unity_montessori
Some of our outdoor moments 🦋🐞🪲🌧️
#playingoutdoors #unitymontessori #learning outdoors #lifecycleofthebutterfly #earlyyears
Our amazing week in pictures😊☀️
This week we finally welcomed the summer, and so we spent our days outdoors playing in the pool, and building sand castles!🏖️
#outdoorplaying #sunnydays☀️ #outdoorclassroom #earlyyearssetting #unitymontessori #collaborativemontessori
So happy to welcome all the children after the half term, and what a lovely week we had!
We were so busy painting flowers 🌼 to bring some spring colours into the classroom, exploring the new activities on the shelf, and enjoying playing outside in the rain, which gave us the opportunity to do some good scrubbing of the outdoor tables and chairs, for our little ones that was the best part ☺️☔️
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#unitymontessori #letthemplayintherain #earlyyearssetting #montessorieducation #northlondonnursery #northfichleyfamilies
The sun has got his hat on and we’re coming out to play!
Beautiful morning in the Unity garden! The sunshine truly inspired our children to get very busy! The morning was spent refining fine and gross motor skills, much cooperation and teamwork was seen during potion making and water play. There were cloud and volcano experiments and a special name recognition treasure hunt!
The summer term is certainly a special time! ☀️
#montessori #playistheworkofthechild #unitymontessori #outdoorplay #sunshine #funinthesun #northlondonnursery
If you go down to the woods today…. 🐻
This week saw of the return of our Forest School sessions 🌳
Nature treasure hunts, loose part picture play, clay tree guardians making and a picnic lunch were enjoyed on a beautiful sunny, if slightly chilly day! 🧺
#montessori #forestschool #woodsidepark #nurturethroughnature #woodland #itsbetteroutside #earlyyears #unitymontessori
Super fun afternoon in the woods, listening to the birds singing, enjoying the smell of wet soil, picking autumn treasures, and lots of running freely!! 🍁🌰🍂🐿
#playingoutdoors #autumntreasures #woodsideparkmums #unitymontessori #northfinchleyfamilies #montessorinursery #montessori
Lovely treat for a rainy day! Today we had pancakes for snack (requested by one of our little ones last week): “how about we have pancakes for snack? Wouldn’t that be a great idea!”, she said.
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So, we made pancakes with blueberries!🥞
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The two little ones in the picture decided they wanted to have theirs outside as a picnic, and so they did. Thankfully the rain stopped right on time 😊
Our little ones made forest guardians to decorate the Unity trees today.
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They not only enjoyed making them, but also appreciated each other’s work, “Come look what I made, I’ve made a donkey…!” “Can I see what you’ve made?…Wow!! It’s so beautiful!!” “This one looks like an insect, what insect is it?”
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#forestschoolskills #learningoutdoors #unitymontessori #playingwithclay #montessorieducation #montessorioutdoors #northfinchleymums #millhillmums #muswellhillmums #northlondonfamilies
As we were unable to take the little ones out to the forest this week, we ensured that the forest came to us. Transforming Unity’s garden into our very own campsite, complete with camp fire, toasted corn, and a woodwork workshop!
In a cold, sunny ☀️, winter day ❄️, nothing more cozy than sitting by the fire, and listen to stories 😊#winterdaysbythefire #outdoorchildhood #unitymontessori #northlondonmums #northlondonfamilies #northfinchleymums #millhillmums #montessorieducation #holisticeducationfoundation
We support all our children to make discoveries for themselves through the natural world. Our garden classroom is prepared daily around the children’s current interests. Where possible, we provide materials that are natural and compostable, and we ensure that all of our planning enables all the children to interact with the environment, to develop an understanding of respect and responsibility. This in turn, we hope, will foster sensitivity, appreciation and an environmental awareness for life.
We focus on promoting a caring and calm outdoor space for the children, so they can work both individually and together to care for each other and their environment. Year round growing projects enable children to confidently share information about the natural world, as they develop social skills and engage in activities that promote understanding though first-hand experiences. Bug hugs, books, water-play and creative activities all enable the children to be at home in the outdoor environment. Role play opportunities are also endless in the outdoors, and at Unity we are committed to fostering a love of the natural world.
Maria Montessori said “There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature, to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature… so that the child may better understand and participate in the marvellous things which civilisation creates.“
Risk
At Unity, healthy lifestyles and healthy eating are encouraged. Children are also supported to use and understand their bodies. A natural part of children’s physical movement involves risk. As a child takes their first tentative steps, they weigh up the risk / reward pattern that will be replicated many times in the future. In the outdoor environment, the children are encouraged to explore their environment and push boundaries. This could be having the courage to mount an obstacle course, or use our climbing wall, or simply trying out a new activity for the first time.
At Unity, children will be introduced to climbing, jumping on uneven ground and fire-safety, as we believe that risk taking and understanding risks and benefits can be really positive for children. We also believe that risk-taking can grow confidence and develop a sense of achievement, as children take courage, find out what they are capable of as they climb the rope ladder, or jump from a height. At Unity, we enable children to be independent while also striving to keep them safe from harm.
Forest School
Our weekly trips out and Forest School curriculum also help children encounter new experiences of the natural world. The emphasis on outdoor learning also enables children to use a wide variety of physical skills, as they move with confidence, climbing trees and grassy banks, and use, for instance, a magnifying glass to spot hiding bugs and new flowers. We delight in hearing about their discoveries and different ways to look after the plants and animals that they see. The story telling in forest school can also prompt the children to discover first-hand the ‘interconnectedness’ of social, ecological and cultural issues. The children are always encouraged to build their vocabulary and understanding as they find out more about their natural environment and conservation too.