Montessori School of New York International

Even though the pandemic has kept our little ones from attending school, their teachers are still keeping them busy! Preschool A has made a little video thanking all the first responders!

We enjoyed a trip to the New York City Fire Museum, where we learned about the history of the NYC Fire Department as well as about Fire Safety! It was interesting to see how the equipment the firefighters use has changed over the century, starting with the “bucket brigades.” We were even able to try on some of the gear and it sure was heavy!
Just like we practice with our teachers, we demonstrated to the firefighters how we can “stop, drop and roll.” We also practiced crawling out of a “smoke”-filled mock apartment. We promised to keep safe by doing our fire drills, and keeping an eye out for possible hazards. Thank you NYC’s Bravest for keeping us safe!

A challenging, exciting time was had by all students as they began exploring the world of robotics! Thinking that this program would simply be an extension of their favorite LEGO club, the children were amazed to see their creations move and make sounds. They learned to build a simple model, following an introduction to the fundamentals of robotic design. Older students learned about sensors and discovered how gears and pulleys cause their creation to move. The children are looking forward to more classes, where they will be encouraged to use critical thinking and programming skills to enhance their robot’s program. Learning how to make their creation respond to motion and tilt sensors, or create sounds, is such a fun, exciting way to be introduced to coding and programming!

Happy Chinese New Year !

One of the reasons we love living in New York City, is that we are able to share in the various cultural celebrations of all our fellow New Yorkers!

This year, the children participated in an in-depth study of China: Geograpy, climate, national landmarks, traditions, history and well-known leaders. Even the little ones enjoyed stories and projects designed to help them learn about Chinese culture.

The unit culminated in a big celebration of this year of the pig! Everyone dressed in traditional outfits, and there were songs and dances complete with fans, umbrellas and dragons! Of course, we ate lots of everyone’s favorite Chinese food- some prepared by the parents and some ordered in!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Photos from our fun chocolate adventure!

Children or Chocolatiers?

Recently, our students went on an educational and tasty quest to learn how to create delicious chocolate from scratch! During the workshop, the children learned everything about chocolate; where cacao comes from, some elements of agroforestry and the botany related to the plant, as well as how chocolate has been made traditionally in American cultures.

Students began with high quality cacao beans sourced all the way from Central America, and in a short period of time became chocolatiers making, and tasting, their delicious chocolate assortments that they created. All the chocolate was a little bit different as each child was given the option to add natural flavorings using spices, dried fruit, coconut and additional sweeteners, giving our students a grand variety of chocolate morsels for them to enjoy!

Every child that participated in the event, got the chance to grind the cacao beans in the manual grinder and combine the cacao paste they had created with fun ingredients, making their experience very unique.

Once the children had finished creating their special chocolates, it was time to mold their creations with fun shapes, making this a very fun part of our little trip. We all had a great time during this simple and sweet hands-on activity, while still learning a lot about botany and culture.

So what do you think? Is your child now a Chocolatier? We think so!

Happy Monday everyone! Take a look at our newest blog post about our wonderful performance of The Secret Garden!

Sights and Sounds of New York City Summer Camp Begins May 29th!

Calling all parents: Montessori School of New York International would like to proudly announce this year’s Summer camp - Sights and Sounds of New York City!

All children ages 2-14 are welcome to attend our fun-packed summer complete with numerous activities, field trips as well as an end of Summer talent show!

Are you and your child interested? Here is all you need to know:

Our visionary teachers have worked together to create a hands on Summer curriculum that will bring joy and curiosity to your child every day with biweekly themes that include field trips to The Museum of Natural History, The Smithsonian American Indian Museum, The Bronx Zoo, The New York Aquarium, and The New York Public Library - and these are just a few of the many activities we have in store!

During the Sights and Sounds of New York City Summer program, we will challenge students to apply their cultural experiences to the topics being studied as we make our way through each new destination. Our preschool children will have the opportunity to work on reading and math skills individually with our teachers. Elementary students will also be given the opportunity to participate in individual academics and/or test preparation for admission into Gifted programs or Specialized High Schools, or ERBs if they so choose.

Children will bring lunches from home each week, except for Fridays as we will have a BBQ to which the parents may contribute!

As always, Summer Camp ends with our traditional (and super fun) end-of-camp Talent Show, where children will perform individually, as well as with their groups, for awards and prizes!

That sounds great! But what if my child cannot start camp until the following week, or midsummer?

While our Sights and Sounds camp begins May 29th, we understand that your child may not be able to join in the fun right away. Your child can join our Summer camp any Monday that works for your schedule!

And while the Summer may come to an end in the Fall, your child’s learning won’t stop there as all children enrolled for the Summer are also given preference for September admission; and for those unable to attend the Fall session, this camp is also a great opportunity to experience a shorter Montessori term.

This is an experience you and your child do not want to miss! Give our admissions a call today at (212)223-4630 to reserve your spot!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!! Don’t forget to sign your children up for our Sights and Sounds of New York City Summer Camp! Camp begins May 29 but your child can begin any Monday of the Summer!