The Bow Tying Frame

This week, a parent shared with me about a super fun shoe tying activity in the Nordstrom Kids Shoe Department that she attended with her children this past summer. It made me really appreciate the lace up shoes, tie-back aprons and dressing frames that support children in our environments in the important task of tying a bow! 
 
The bow tying frame is one of eight dressing frames in the Children's House that directly aide children in being able to take care of themselves. Other dressing frames are:  The buckle frame, the button frame, the hook and eye frame, the lacing frame, the safety pin frame, the snap frame and the zipper frame. Each material is attached to a 12x12" wooden frame with flaps of fabric that meet in the center and are fastened as listed above. The bow tie frame has five red ribbons sewn on the right flap and five white ribbons sewn at the left.

As adults we take for granted our ability to tie a bow, buckle a shoe and numerous other tasks to take care of ourselves. Young children however spend a lot of time and concentration doing these things as they are developing eye/ hand coordination, refining their movement, processing sequence and order, all of these which contribute to their self-confidence by fulfilling an inner developmental need to be able to care for themselves independently.
 
In every presentation we give in the classroom, movement is very important. We use very precise, slow movements that follow a particular order and we use carefully chosen words, if any at all. Movements are clear and sequential and  speak their own language directly to children in a way that they can understand. The Practical Life exercises of Care of the Self, isolate movements that children can absorb and refine to develop these abilities. We call them exercises, because they are movements that the children need to repeat over and over in the same way in order to acquire mastery.

First, beginning at the bottom and working to the top all the bows are untied, and the ribbons are smoothed out and laid horizontally. Crossing arms left over right, and with my pincer fingers picking up the ribbon ends and then uncrossing my arms to lay the ribbons out flat so that they are crossed... There are no fewer than 21 points in this presentation, with the last one being, to adjust the bow and make it pretty. The points of interest are what draw the children in and ignite a desire to practice this task as early as 3 1/2! I typically see mastery about 4 1/2- 5, although sometimes earlier.
 
It is with great care that Miss Konstanty ties shoes for children each morning until they can tie for themselves, an important task being absorbed into our little human persons! Once the older children can tie, they serve each other in the community by tying the shoes and aprons of the younger. I also often see that they want to return to the spindle rods (one of the math materials) to tie bows around all the bundles from 2 to 9!  
 
Happy Bow Tying!

Mystery and Connection in the Atrium

The Young Children’s Community formally enthroned the Holy Bible on our prayer table this week! For most of the children, this was a new and meaningful experience. Before the prayer service began, we had a joyful procession – what we described to the children as a "holy parade." As we processed to the prayer table in a toddler line fashion, we sang, “Come into God’s presence singing Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!”  Leading the procession was one of our toddlers, who was holding the processional cross, which became the focal point for the others to follow. Each child had a part to play, carrying an article to place on the prayer table with care. Our prayer table was adorned with beautiful materials: a prayer tablecloth, a statue of the Good Shepherd, a prayer card with a stand, a white candle, a snuffer tray, fresh flowers, and the delicate golden pillow on which the Holy Bible would rest.
 
The children gathered around the prayer table, curious and enthusiastic as they anticipated what was to come. Over the past few weeks, we have been singing songs and listening to stories about who Jesus is, hearing His different names, like the Good Shepherd and the Light. This prayer service was special, the Holy Bible was named, and its place at the prayer table was introduced.  The awe and wonder on the children's faces as they heard the name "Holy Bible" and watched the candle being lit is always a sight to behold! A passage from the Bible was proclaimed: “Be Still and Know that I am God.”  A prayer card with those same words rested on the table, lifting up the proclamation, and we sang a song using those same words as well. The children were captivated – some hummed along to the song, while others eagerly requested to sing it again and again.  Our beloved Alleluia song was also sung, the children delighting in its familiar melody.
 
As we closed our prayer service, a child was invited to extinguish the candle. Though the flame was gone, most of the children remained still, gazing quietly at the materials and the Holy Bible on the prayer table. This peaceful moment of reflection, where they silently absorbed the beauty of what had just transpired, was truly a grace-filled encounter.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is the heart and foundation of our program. The atrium connects deeply with young children in ways that often escape full explanation. Day after day, the children demonstrate a natural inclination toward their relationship with God, open to His love in ways that are both profound and simple. We nurture this connection not just with words, but through the lived experiences of prayer, song, beauty, and their interactions with one another. The children are living testaments to the many ways they encounter the Divine. Within them is an innate knowledge that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calls each of them by name – and they respond with all their hearts! The children's engagement with the atrium materials reveals this connection, as they work with concentration and devotion, often for long periods.  The toddlers express a wide range of emotions when interacting with the atrium materials – joy, curiosity, excitement, tenderness, and love shine through their actions. It’s as if these young children are constantly revealing to us the beauty of their faith and the depth of their intimate relationship with Jesus.
 
To illustrate this, I would like to share a couple of stories. Recently, a 16-month-old child joined our community. On his visiting day, he entered the classroom and immediately spotted a statue of the Holy Family. After a few moments, he noticed an icon of the Holy Family and let out a joyful sound that caught my attention. In his excitement, he quickly took the icon and placed it next to the statue of the Holy Family, his joy unmistakable! Another child, captivated by the figure of baby Jesus in our Nativity materials, spent over 30 minutes holding it in her hand, moving it to her lap, back into her hand, and then into the manger, kissing the figure tenderly throughout. These moments of devotion, though simple, are profound reminders of the child’s capacity for love and reverence.

