Children's House Montessori School

Books from Young Authors Fair

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2012-05-02T16:26:38-07:00

Books from our Young Authors Fair are now on display at the Atascadero Library through the month May. Be sure to check it out! (picture coming soon, hopefully)

Secret Farm

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2012-03-23T12:23:12-07:00

While cleaning up the school on Spring Cleaning Day, we found this little farm in the bushes in front of the school.

Kindergartners Celebrate 100 Days of School

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2012-02-24T10:45:48-08:00

On the 100th day of school, each student brings in 100 of something... 100 corks 100 legos 100 M&Ms 100 pennies 100 stickers 100 Cheerios 100 rose petals 100 rocks 100 dimes They had 100 items for snack, they worked on dot-to-dots that go to 100, and they read a book called “100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days”!

Valentine's Day and High Tea

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2012-02-15T14:56:42-08:00

This week, we celebrated Valentine’s Day at Children’s House. On Tuesday, the upper elementary students served herbal tea, baked goods and fruit to the primary children... ...and today, children in the early elementary were served by parent volunteers for the annual High Tea. A grand time was had by all! One more thing...a strange phenomenon occurred over the weekend. Korey and some of the teachers have been glazing ceramic pieces for the auction, with the children. Last Friday, Jennifer Wills covered up the palette of glazes they were using in her classroom so they would be fresh for use on Tuesday, when we all returned to school. When she came in on Valentine’s Day, the red glaze had dried as you see below...

Children Present Jog-A-Thon Donation to ECHO

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-12-21T13:55:49-08:00

During our November Jog-A-Thon, Kindergarten and elementary students ran 2,730 laps and raised $3827.58! This morning, just before students did their dress rehearsal for our winter performance, the top lap-runners presented the money to El Camino Homeless Organization representative, Terri Sherwin. Terri was amazed and thankful for the amount of money the children raised and told them they were special for helping those in need. We are so proud of our students! Terri also explained to the children, the shelter had recently taken in some new families and they now had eleven children staying at the shelter. Many of them will probably be there for Christmas. Hopefully our donation will help in some small way. Remember, a donation to ECHO, of $5, provides three meals and a warm bed for a man, woman or child for one night.

Loaves & Fishes

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-12-19T14:55:30-08:00

Atascadero Loaves and Fishes is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization providing short-term emergency assistance to those in need in Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Creston and Templeton. They help families year-round, but during the holiday season the need is especially great. Each year our Kindergartners buddy up with our Upper Elementary students and together they take a field trip to the Loaves & Fishes distribution center at the National Guard Armory, in Atascadero, where they help to sort food that is distributed to the families in need. Before the field trip, the students and teachers talk briefly about where the food comes from, who will eat the food, and why they might need it. This is just one way that we can help people in our community! The children start out with their own special job: counting out 10 tea bags and putting them in a baggy. ...and then begin sorting from the BIG pile of food items which involves sorting cans of vegetables, fruit, boxes of cereal, jars of peanut butter, etc. They work until they are “done” - tired, exhausted, bored or finished - whichever comes first! ... ...

Early Elementary Students Present $2449.00 to Atascadero Library

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-12-13T16:59:18-08:00

During the month of October, the early elementary students (grades 1, 2 and 3) participated in a classroom-wide Read-A-Thon. Children read every day, at home and at school, and their parents helped document the number of minutes they read. Each child asked family and/or friends to sponsor them, by making a monetary pledge for the minutes read, with all proceeds to benefit the Atascadero Library and the library expansion project. This was not a reading or fundraising competition, but a way for the children to become enthusiastic about reading while at the same time, helping to support their local library, a much loved resource. ...Today, the students visited the library for a special annual lesson with Miss Joan, the Youth Services librarian, to learn about picture book writing and drawing techniques. Joan knows better than anyone what it takes to make a picture book popular with young readers and her guidance is invaluable as the children begin to write their own picture books this month. Joan also invited Grenda Ernst, the Friends of the Atascadero Library, President, to meet with the students and accept the Read-A-Thon donation. ...The building for the new library has already been purchased and is located at 6555 Capistrano Avenue. Friends of the Atascadero Library have raised two-thirds of the $1 million needed to fund the cost of construction on the interior of the building. If you would like to donate or learn more about the new library, visit Friends of the Atascadero Library. ...linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.childrenshouse.cc%2Fblog&linkname=">

Phases of the Moon

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-12-14T09:52:45-08:00

Yesterday, the kindergartners had a sweet time learning about the phases of the moon. They scraped off the Oreo cream to mimic each moon phase and then... ...they glued each finished cookie half to a paper plate. Sally then labeled each of the phases for them. It’s all pretty self explanatory but if you want more detailed instructions, with a lesson plan for older children, here is a link at leosciencelab.com. ...

The Barter Game

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-11-28T14:50:26-08:00

A week or so before the Thanksgiving break, I took a few photos of the early elementary, level two and level three students, playing the Barter Game. First they read “The Story of Money” and answered questions about what they learned from the book. The book explains how bartering was the stepping stone for money. They learned about need vs want and how they can trade something they have in excess for something they need or want. They are given guidelines about what their village needs and they determine trade quantities for the different items. They used chips of different colors to represent different Goods; white chips = vegetables, red chips = meat, skins and wool, blue chips = tools, etc. Black chips represent different Services, such as village defense and cultural enlightenment (art & paintings or performances). ... ...a2a_config.linkurl = "http://www.childrenshouse.cc/blog"; ...

Jogging for ECHO - Today at 1:30!

