Other // Lamplighters Yeshivah Parent Handbook
Teaching children the answers steals their chance to
make exciting discoveries on their own—whether the
child is a baby wondering “Can I reach that rattle?,”
a preschoole r contemplating “Why did this tower of
cubes fall down?,” or an elementary school student
pondering “When you divide fractions, why do you in-
vert and multiply?”
For students of every age, the Montessori environ-
ment offers the tools to discover the answers to their
own questions. The teacher is their trusted ally and the
learning materials are their tools for discovery, growth,
and development. The teacher stays with the students
for the entire span of their multi-age grouping, usually
2 or 3 years, nurturing each child’s development over
that extended span of time.
that my child keeps coming home with?
You’ll thank us for this one. Your morning coffee just
got that more amazing. And
our school smells amazing
every morning.
Really though, coffee grind-
ing is one of our favorite
practical life works for oth-
er reasons too! For starters,
when children grind the cof-
fee they get to see an entire
process from start to finish
-- First the child scoops the beans into the holding ap-
paratus (bowl) on the top of the grinder. After the child
cranks the grinder and the beans have disappeared
from the holding apparatus on the grinder, the child
opens the little drawer below and finds the coffee beans
transformed into fragrant coffee grounds ready to
brew! When they present those coffee grounds to you,
you can imagine the pride they feel when they see you
enjoying the fruits of their labor. (Same goes for when
you use the soap they shaved at bath time!)
Even better, sometimes the children will choose to
grind the coffee for their teachers-- the ultimate ha-
karas hatov!
Elementary school materials build on the earlier Mon-
tessori materials foundation. Because older students
have built a solid foundation from their concrete learn-
ing, they move gracefully into abstract thinking, which
transforms their learning. Now they learn how to carry
out research. At these upper levels, students broaden
their focus to include the community and beyond. They
learn through service and firsthand experience. The
Montessori materials support responsible interactive
learning and discovery.
4. What’s up with the coffee on the supplies
list, and the little ziplocs of coffee grounds
5. (We get this question so often in the first few
weeks of school) Why is my child just standing
there and looking! Why isn’t he/she doing any-
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