Primary 3

May News

Looking ahead to May, our new theme will be whales and migration. We’ll be diving into how whales travel long distances, what motivates them to migrate, and what kinds of environments they pass through on their journey. We’ll talk about different species of whales, explore ocean maps, and learn about the ways whales communicate with each other. I have some fun crafts and science activities planned that will help bring these ideas to life — from creating whale tails to following migration paths on our classroom map.

Our book of the month will be The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is a beautiful introduction to life cycles and transformation. We’ll use this story as a springboard to discuss growth and change — not just in nature, but in ourselves as well. I’m really looking forward to another month full of discovery, creativity, and growth.



Thank you all for your continued support. I am so proud of everything the children have accomplished and can’t wait to see where May takes us!

April Recap

Spring is here, and I can hardly believe April is already behind us! This month has been such a wonderful one — I think it’s been my favorite so far. We’ve had so much fun diving into science experiments and hands-on activities that really captured the children’s curiosity and imagination.



In April, our theme was volcanoes and islands. We explored how both are formed, learned about tectonic plates, and discovered how to count seconds scientifically by using the “Mississippi” method (like saying “one Mississippi, two Mississippi”). The children were so engaged and eager to learn, and it was amazing to see their excitement grow with each new activity.

Our book of the month was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and it was a huge hit. The kids especially loved finding the letters of their names in the story. We connected the book to our art by gluing colorful tissue paper onto the first letter of each child’s name. We also did some fun coconut tree worksheets to help practice name tracing and counting the number of letters in their names.

Each week we introduced new concepts and paired them with fun, creative projects. When we learned how islands are formed, the children made their own islands out of clay — it was a very hands-on, sensory experience that they absolutely loved. When it came time to learn about volcanoes, we did a classic eruption experiment. Each child got to add ingredients to the volcano and watch the fizzy reaction.

This volcano was extra special to me, as it’s my first year as a lead teacher. Instead of making it on my own, I thought it would be more meaningful (and fun!) to have Room 3 help build it together. They were so proud of their creation, and we used the moment to share all the volcano facts we’d been learning, as well as questions, thoughts, and ideas the kids had along the way.

Throughout the month, we also worked on practical life skills like putting on jackets, pushing in chairs, folding, and washing. I’ve been encouraging everyone to try putting on and zipping up their own sweaters or jackets, and they’re really rising to the challenge.

We spent time learning about freshwater and saltwater, and talked about the plants and animals that live in each. To represent freshwater, the children created adorable fish using their painted handprints. For saltwater, they made exotic fish on paper plates and decorated the bottom with glitter to look like coral reefs. The crafts were so cute and creative — I truly loved seeing how unique each one turned out!

Earlier this month, we also planted lima beans. The children have been watering and caring for them diligently. Some of you may already have them at home — I hope they continue to grow and bring joy!

March Recap

Happy end of the month! March has been an exciting month filled with adventure and learning. Our theme for the month was Dinosaurs and Africa, with additional celebrations of Dr. Seuss Week and St. Patrick's Day. A major highlight of the month was our St. Patrick’s Party! It was so much fun seeing everyone dressed in green and full of spirit. The excitement grew when a mischievous leprechaun visited our classroom, turning our water and materials green! The children were overjoyed as they saw the "messy" aftermath left by the leprechaun. They even created their own St. Patrick’s hats to add to the festivities. A big thank you to all the parents for contributing items that made the party so special.

Throughout March, we explored a new topic each week. In the first week, we delved into dinosaurs and created crafts inspired by our discussions. The highlight of that week was our fossil craft and rock washing activity, which the children absolutely loved! For Dr. Seuss Week, we got even more creative with fun crafts after reading his books. Our book of the month was Dr. Seuss’s collection, and it was so enjoyable to share these timeless classics with the class. Reading books like The Lorax and The Cat in the Hat felt like putting on a play—seeing how focused and entertained the children were a true joy. I loved hearing them chat about the Truffula trees from The Lorax. Most of our Dr. Seuss crafts used recycled paper, which the children also noticed. It was wonderful to teach them about reusing materials and minimizing waste in our classroom!

Another exciting topic was Africa, where we discussed its animals, traditions, food, and clothing. One of the children’s favorite activities was making their own African jewelry, which sparked great conversations about the differences in styles. The lion mask craft was another fun project, and we got an adorable class photo with everyone wearing their masks! It’s amazing to see how much the children have grown, they are now able to follow more complex, multi-step instructions with ease.