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-11-18T10:11:42-08:00

Our jog-a-thon fundraiser is today from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. This year, kindergarten and elementary students will run to raise money for the El Camino Homeless Organization. In November 2010, the weather certainly did not dampen their spirits, as they ran in the soaking rain and slippery mud. Last year, jog-a-thon students ran a total of 3,375 laps! Since each lap is approximately 800 feet, more than 500 miles were pounded out that day, and the school donated more than $6,000 to a charity similar to ECHO. ECHO was recently informed, they will have to move out of their current location by May 2012. A donation to ECHO, of $5, provides three meals and a warm bed for a man, woman or child for one night. The Atascadero News gave us a Shout Out in Wednesday’s paper. ... ...

Historical Person Day

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-11-01T14:36:31-07:00

Every year, on October 31, our upper elementary students dress up as a person from history, living or dead. Before the big day, the children research and write a report about the person they have chosen. On the 31st, they present a short, first-person speech, in costume, to parents, classmates and staff. The life stories they tell are sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes hilarious and always thought provoking. ...This year, we were so proud of and entertained by this illustrious group: ...(Ruysser), Steve Jobs (Anne), James Dean (David), John Lennon (Landon), Ole Kirk Christiansen (Houston), Dorothea Lange (Marina), Bruce Lee (Jamie) ...Marilyn Monroe (Olivia), Martha Graham (Sophia), Marie Curie (Vivian), Vasco da Gama (Antonio), Bill Gates (Orion), Cleopatra (Ashley), Shaka Zulu (Zachary) ... ...a2a_config.linkurl = "http://www.childrenshouse.cc/blog"; ...

Equal Exchange Fair Trade Fundraiser

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-10-14T00:16:16-07:00

We have kicked off our annual fall fundraiser with a brand new company and catalog. ... With Equal Exchange we can all support sustainability, enjoy award winning products and make a difference in the lives of small farmers and artisans across the globe. We hope you enjoy this catalog as much as we do and hope you’ll find some items for yourself, as well as some great gifts for family and friends. We feel this company and their products fit in well with our goal of becoming a “zero waste” school. This fundraiser ends on October 21, so please return your envelopes and payments on or before the deadline. Equal Exchange also offers a small but unique selection of gift wrap, cards and gifts boxes using handmade cotton paper. ... ...linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.childrenshouse.cc%2Fblog&linkname="> ...

Buddies

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-10-13T10:13:27-07:00

Those quiet summer days have been replaced by laughing, singing, dancing children...so much more fun then the boredom of August! As we come to the end of four weeks in session, I’m sure you have all seen how crazy busy it has been at Children’s House. We have had a few new and exciting things happening around here; in honor of International Peace Day on September 21, Korey came up with the idea of “buddies” and assigned all the elementary children a younger child or two, to be special friends. First, we had a little peace ceremony on the playground. We lit a candle and all the children (sans toddler) sang “Light a Candle for Peace”. After singing, Korey read out all the names for each pair/trio of buddies and the children found each other and spent a little time getting to know one another. ...If you have not had a chance to see the buddy photos, drawings and acrostic poems on the bulletin board, please take a moment to check them out. ... ...a2a_config.linkurl = "http://www.childrenshouse.cc/blog"; ...

Steller's Jay Nest

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-08-17T14:46:39-07:00

Today we had two guys come by to do a test on the school’s fire sprinkler system. They ran water through the pipes and just made sure the sprinklers were all clear of debris and dirt. The sprinklers on the outside, back patio were obstructed by a large nest. Some of you may remember a few years back, during our school play, mother and father scrub jays Steller’s jays became very upset with us because they had babies in the nest and we were interfering with their world. They flew back and forth across the stage and screamed in that special way jays have. Korey asked the guys to save the nest so we could share it with the children when school starts. They removed it carefully and put it in a box. ... ...a2a_config.linkurl = "http://www.childrenshouse.cc/blog"; ...

Reinventing Education

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-08-05T14:30:36-07:00

I think it is safe to say, the public education system in our country is in trouble. As supporters of the Montessori philosophy, we often think to ourselves, “...if only someone would look to Montessori for answers.” In his article, What’s Involved in Reinventing Education? , Steve Denning, contributing editor at Forbes, does just that. He gives succinct explanations (including circular flow charts) why our traditional methods are not working and gives detailed steps needed for changing the system. We highly recommend this article for parents, staff and anyone concerned about education. The last two sentences of this article only help to reinforce what we do at Children’s House. ... ...a2a_config.linkurl = "http://www.childrenshouse.cc/blog"; ...

Those Summer Days?

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-08-04T12:41:06-07:00

Yesterday was unseasonably cool for our area. I don’t think the temp ever reached above 80. I walked out to the mailbox, the breeze was blowing through the sycamore leaves, the sun was shining and I snapped a photo. It’s so quiet around here. Next week is the last week of summer school. ...

Around the World

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-07-21T10:18:30-07:00

Session three, for the elementary, is called “Around the World in Ten Days”, with Sally. Each day or two they focus on a different country. They make crafts and prepare dishes from exotic places. This week, they have had leftovers to share with the school staff. On Tuesday, they brought over chow mein. Yesterday they “visited” Japan and the children brought us California Rolls to sample. ... I know it’s not the greatest picture, but I really wanted to share it. ... ...a2a_config.linkurl = "http://www.childrenshouse.cc/blog"; ...

A Few Steps Forward

office@childrenshouse.cc — 2011-07-19T11:29:27-07:00

We've had our website for many years, and now, with our new blog, Twitter and Facebook, you'll be able to connect with us even more! We'll bring you events, updates and news from the school and individual classrooms. We also hope to bring you Montessori articles and tidbits from around the world, as well as some of the latest news in education. Check in regularly. ...