Primary: The First 30 Minutes
When a parent or caregiver drops off the Montessori child in the morning (for Villa children, this time happens between 8:10am and 8:30am), a very special routine unfolds. The classroom lies patiently, quiet and ready for the day's work. Materials are organized and remain in their designated spots; flowers are set and ready for arranging; soft lighting and a calm environment welcome each child as he or she arrives.In P3, Directress Heather Steinman waits patiently by the door as the children arrive for the day. She welcomed us in to observe the morning routine and how important those first 30 minutes are to a Primary Montessori child. 
This calm time is important for each child to experience. As she arrives, she puts her things away neatly to start the day. It is each child's responsibility to hang up her own coat, hat, and gloves; it is part of her routine to change her shoes from outdoor shoes into her clean indoor ones. She zips up her coat on a hanger and then hangs it alongside the others.
As each child arrives within the designated time window, the Directress is available to greet him or her. This is such an important part of the day — a time for a child to feel special, and even to reaffirm the child's place in the classroom and his relationship with the Directress as she shakes his hand, looks him in the eye, and welcomes him by name and with a verbal greeting.
When the children arrive all around the same time, they are also treated to each other! While in the coat room together, they chat and catch up on socializing time. Checking in with each other is another way these children solidify their relationships with each other and build self esteem before going to choose work in the classroom. Just as adults often take time to greet one another and socialize a bit as they arrive at work in the morning, the children also need this time. They tell stories or share news of their families. Sometimes they tell silly jokes and make each other laugh. It is a relaxing, enjoyable way to start the day!
Within the first 30 minutes of a Montessori Primary child's day, she or he may choose to set up a snack for the rest of the class. Here, a child pours pretzels into a bowl while another washes grapes.
Then, they work together to take the washed grapes off the vine to make snack time easier for their friends.
It takes some children longer than others to hang up their coats and hats, to change their shoes, and to place their lunch boxes on the shelf. Sometimes this can take up most of the first 30 minutes!
As 8:30 rolls around, the classroom becomes abuzz with action. Children get settled and begin their work while the Directress gives lessons and the Aide helps others. There is a bit more noise now, and everyone is focused on the work they have chosen. The dynamic of the classroom slowly shifts; the lights are turned out in the coat room, there is less socializing and more concentration. By 8:35, children are hard at work.
Thank you, Heather, for giving us a peek into the very important, very early part of the day. It is a pleasure to see these little minds blooming and thriving!
The children absolutely love folding and putting away the Children's House laundry. Every day, someone (and sometimes more than one child) takes it upon himself to fold all of the drying cloths, cloth place mats, and cloth napkins which are used throughout the day each and every day. They take such pride in completing the task, which includes many steps.
Robyn Milos, former Children's House Directress and current Education Director at Villa di Maria, shares with us another similar process:"Other classroom cloths, such as polishing cloths and dusting cloths, go through our laundry cycle in another wonderful manner. They are used to polish or dust, then are placed in the basket for cloth washing. When another child chooses cloth washing, the cloths are lathered up on the scrub board and hung to line dry. The next day, those cloths are ironed by yet another child and returned to their place on the supply shelf. The care of the environment that is bestowed on the Children's House, by the children, gives them such a sense of ownership!"
Each cloth is color-coordinated, making it easy for a child to remember where each cloth goes. Above, a child gives cloths to Cristina, the Children's House Assistant, to place high on a shelf where they belong. The remaining cloths are all within the child's reach, such as on low shelves or in baskets along the floor."He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play and then through work. The hands are the instruments of man's intelligence." - The Absorbent Mind, p. 25Thank you, Jessie, for this peek into the early morning workings of a Primary Classroom!
The open-ended play that results from loose parts — the sticks and logs and things found in nature, provided by nature itself, allows for deep creative experimentation: the crucial element being the children's freedom to adapt the materials in a large variety of ways. These logs can become structures, machines, vehicles, absolutely anything a child (or group of children) decides.
The power of loose parts lies in its infinite possibilities. It does not dictate a story or purpose; the child does so.
If you are interested in creating more loose parts play for your child, consider the following in your back yard: stones of varying size, slices of wood rounds, sticks, pinecones, sand, wood chips, chalk, gravel, acorns, planks, tubes, and wheels.For indoors: popsicle sticks, dominos, wood blocks, felt balls, yarn, pipe cleaners, marbles, cardboard tubes, washers, buttons, shells, magnetic building tiles, strips of fabric (silk, wool, cotton), and even dried seeds or beans!Happy playing!
