CMS Joins the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail Project

CMS participates in the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail Project

The Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail’s (UHQT) mission is to “honor and preserve quilting traditions while promoting tourism through the public display of quilts and painted quilt blocks.”  CMS has a strong tradition of sewing arts so to participate in this project is not only a wonderful learning experience for the students but a chance to share the 36 year history of the school. In 1978, CMS’s Gail Paul wrote one of the first sewing curriculums for preschool children, incorporating Montessori’s ideas and philosophy into needle arts.  Now, sewing is part of many Montessori schools across the country.  Since the late 70’s our school has had sewing in each classroom, culminating with quilt making and embroidery with the elementary students.  Starting in January 2011, Elementary students began their involvement in the quilt project by touring the UHQT wooden quilts hung on barns and homes in Oconee County, listening to stories about quilt history from Verla Warther, and experimenting with the geometry of quilts and pattern generation.  With the help of Judy Luke, Fran Kaiser, and Ellie Elzerman, students picked a quilt pattern, Friendship. They chose fabric at Heirlooms and Comforts in Central, and spent many hours making individual squares for the final quilt, which is normally displayed in the elementary building.  The quilt is currently in the library, as Cindy Blair, a Six Mile resident, is at school this week helping students transition the quilt squares from fabric to paint on our wooden quilt, which we will hang on the main preschool building.  Our kaleidoscope of color will be an opportunity for us to tell stories about CMS, and honor its buildings, people, and history.   Check out the project in its entirety at www.upstateheritagequilttrail.org

CMS Welcomes Artists in Residence

Happily performing a solo! We're having such fun with our Artists in Residence, Julie and Andrew Moore, this week.  They are combining West African rhythm, instruments, dance, and storytelling into fantastic lessons for each age group.   Students will perform for parents this Thursday, May 3rd, preschoolers at 11:30, and elementary at 2:15.  Come join the fun!

Kim and Annie's February News

February 2012

Spring is around the corner and that means planting time!  We began planting seeds in early February to sell at our annual Plant Sale held in late April.  Planting began with herbs and then moves on to tomatoes and peppers and some flowers.  Botany lessons have accompanied the planting—dissecting a seed and naming the parts, an experiment in geotropism and finding out just what a plant needs to grow and thrive!

 Our class has begun the study of the human body!  We borrowed a model skeleton from Gabi and are learning the names of the primary bones.  We took off our shoes and socks and palpated our phalanges, metatarsals and tarsals!  Playing Simon Says is a great, active way to help remember those tricky Latin terms; and its fun to shake your pelvis just like Elvis! 

Science and Spanish News

February 2012

The seniors’ science project is in full swing. Deciding on an experiment, researching, findingall the materials needed and figuring out how to proceed with the experimenttook lots of effort and time. Writing a rough draft was a challenging endeavor.Several students have completed their experiments and are recording theirresults. Others are tweaking experiments (lots of trial and error!) before proceeding with the final experiment andrecordings.

 The Juniors are quiteexcited about the science experiments they are able to perform. We investigatedthe mysterious powers of magnets. The students looked into the three states ofmatter, especially liquids. They learned what happens to a solute when exposedto a solvent; does it always create a solution? The seniors explored thesethemes as well.

 In Spanish, throughout theage groups, learning vocabulary, greeting phrases,  and the body song in Spanishkeep the students entertained. Comparing large objects with small ones, soft objects withhard ones in Spanish paralells the sensoral work in the Montessori classroom. The elementary students are startingto form complete sentences with an object at hand, "The white cat runs," for examle.  They record the sentencesin English as well as in Spanish and are able to read them back aloud.

Elementary Students Get Out and Go

February 2012

Valentine's Day week was a "get out and go" week for the elementary.  We worked the week before sewing and weaving to making Valentine's that the students could share, along with our beautiful voices, to residents of Morningside Assisted Living in Seneca.  Derrick had us practicing a variety of songs and we had some discussions about giving our voices as a gift to others.  On Valentine's Day we were ready for a new experience!  It was heartwarming to see the results.  We wish we'd had a video to share with you to let you be "the fly on the wall" to watch your children.  They sounded great, but also smiled and chatted with residents as they handed out the Valentine's.  It was very enlightening to hear their comments once we returned to school.  For most all of our students, this was a first time entertaining people we didn't know and almost everyone of them want to "do it again." (And, the staff and residents at Morningside were so impressed with our students that they invited us back!) Thanks to everyone who helped with this effort.

On Wednesday, the Seniors went to view the Renaissance art at Bob Jones University.  We gained so much insight into the art of that period from a very experienced guide.  The atmosphere and organization of their art museum is well worth the trip!  We knew not to expect a DaVinci or Michaelangelo, but we did discover that their Rembrandt (different period) was on loan to the Louvre!  We also saw a round painting that once hung in Napoleon's house.  Students are starting to grasp the age and significance of the artists we have studied.

 
We always try to get students to 'try something new' and we think of eating out as being another opportunity to do so.  But, eating at Los Amigos prompted many to order a cheese quesadilla and then eating at Pita House in Greenville many were eating a cheese pita!  We ordered some grape leaves, falafels, and spinach pie to let everyone try something different!  Slowly the students are finding that they like some foods that they have never tried before.   

Seniors have read and researched about the daily life of this period, have fantasized about being an apprentice, or better yet a lord or lady, and studied some of the art and literature.  We will complete looking at the Renaissance by Spring Break by putting together the information they have collected in some type of newsletter or magazine format.  Each student will have input in this project as it evolves!.