Let’s get rid of all those chemicals, in the classroom and at home!

For use in various Montessori classroom activities:

• Wood Polishing – coconut oil or olive oil
• Cleaning a Mirror or a Window – white vinegar (with a little water)
• Shell Scrubbing – baking soda and water
• Washing Dishes – castile soap
• Cleaning Plant Leaves – homemade mayonnaise or olive oil

Here are more suggestions, beyond the classroom (from Healthy Holistic Living):

Let’s all do our part to take care of our environment, our health, and above all, the health of our children! More suggestions? We welcome your thoughts.

Photo: ©Randy Gerdes

Connie Bradley from Trussville, Alabama shares her original Art project, titled “Flower Box.”

Instructions: Prepare a wooden box with various compartments to hold items a child can use to create different flowers. Use different types of paper to create various size stems, leaves and flower patterns. Buttons, stones and other creative craft ideas can be added to the box to offer more than just paper.

In the box Katie, age 5, and I created, we decided to add lavender oil. Katie wanted the flowers to smell good, and I had lavender oil I use on the children’s pillows at night. In addition to the flower box, you will need newspaper, apron and cardboard or paper on a tray.

Katie designed the flowers in the finished photo, and enjoyed every part of this project from preparation through cleanup.

The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit. Montessori

UMA is excited to launch our new E-Campus on our Edumont E-Learning portal. Contact us if you would like to know more!

Happy Chinese New Year!  – 2015 – The year of the…sheep…or goat…or ram. Take your pick! In Mandarin, “yang,” or “horned animal,” covers all three so no one is quite sure. The general consensus seems to be the sheep. View a brief history here of Chinese New Year.