We focused on fostering independence. The children have been practicing serving their own lunches, as well as pouring their own water and milk. It’s been wonderful to see how capable they are becoming. Honestly, there were moments when I felt like an elementary school teacher, seeing how self-sufficient everyone is!

We had some exciting weather this month—hail! It was so loud and unexpected, especially during nap time. We brought in a bucket of ice for the children to touch and observe, which was a fun sensory experience for everyone. Additionally, we were lucky enough to have a special reptile guest visit us. One of our Montessori teachers brought in her Russian tortoise, and the children loved it! We even have a tiny turtle in our classroom, Tiny Tim, so it was a perfect addition to our week. It’s been a month full of learning, fun, and growth. Thank you all for your continued support, and I look forward to another wonderful month ahead!

February Recap

This month, our theme focused on cultural awareness and friendship. We explored the rich and diverse culture of Asia while also discussing the unique traditions we each practice within our own families. One of our Friday Share activities involved bringing in an item or photo that represents each child's culture, and it was heartwarming to see how excited they were to share and talk about their heritage, especially as we compared favorite American snacks to those enjoyed in Asia.

The children have gained a greater appreciation for the diversity of Asian culture—learning about the utensils used, traditional snacks, breakfast foods, and the school environment. We also took time to discuss pandas, particularly the ones China gifted to the United States, which sparked great curiosity.

For our art activities, the children created beautiful habitats using paper plates. Each piece turned out wonderfully, and it was certainly a highlight of the month. February was also a time for celebrating friendship and Valentine’s Day. The children were thrilled about their party and especially enjoyed handing out their Valentine’s cards. Next year, we’ll be using shoeboxes instead of bags—thank you, parents, for your amazing contributions!

Our book of the month was Little Blue and Little Yellow, a favorite among the children. They had a blast creating a fun craft using blue and yellow paint to create bubble art, which gradually turned green, much to their delight. Our budding artists continue to love their creative time, so I’ve ensured there are plenty of art projects available. This month, they also made panda masks, flower bouquets, friendship hearts, and even Pokémon-themed art that decorated our door.



Throughout the month, the children explored using chopsticks, learned about friendship in Asia, and had the opportunity to see Pokémon items from Japan featuring Japanese writing. They were fascinated and amazed by the concept that there are people who read Japanese, something they realized is as natural as reading English is to us.

January Recap

Hello parents! Happy New year! This month has been so much fun already and the activities we have been able to participate in have been a lot more complex as we have been working our way up to a high level. The children have been learning about Winter, Snow, and Ice. We discussed animals that hibernate, migrate, and adapt. We specifically mentioned the empire penguins and polar bears. We also made ‘Animals that Hibernate’ them collage together with different pictures of the children’s favorite animal that hibernates. They had so much fun and showed so much confidence after they glued their picture on the collage.



As a fun science experiment, we created fake snow! The children helped gather the supplies (water, cup for water, bowl, spoon). After we made snow all the children touched it and felt the cold! We of course talked about the rules and steps that come with this activity such as washing hands before the activity and washing our hands after the activity as well. So far, the children did a really good job taking care of the snow and I’m so proud of them, they got lots of praise every time I saw a friend take the right steps to work on the snow activity.

Another science experiment we had was ice cubes melting. We took ice cubes outside and placed on under the shade and the other under the sun and observed which ice cube melted faster. All the children told us their prediction first and as the children played, we would also check on the ice. This led to the conversation about taking care of the earth and why we should always wear sunscreen!

The children have also been enjoying their book of the month The Mitten and have created their own mittens and colored, cut out, and glued their own animals into their mittens. We let the children try and cut all the animals on their own even if it wasn’t perfect, we continued to emphasize that we were so proud of them for trying and that they did not need to be cut out perfectly. (We also have cutting paper that works its way up in difficulty).

The children also designed their own mittens and were able to use water paint.

We have also been working on math worksheets that involve our Montessori materials. I love working on these, specifically in the morning as the children come in and pick up again after lunch time for the other children that did not get a chance to participate yet. I see such an improvement in how the children talk & use the math Montessori materials. It’s so amazing to see how a child can lead the way to success by helping the rest of the children understand and respect the materials.