Pouring, mixing (with her hands, with a whisk, and with a spoon or rubber scraper) 
Peeling using fingers (egg, garlic, mandarin orange) or using a peeler 
Cutting and chopping (*make sure your child is using knives and other sharp tools properly, putting her hand in the right place. Remind her again and again that no fingers should be on the cutting board) 
Grating, kneeding, scooping, egg cracking (be sure to have a full carton of eggs to sacrifice the first day your child tries this… and plan to have a crunchy omelet to eat that day!), spreading, and shelling peas 
Washing vegetables, washing dishes, washing table 
And, the best part: using the senses in the kitchen: tasting, touching, and smelling!Now for the recipe! Sophie has shared a typical easy French recipe: Carottes Vichy (Vichy Carrots). This recipe uses many skills: peeling with fingers and with a peeler, washing, cutting leaves, chopping, cutting, pouring, and mixing.
Vichy CarrotsNo specific proportions here, just prepare according to your own taste: parsley, garlic, carrots, salt, ground pepper, and olive oil.First, make a "persillade," (chop together parsley and garlic). Next, cut carrots into rounds. Mix everything, then sauté in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper.Et voila! Bon appetit!Thank you, Sophie, for inspiring us all to include our children in the kitchen — such a wonderful thing to do together as a family! 
The directress and assistant set out name tags in advance, changing up who sits with whom each day. Once the name tags are place on each table, a child walks around, reading the names and placing woven place mats at each spot.
This child took great care in placing the mats just so!
While the children who volunteered earlier in the day set up the classroom for lunch, the Directress gathers with the rest of the children on the rug to sing songs. The children walking around the room setting up also sing while they work. Such a harmonious setting!
After the mats are placed, the plates and glasses come next.
Next, two children work together, one placing cloth napkins at each setting, while the other is in charge of forks and spoons.
Silverware is heavy!
Perhaps one of the most fun parts of setting up lunch is one of the youngest children in the class taking responsibility for pouring water into each glass. He was so careful, so methodical, and took so much pride in this activity, which, as he grows older, will become more about contributing to the community around him. Each child will drink from the water he poured so carefully. How important he must feel!
Once the tables are set, the directress invites everyone to sit. The children wait until everyone is seated. The directress rings a bell once, and they all begin to unpack their lunches and socialize with their friends.
Children serve themselves or can ask for help opening or heating up food. They do as much of it themselves as they can manage, and take pride in this work.
This part of the day is so special, it is wonderful to witness. It feels like a big family gathering!Thank you, Reghan, for inviting us into your classroom for lunch! 
What is happening here? Coordination with one's own body in addition to coordinating with others' bodies, balance, teamwork, joy, and relaxation all in one!
Imagination, abstract thinking, and a self-imposed time-out: this child was upset and went to be by herself for a few moments. Her friend, standing, checked on her and took a position of protector. They ran off together minutes later. 
Pure joy!
Simply observing children at recess is enough to see the evidence of this complex and important part of a child's day. What an honor to be a fly on the wall! Let those kids play!
Within the box are three items: a button, a cup, and a duck. Here, directress Reghan McAuley plays an "I Spy" riddle with these young children:
I spy with my little eye… something that begins with "KUH." The child responds by picking up the cup and saying, "Kuh, kuh. Cup!" as she hands over the cup.
In Reghan's words: "The attractiveness of the small objects and the rhyming riddle makes this a treasured game in the Montessori environment."
Judging from the number of children who gathered round to watch in the background as the game progressed, it clearly is an appealing game, and a fun early introduction to the sounds words make. Thank you, Reghan, for sharing!
With plenty of fun events on the horizon, excitement is in the air. Halloween is just around the corner. We can't wait to share some pretty great costumes with you when the time is right!
Another first: the school bus ride, which was the highlight of more than one child's day. How lucky are these kids to have the wonderful city of St. Louis and its talented musicians at their fingertips? Hooray for the symphony!
The bird watching area is situated in a quiet corner of the patio and includes a chair facing out toward the wooded area of Villa's school grounds, a table with binoculars, and several bird guide books. The laminated booklet of Backyard Birds of North America contains clear photographs of many different birds and is easy for small hands to hold and turn pages.
Bird watching in Montessori is a good example of the importance of identifying everything a child encounters in the world by its true name; a red bird may be a cardinal, a black bird may be a common raven or an American crow, a blue bird may be a blue jay, a scrub jay, or an eastern bluebird. During the sensitive period of language which occurs during the first six years of a child's life, identifying a thing by its proper name is extremely important to language development."The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper names." — Confucius