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Montessori Students Celebrate Earthday And Learn The Importance Of Creativity

In celebration of Earth Day, master teacher Stephanie Pelly facilitated the Young Masters Discovery Program at Naudain Academy as they focused on this weeks “secret” CREATIVITY by working together on a group art project that now hangs in their classroom and the school hallways.  The project all began as children discovered creativity by reading “Young Masters: The Invisible Power.”  Everything begins with an idea.  …one simple idea – from the light bulb to an airplane. Earthday…aperfect place to begin for a group creativity project. As Stephanie lead the children in creating an Earthday mural, the children took turns drawing pictures of the earth and then switching positions with their classmates to continue drawing in a new area.  The goal of this activity was to teach the children that they could create an art project as a group! “Once an idea is introduced it can take a group of people to help make it successful,” said Stephanie. “You each have something important to add,” she said as they selected a different color crayon to add their special touch!  Songs from the Young Masters CD provided a beautiful, musical backdrop as children added birds, people, flowers and trees in all different colors.

After they completed the group project, Stephanie talked about the creative writing and arts project in their Young Masters’ journals.  The children were asked to create and draw their very own cartoon character.  “Create your very own character,” said Stephanie, “like the illustrator Kye Fleming created Phylos, Butaan and EEtha in the Young Master books or like the characters you see on television or in other story books.”

Once the children designed the image of their character they were asked to create a story about their character.  You could see their wheels turning as Naudain Academy students searched their minds for creative ideas and inspiration.  Children were also asked to name their character.  Some children said, they would come up with a name first and then draw the character…ah the beauty of the creative process.  There are a million ways to create and no set path to a creative end.  Stephanie couldn’t wait to see their creative ideas.

Before the class was over, a couple children asked if they could share their creative art projects from their “at-home” work the week before.  Stephanie was fascinated by their imagination and creativity.  Some children used the same materials, one of those was tin foil, but each created a unique idea.  One girl made an ocean scene with tin foil and candy while another boy used a paper towel roll and tin foil to make a jousting sword.

All in all, a perfect way to honor earth day, by recycling materials and using creativity to make something!  And after all – look at Mother Earth – is she not the epitome of creativity?

They closed with the Young Master’s pledge.  A reminder that each Young Master has gifts share with the world and makes a promise to use those gifts.

Next the Young Masters of Naudain Academy have one more book to read before the school year comes to an end – Young Masters, This Little Light!  How perfect to conclude with love.  The love that is their’s to take into the summer and shine their light into the world as the Young Masters they are.   Every child is born to change the world in a way that only they can.

See you next time.

www.naudainacademy.com

If you’d like to find out how you can use the the Young Masters Discovery Program.  Click here and download your “free” curriculum.

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Children Learn How To Shine Their Light In The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program at Naudain Academy, a Montessori School

Voorhees, New Jersey – The children of Naudain Academy have been enjoying the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program every other week since November. Their mission has been to learn and practice the Secrets of The Heart based on the Young Masters Little Wisdom books. This past week they learned about the final secret in the first series – love.

The program began with the class saying the Young Masters Pledge together. “I promise to use my gifts everyday, in everyway, for I am a Young Master. PEACE!” “By now the children have learned they do indeed have gifts to share with the world, ” said Ms. Stephanie, “and that’s why they’re Young Masters.”

After the pledge, the children listened to Ms. Stephanie, the program facilitator as she read Young Masters:  This Little Light.  “In this storybook, the children learn the many ways love is shared with people, animals and the earth.”  The story was followed by an activity to demonstrate the power of love.  The activity is called A DROP OF LOVE. In a glass bowl filled with water, Ms. Stephanie  placed a small earth globe.  One at a time, each child took a turn and using an eye dropper filled with colored water placed a drop of love around the globe.  As they shared something they love about themselves, others or the world around them they all saw how the love they had to give helped color the world with love.   “One drop of love makes a difference in the world,” said Ms. Stephanie.  Each child had a turn as ideas like “I love my family and friends, I love my teachers, I love my dog, I love flowers and I love music,” were expressed.

After completing the activity the children created “heartprints”, this was an art project to share with someone they love.  As  they listened to music from the Young Masters:  This Little Light CD, each child decorated four “heartprints” and added their own very special thumbprint to make the shape of a heart.  As they placed their thumbprints on the hearts Ms. Stephanie told them “there is no one in the whole world that has a thumbprint like you and there’s no one in the world exactly like you.  You are unique! And the way you give your love is unique.”   On the reverse side of the “heartprint” children wrote messages like “I love you” or “I love playing with you.” Some children wrote words like “kindness” and “share.”  The children were asked to share their love by giving a “heartprint” away to a classmate, family member, teacher or neighbor. “Sharing love is making someone else feel special,” said Ms. Stephanie, “that’s how you shine your light. That’s what Butaan, Phylos and EEtha talk about in the book.”  “I love hearing the children sing along with the CD while they’re creating,” said Ms. Stephanie. “Music adds so much to a learning experience…music makes learning joyful.”

As their time together came all too quickly to an end, the students repeated the Young Masters pledge one last time and were encouraged to try making heartprints out of clay at home to share with friends or family members.

“Young Masters…learning to make the world a better place.  I love my work,” said Ms. Stephanie. Stay tuned for the next adventure in learning with the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery program.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can use this program in your school.

Stephanie Pelly is a peace educator and co-creator of the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program for children and teaches this program and others in and around New Jersey.

Click here to make a difference in the lives of children 4-8 in your world.

Curriculum is still available for free.

Naudain Academy is a Montessori school in Voorhees, New Jersey.