With everything going on in Los Angeles the children were very interested in why we had donation bins. We discussed all the brave firefighters that went to Los Angeles to help & we talked about what a great community we have and connected it to the awesome community we have in room 3. The children also created their own firefighter helmets.

We continued to talk about animal tracks on snow which led to who lives on Antarctica. We also talked about icebergs and ice shelves. As a fun science experiment, I froze a leaf overnight and brought it in to show the children how a leaf looks frozen. We also observed how long it took to melt.

As for grace and courtesy we continued to practice taking turns, inside and outside voices, caring for materials, and cleaning our face. We have been encouraging all the children and helping them by wiping their nose & cleaning their face after lunch or if there’s boogers. We have also been giving lots of praise to the children every time they show respect for the materials and take that extra step to make sure it’s put away in the correct spot and to make sure all materials are included as well. 

December Recap

This month of December was full of activities and spirit! We had many discussions about things such as holidays around the world and we also discussed the application and respect of everyone’s culture. We went into depth on different holidays each week and created artwork to connect what we have been talking about. Such as Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, Buddhi Day, and many more. We also talked about a horse’s and reindeer anatomy. As a fun project we traced the horse puzzle pieces so that each child could practice drawing their own horse. We have been discussing the 3 states of matter again. We have had fun experiments like a melted snowman to talk about solid vs liquid. The children have been practicing how to cover their cough and sneeze, how to offer, and please and thank you’ s. In our Montessori class we practice grace and courtesy every day. We have been discussing the book of the month everyday which is The Giving Tree. The children have created their own tree and have created pictures showing what they give (listening ears to teachers, helping hands to parents).



The children have also been practicing 2 and 3 step directions when it comes to their art shelf. The children have made a menorah, they created their own Kwanzaa candles, and a grinch and Christmas ornaments for Christmas. The children have also been practicing their tracing of shapes by creating their own snowman this month. The children each traced different shapes of circles to create their snowman and it’s something that the children stayed doing the whole month even when that specific activity was not on the shelf. The children have also been practicing their cutting skills by doing a lot of the cutting we needed for art this month. A few friends are even helping cut difficult pieces of paper. This month we also had our Winter recital, and the children did awesome! They practiced every day and were so excited. We have each other pep talks every day, and we could not wait for the really big day! I am so proud of room 3. We also had our last fun spirit week of the year. The children all had an awesome productive last week. The children have been working bees and have been so engaged and respectful with materials. I love to see room 3 working so respectfully with rugs out, table activities, and water and art activities.

November Recap

Hello parents! This month of November was full of activities such as discussions about Veterans Day, about our buckets because our book of the month is How Full Is Your Bucket. We also discussed what we are thankful for and filling other buckets, meaning being kind and helping in all sorts of ways. We had all sorts of science experiments for artwork, the children worked on different things every week. The children created USA books with landmarks which they then helped hole punch each page, they also turned themselves into farmers and we put up the bulletin board together and talked about being thankful for our helping friends and how much we have helping hands. The children also created California Poppy flowers the week we talked about California. The children used 2 kinds of stamps and dipped them into paint to create their poppy flowers. The children also participated in leaf rubbing, which was so much fun, and it helped with their self-control (having to only rub the chalk against the paper).

The children also got to dress their turkeys which were so much fun! We loved seeing what the children created, we had a fun time seeing what the children created. Together the children also helped decorate the door and windows. They created little turkeys with their hands and finger painted to create thankful trees. Art has been so much fun and thought out I love to see how each piece comes out. We also created a thankful tree from an activity we did all together. The children talked about what they are thankful for, and we wrote it on a petal and the tree is currently in our classroom. We also talked about our peace table which we have in our classroom, it includes a book and a rose which is an invitation a child can use to invite another friend to go sit with them at the peace table to resolve a conflict maybe. The children had an awesome end to the month, and we ended on a strong note. The children have been doing great at pushing in chairs, using words to resolve conflicts or get help, (using the peace table).

October Recap

Hello parents! The children had so much fun in the month of October. We saw all the children be as creative as possible with all the fun artwork we had. To start off the month we had a “melting crayons” science experiment. We took some of our broken crayons and put them on a tray during our outside time, at the end of our outside time we checked on our tray to see how much the sun had melted the crayons!

