dr. Montessori’s birthday celebration is typically modified a bit, perhaps using a few photographs. The children take turns carrying the Earth around the Sun for a revolution, learning more about and recognizing her as an important figure in education.
Want to learn more about Dr. Montessori? Explore these resources:
