Category Archives: Lower Elementary
The Plant Life Cycle
Lower Elementary students have been studying plants this month. All grades have been talking about the anatomical structure of a flower, and had an opportunity to dissect one and identify its parts. First and second graders have been growing plants, … Continue reading
Posted in Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Montessori method, science, sensorial, Uncategorized
A Visit of Olympic Proportions
Students in Lower and Upper were excited to welcome guest speaker, Keli Smith Puzo. Keli is a two-time Olympian, competing in the sport of field hockey in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012. Many classrooms have been discussing … Continue reading
Farming
In January we were happy to host Scott Jasper with his farming equipment. Scott has designed special equipment for children to have hands-on experiences in the planting and harvesting process. Students in Kindergarten and Lower Elementary got to spend some … Continue reading
The History of Mail
For the last month, Lower Elementary has been studying the history of the United States Postal Service. We learned about how letters get from here to there, first by horse and then cars, trains, airplanes, and boats. We followed the … Continue reading
Sharing Art
Sharing art is an exciting and rewarding experience in the McGuffey art studio. Artists select one of their creations (finished or a work-in-progress) to share and receive positive comments on. Often, in the older units, we write down our positive … Continue reading
Ice Skating
This year we were able to return to the Goggin Ice Arena on Miami’s campus for our annual ice skating sessions. A good time was had by all and many of our students improved quite a bit over the three … Continue reading
McGuffey Lanes & Shuffleboard Emporium
McGuffey Lanes & Shuffleboard Emporium showed up in PE recently as our basketball court was transformed into a bowling alley and we set up two shuffleboard lanes in the pavilion. The students enjoyed working on their bowling skills and shuffleboard … Continue reading
Music in the Fall
Recently in music, first graders completed their study of both “Carnival of the Animals” and percussion instruments. We learned about the composer Camille Saint-Saëns (he loved a good joke!) and what makes an instrument a percussion instrument (they make a … Continue reading
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends, but the history of the holiday is complicated and often misunderstood. Based on the book “1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving”, Lower Elementary had a chance to discuss what actually … Continue reading
Election Day
Costume Day at McGuffey is always the day after Halloween, which happened to coincide with the day before Election Day. In Lower Elementary, we combined the two subjects and held an election about candy! Based on personal preference, the class … Continue reading