Other children, too, display their relationship in different ways. We have children who will take the Holy Bible and sit with it for long periods – some repeating proclamations they have heard before, others singing songs with it, or bringing it to the Good Shepherd table, or to the topographical map, or even hugging it or lying with it. Some children love to process with the processional cross around the classroom and others will sit at the Good Shepherd table and work with the figures for long periods.  These moments are beautiful to witness, each one a small window into the mystery of the child's relationship with Our Creator.
 
It never ceases to amaze me how children, so full of energy and born to explore the world through movement, are deeply captivated by their faith and relationship with God – something that can feel abstract and intangible to us as adults. Despite their natural inclination to move, these young hearts are drawn to the materials in the atrium, which call to them and gently invite them to pause, slow down, and even embrace stillness. Though this slowing down looks different for each child – sometimes it’s a brief pause, sometimes several minutes or even longer, they are responding to the proclaimed words from the Holy Bible: "Be still and know that I am God". In these moments, we see an eagerness, a longing, and a deep sense of pondering. It’s a powerful reminder to us as adults that children, through their simplicity and openness, show us the way to heaven – or, at the very least, how to draw closer to it.

Let’s Talk about Geography

Let's talk about geography.  For the Montessori savvy among you, you already know that we use the word "geography" in a wider and older sense than its current usage as a field of study about topography and the locations of places and settlements.  In our curriculum it is a bit like "earth sciences".  We are walking the word back to its etymological origins of geo (earth) graphia (writing).  Just as the ancients' use of the word "physics" embraced all science of natural phenomena, from their tentative steps in non-mythological cosmology to weather patterns.  Our Upper Elementary geography shelf has been home to some of the work relating to our chemistry study.  This week they have been exploring the periodic table and diving into what exactly its organization is telling us.  Some of our youngest students have been doing much more recognizable "geography work", learning the vocabulary of land and water forms.  This week we discussed the finer points of distinction between straits and channels--and learned a new word: canal.  Many of us were familiar with it already, if only from singing "Low Bridge" with Mrs. Allen at music time last year.  (You may know the song as "Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal".  A trio of older lower elementary students have been doing another work on the subject matter as well, a culmination material known as the "imaginary island".  There are a number of tiles with landforms, fields, and coastline.  They  do not fit together in every possible arrangement, but one may create the map of hundreds of unique island lands with this material.  But then the fun begins: students follow direction cards asking them to do a number of tasks that gives them reading practice and helps us assess their readiness to move beyond the type of work they did as 6 and 7 year olds and embrace the more abstract and cosmic work ahead of them.

On a more mundane level, early this year the adults in the classroom have been observing how the geography of our redesigned classroom has influenced the children and their work.  Now, as Montessorians we are quite aware that our classroom is the meeting ground between the child, the adult, and the prepared environment.  I would now like to give you two short glimpses into things which appeared this week on our classroom's wall.
 
On the side of our classroom dominated by upper elementary seating and work shelves, there is a bulletin board with lots of information for the older students.  They can remind themselves of what their baseline follow-up work is and when it is due.  For example, a card pinned to the board under "Tuesday" might read "5th Years: Try at least 10 problems from math drawer #28".  That is a cue for what skills they ought to practice to build on what they learned in their last fraction multiplication lesson, but also lets them know they should have it done by their next Wednesday math lesson.  This board also features 12 beautiful cards made by a few of our 6th years.  Each corresponds with a month of the year, and lets us know when the birthdays of members of our community will be.  Strangely, we have no birthdays at all in September and October.  They come quickly in November with nine different birthdays.  (Not every one is that of a student--one is the first birthday of Nicholas de Bernardo and another is mine.)  It will be a fun challenge to cook snacks worthy of a birthday when the time comes.  So far this year we have made eggs, corn muffin loaves, pancakes, bread, and two amazingly good apple pies.  Who knows what the fall will bring.

On Tuesday there was a list of seven names written in chalk at the blackboard on the opposite end of the room.  It was the feast day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.  She is a great saint for many reasons, one of which being that she has something to teach people of every age and stage of the journey.  A few times a month, a staff member or one of the parents I have helping me keep an eye on the liturgical calendar notice a special day that might have a special draw for the children.  Sometimes it is a parent who takes a group of children.  Other times we go in the trusty RMS van.  Other times multiple vehicles go.  The children really get a lot out of it.  There is the metaphysical aspect: the graces of the Mass and the power of God's Word proclaimed from the ambo.  There are other benefits.  Children get to be together in a smaller group and take a little car trip together.  It brings folks together in unexpected combinations and gives them an espirit de corps they would not otherwise have.  It gives them a chance to get out in the community--showing others and themselves that they can be mature young people going out into the world.  I wonder if this also helps them unify their life in a way--usually we do not go to church with our friends.  Usually school is one thing and the outside world is another.  What wonderful things happen when we blur this distinction.  As I have alluded to before, we do not leave our faith in the atrium, nor do we leave our reason in the classroom.  There is a sense that even our geography study is a specific subdiscipline within theology.  Of course we are subtle and gentle about it.  We propose, we never impose.  How could we be any other way while working in the vineyard of the One who speaks to us in silence and stillness?