Winter in Maine seems to last longer than one season! Here are some resources for ideas for gross and fine motor activities that could be just the right indoor activities for your toddler or preschooler. Also, some background on the importance of gross and fine motor activities for young children. The ability to write is a cognitive and physical achievement. The brain has to learn the minute differences between 26 similar letters and direct the body to form the lines of each letter. The trunk muscles help the body sit upright, ready at the paper. One shoulder, arm and hand steady the paper with just the right pressure. Then, the opposite shoulder, upper and lower arm, wrist, palm and fingers work together to push and pull the pencil in the precise sequence to form a letter. Phew! So much of writing readiness comes down to physical readiness. It is surprising how much of the body is involved in writing. Trunk strength in the core and shoulders is just as crucial for writing as hand strength. I like to visualize this as the larger muscles groups setting up a foundation for the hand muscles to grasp the pencil and make the precise movements for writing. Developing trunk strength involves coordination and balance. When the trunk is strong, it is easier for the hand to lightly grasp the pencil in that tripod finger grasp that allows for easy writing. The best way to prepare a child to write with ease is through motor activity! In the Montessori classroom, we incorporate gross and fine motor activities throughout the child’s day. The Practical Life area features fine motor activities like pouring and using tools like tweezers and scoops. The Language area includes activities like using chalk and pin punches. Gross motor movement takes place with music at circle time and during work time with care of the environment activities like dishes washing and sweeping. Here are some great online resources for fine and gross motor activities to try at home. There are many ideas at each website, enough to get you through the long winter! Let us know how it goes and if your child has a favorite activity. Gross Motor Activities OT Mom Learning Activities Offers movement game ideas for increasing hand-eye coordination, core strength, shoulder strength and bilateral coordination. The Inspired Treehouse Offers fun movement activites to increase core strength and balance. Fine Motor Activities Pre-Kinders Fine Motor Skills Ideas – photo rich and short descriptions of activities Imagination Tree 40 Fine Motor Activities for Children – great if you enjoy photos for...

An annual holiday tradition at Winfield Children’s House is to hold a drive to collect gifts for those in need. Each year, Winfield chooses a different local organization that delivers gifts to families in the area. We call this tradition The Giving Tree. Each classroom hangs ornaments that list a kind of gift to donate on a small tree or display. This year, our gifts benefited the Gray-New Gloucester Caring Community. We participated in their Shoebox Giving Program. Families collected small gifts for infants through teenagers and placed them in a wrapped shoebox. We collected all of the shoeboxes and we were astonished by the generosity of families. We were able to give over 60 gifts! Thank you to all of our families for their kindness!!!...

      Peace is an important aspect of the Montessori classroom. The Winfield Children’s House campus has two Peace Poles inscribed with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages. These Peace Poles are part of an international movement and can be seen at schools all around the world. The children pass by these symbols of peace each day. We think it is important to revisit their meaning each year. Every October, we hold a Peace Ceremony to re-dedicate our Peace Poles. We choose to hold our Peace Ceremony on United Nations Day. Here you will see the Preschool and Toddler children gathered around the Children’s House peace pole, singing songs of peace and telling the story of the United Nations.    ...

Winfield Children’s House is seeking re-accreditation this year from the American Montessori Society (AMS). We are on-track towards that goal, having recently submitted our self-study report to the school accreditation program at AMS. Thus, we are delighted that the AMS accreditation program was just re-accredited by the National Council for Private School Accreditation, a national organization that serves as a review panel for the standards and review procedures of private school accrediting agencies. Because AMS is member of NCPSA, schools that are accredited by AMS are also accredited by NCPSA. We look forward to completing the re-accreditation process this year. To view a press release about the National Council for Private School Accreditation news, please visit the AMS website.  ...

Are you wondering about the value of a Kindergarten year at Winfield Children’s House? Many families choose this option to provide continuity to a child’s experience in the Preschool classroom. There are many benefits that this continuity provides, both socially and academically. The American Montessori Society produced a new video describing the learning that takes place in the Montessori Kindergarten year. It is only three minutes and features beautiful video of early childhood classrooms in Colorado, Massachusetts and New York. Please take a peek!...