The Cottage Montessori Preschool - Radiokop

Some parenting inspiration from Association Montessori Internationale -Canada

Happy Friendship Day! We spoke about what it means to be a kind and thoughtful friend — using gentle words, sharing, helping one another and including everyone in our play.

The children worked together to make a fresh fruit salad 😋, created special Friendship Day cards, and made friendship necklaces to gift to their friends as a symbol of their special bonds.

A beautiful day reminding us that kindness is at the heart of true friendship 💕

Over the weekend, our amazing teachers swapped storybooks and paintbrushes for bandages and CPR dummies as they completed their annual First Aid & CPR refresher course 🚑💪
We’re proud to say our team is fully up to date, confident and always prepared to keep our little ones safe—while still making every day fun, caring and full of learning ❤️

*Back to School* 😎
Our first week back has been nothing short of amazing! 🎉
It’s been a week of new beginnings, new friendships and a whole lot of excitement as we get to know each other better! ✨ From the classroom to the playground, the energy has been exciting, we can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds. 🤗
Here’s to making this school year the best one yet! Let’s make this year unforgettable!

We had such a busy last few weeks of school, but thought we'd highlight 2 events to end off a wonderful term. 🤗

First, we celebrated Thanksgiving in the most meaningful (and delicious!) way. The children enjoyed baking their own apple pies, filling our classrooms with the sweetest smells. 🍎🥧 They also added their heartfelt messages to our Thankful Tree, sharing what brings them joy and gratitude. 🌳 It was a beautiful reminder of how thoughtful and expressive our little ones are.

To end the term on a high note, we wrapped up with our much-loved Sprinkler Day! 💦☀️
Nothing beats the laughter, sunshine, watermelon and splashes as children run through the sprinklers, enjoying one of our favourite end-of-year traditions, together.

🌿💛 Happy World Kindness Day 💛🌿

In our Montessori environment, kindness is something we practice every day — through gentle words, helping hands and peaceful hearts. 🌸

Today, in celebration of World Kindness Day, the children reflected on what it means to be kind and to show gratitude and respect for one another.

To put these ideas into practice, the children baked delicious muffins and took them home with the intention of giving them to someone special — a family member, neighbour or a stranger— as a simple gesture of kindness and gratitude. 🧁💖

Through lessons in Grace and Courtesy, we nurture empathy, patience and compassion — qualities that help our children grow into considerate and confident members of their community. 🌼

As Dr. Maria Montessori reminds us, “The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”

May we all continue to plant seeds of kindness, every day. 💖

🌿 Happy Outdoor Classroom Day! 🌞

Yesterday, we stepped outside the four walls of our classroom to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day — a global movement that reminds us that some of the best learning happens under the open sky! 🌈

In the Montessori environment, outdoor learning is a natural extension of the classroom. It allows children to explore with their whole bodies, connect with nature, and experience hands-on learning in real, meaningful ways. We had our music class under the trees, watched the clouds and learnt about the water cycle and how rain is made, we discussed the parts of a tree, our younger children went "camping" and explored the garden searching for objects from nature and read stories by the campfire — every moment outdoors builds independence, curiosity, and respect for the world around us. 🌱

Here’s to movement, bright smiles and learning that grows as naturally as the world around us! 💚

🌳 A Look Back at Our “Trees” Theme! 🌳

Last term, our little learners explored the wonderful world of Trees — discovering just how important and magical they are! 🌱

From learning the parts of a tree (roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit 🍎) to understanding what trees need to grow (sunshine, soil, air, and water 💧), every activity helped bring nature to life.

Our classrooms were filled with:

🍃 Leaf rubbings, Fruit tasting and bark texture matching in Sensorial

🌰 Sorting seeds, nuts, and leaves in Practical Life

🌳 Tree life cycles, puzzles and classification cards in Culture

✏️ Tracing and labeling tree parts in Language

🍎 Counting acorns and measuring trunks in Math

🎨 Painting and collage-making inspired by forests in Art

We also spent time outdoors observing the trees around our school — noticing how their shapes, leaves, and even shadows change! ☀️

This theme truly encouraged an appreciation for nature, growth, and caring for our planet — one small leaf at a time. 💚

🌍✨ Happy Heritage Day! ✨🌍

Today we celebrate all the different foods we eat, the songs we sing, the clothes we wear, and the languages we speak in South Africa. 🇿🇦💚

Every family is special, and together we make one big rainbow nation. 🌈❤️

We wish all our families a joyful Heritage Day filled with love, togetherness, and pride in who we are. 🌸

🥳 Muffin Day Fun! 🧁✨

Last Friday, we celebrated Maria Montessori’s birthday in the sweetest way – with our very own Muffin Market! 🥳

Our Grade R children had the chance to step into the roles of sellers and shopkeepers, practicing real-life skills like, 🧮 counting and calculating their sales and 🤝 communicating with their customers.

It was a wonderful way to bring Maria Montessori’s vision to life – “education is a natural process carried out by the child” – and give our little ones the chance to learn through hands-on, joyful experiences. 🌱💛

Thank you to all our parents for supporting our market day – and to our children for making it a delicious success! 🥰🫐🍌👨‍🍳

🥥🌴 Happy World Coconut Day! 🌴🥥

Today, our preschoolers had a coco-nutty good time celebrating World Coconut Day! 🥳
We explored the many uses of coconuts – from drinking the refreshing water, tasting the creamy flesh, to learning how coconuts grow high up on palm trees. 🌴

🌸🌞 Spring Day at The Cottage Montessori! 🌞🌸

What a truly wonderful Spring Day we shared together! The children were so excited to get their hands into the soil as they planted all the lovely plants they brought along for our school garden 🌱🌼.

The highlight of the day was planting our very own Peach Tree 🍑🌳 — a special addition that we will watch grow together in the years to come.

It was a joyful day of planting, learning and celebrating the beauty of spring and new beginnings 💛.