The children had fun touching the slimy melted crayons. We also discussed the planets and layers of the earth. The children love our planet’s songs (top 5 that show up on Spotify). I often hear the children talk about continents, the world, and stars being born. During lunch time they will ask each other which is their favorite planet, and they often play who can say the planets the fastest. Sometimes it gets too silly. Together we each created a planet book; I hope those all made it home.

The month of October we dived into all about North America, we talked about North American plants, animals, and locations. We were also able to listen to music from all over North America. The children now always hum to “Noa Noa” by Juan Gabriel (this song was chosen to represent Mexico) and “La Vida es in Carnival” by Celia Cruz (this song was chosen to represent Cuba). To touch base on math, in groups we practiced how to work with the Montessori Bead stair and practiced a few simple addition equations, we then made a pumpkin art piece to go with one of the addition equations. Thank you, parents, for all the leaves you donated! We did a fun art project, the children each hole punched a leaf and then created an art piece. They had so much fun. As it got closer to Halloween, we had more fun art projects. The children created pumpkins and helped with the bulletin board. They also got to pick out Ms. Stephanie’s and Ms. Natalie’s Halloween costume, which was such a fun activity. The children also made sugar skeletons as we talked about different traditions such as what is celebrated in Mexico, El Dia De Los Muertos. We played some songs with our instruments and the class worked together to play a soft beat. We also got to carve our very own pumpkin, which was so much fun, the children touched the gooey inside and had lots of fun relating the real-life pumpkin to the pumpkins they created.

To finish off October we had our Fall Halloween Party. Thank you to all the parents for helping. The children had so much fun. We read some of their favorite Fall books, lately the children have been loving music and dancing so they asked if we could play a song from North America. We then chose a couple songs and played instruments along with the beats.

September Recap

Hello parents! This month of September was so busy and full of activities!

Our theme was All About Me and through art projects all the children expressed themselves in their own way and showed their character through their own artwork. The children created a self portrait of themselves (Andy Warhol style) and created how they see themselves.

To fit September’s theme a Friday share was an All About Me page where the children got to share a little bit more about them and we also talked about our family tree and even made our own! The children really loved the independence they had during all their activities which means they are doing most of the tracing, coloring, and cutting on their own (with little guidance). We loved to see the outcome of all the artwork the children make because of how different they look at the end. Our book of the month was The Kissing Hand, and we made lots of art projects to send home. We had the Kissing Hand poem for you parents, and the children made a headband with Chester from the book.

Along with the new materials and schedules we have been introduced to this first month of the academic school year, we have also been introduced to our enrichment activities, specifically the computers! We are so excited for room 3 to start their journey on learning how to navigate a mouse and begin to do academic activities on the computer.

We also learned about the seven continents and more about where we are in the world. We often sing Seven Continents by Jack Hartmann. Because we have been discussing more about where we are, we have also begun practicing the Pledge of Allegiance so that soon we can all sing it loud and clear together in the mornings. We also have learned care of the classroom, such as how to serve and clean before and after snack and lunch time as grace and courtesy. One fun thing we do before lunch is we wait for all our friends to find their lunch area and we sing a song together. 

Along with lots of art projects we have has a few science projects as well. With the help of you parents we were able to experiment with magnets and make a homopolar motor. We also had a fun ‘Will it sink or float’ science project where we experimented with different items to see if they would sink or float. As the month ended, we began talking about why leaves change color and all about Autumn and the beginning of Fall. We did a fun art project as an introduction to Fall, and we cannot wait for October to go all out!

Summer 2024 Recap

What a fun summer! We took a step back from our Montessori work and focused on themes that were fun and new. To begin our summer, we learned about our country’s Independence Day. We celebrate the 4th of July because it represents the day that America became separate from the British rule. For outer space, we learned all about the eight planets that are in our solar system and how they all orbit around the sun. We had a fun week dedicated to learning about ourselves and what makes us unique. The children got to decorate rocks to show that there is Only One You. In down by the farm week, we learned all about farm life. We reviewed our farm animal knowledge and how farmers are a big part of our community. To end our summer, we had a fun End of the summer party! All our friends were very excited to spend time with their families and wrap these two past months.

As the summer progress we were sad to see someone of our friends leave, but we met many new friends from our preprimary classroom. We are very excited to see your children learn and prosper this upcoming school year.