Montessori curriculum Archives

October 24, 2018

Dream A World’s Teacher of the Month for April is Stephanie Pelly

Stephanie teaches the “peaceable being.”

Stephanie Pelly has a true gift of recognizing the magical spirit of children…and adults. As a peace educator, she has spent over twenty years teaching in public, private, and Montessori schools where she implemented character education and bullying prevention programs throughout Bucks County, PA and Southern New Jersey. Her most recent work includes The Peace Center in Langhorne, PA and Naudain Academy – A Montessori School. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary and Special Education from Monmouth University in New Jersey.

Stephanie believes educating children must be hands-on, creative, and fun for both the teacher and students. She is known for creating the image of the “Peaceable Being” which stands as a role model of good character in classrooms. Stephanie has evolved this creation into a “Design Your Own Peaceable Being” T-shirt and Doodle Art Pad. She is currently seeking funding to produce and manufacture these products for children. Her goal is to offer “products with purpose and great valuefor kids!”

The first week in April Stephanie begins conducting the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program, curriculum specifically designed for Montessori, at Montessori Children’s House in Moorstown, New Jersey and at Indigo Moon, a holistic center also in New Jersey. She is co-creator of the Young Masters Little Wisdom curriculum program as well as many others. Thank you for all you do for children!

October 23, 2018December 20, 2018

Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program at Montessori Children’s House – Moorestown, New Jersey

The Friendship Seed – Teaching the art of friendship to five year olds

Moorsetown, New Jersey – Stephanie Pelly implemented the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program for twenty eager young students at the Montessori Children’s House in Moorsetown yesterday. The program, a special addition to this quarter, began April 5th and will run through May 17th. Each Tuesday, Stephanie brings one “Secret Of The Heart” to students through story, song and creative interactive workshop. The first “Secret Of The Heart” was friendship. It all began when children took the Young Masters Pledge and talked about what a gift was – not the kind of gift you buy in a store, but the kind that you carry inside your heart. The gift of friendship. They listened to the story, The Friendship Seed and found out, not only how you make a friend – but how you keep a friend. They talked about the qualities of friendship and wrote them on their big flower poster, they discovered some of the things we all hold in common and learned how we’re all connected. The paper friendship chains they exchanged was an example of that connection they got to take home with them. It was a great day for these children as they learned what it really means to connect with someone – what it means to be a friend. After all what would the world be without friendship and what would life be without the good friends make along the way.

Montessori teachers: You can download this curriculum for FREE!

Click here to watch a little video of the day’s activities. Young Masters Discovery Program – The Friendship Seed

October 23, 2018December 20, 2018

Montessori Children’s House introduces children to their “Magic Eye”

How do children really learn what it means to have an imagination?

Moorsetown, New Jersey – Stephanie Pelly introduced Montessori students to their “Magic Eye” this past week. Children naturally use their “magic eye”, their imagination, but do they really understand the value of this important gift that’s always available to them? The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program works to connect children with concepts like imagination.

Stephanie Pelly, co-creator of this curriculum, is facilitating the Discovery program at Montessori Children’s House where this week she focused on empowering children to use their own imagination in a variety of ways. The children start with the Young Masters Pledge, then read and listen to the the story from Young Masters: The Magic Eye. Next they are guided through several right brain activities as they creatively express themselves, verbalizing all that they’re seeing in their mind’s eye.

They practice being storytellers as they examine pictures of different people from magazine cut-outs. They use “The Magic Circle”, a hula hoop, to pretend they’re fishing, eating a bowl of ice cream or building a sand castle. One boy even sees a train moving around in circles on a track. They sit inside “The Magic Circle” and pretend they’re somewhere else. One child is in a big city naming all the vehicles he sees, one sits at home petting her dog. One little boy even sits on the Easter Bunny’s lap. What does the Bunny look like, what color is he or she? What fun!

The song Circle Of Creation, from “The Magic Eye” CD is played as they pass the “earth ball.” When they song lyric says “tell me what you see,” the children name different animals they see on the globe.

Stephanie then makes the connection as she explains to the children that they can use their imagination any time. It’s always available to them, whether they’re laying in bed and feel afraid of the dark or feel bored and are looking for a way to entertain themselves. They can use their imagination to decide what color socks to wear in the morning or to solve a problem…and they can exercise their imaginations by playing these games with another friend or by themselves. A powerful concept that can later translate into children understanding how their imagination can be used to create their future.

Connecting children to the gifts that come natural to them are what the Discovery Program is all about. Helping them discover who they are and what makes them unique. Encouraging them as their individual characteristics and personalities emerge. This is the gift that teachers like Stephanie Pelly give to children.

Click on the links below to view videos from the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program from Unit 2 of
The Magic Eye

Young Masters: Circle of Creation

Young Masters: The Magic Eye – Learning How You Make A Difference

Stay tuned for the next unit – Young Masters: The Hidden Treasure as the children at Montessori Children’s House discover gratitude and why it’s so important to be thankful.

The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Curriculum for Montessori and other versions of this curriculum are available right now for free. Click below to take advantage of this offer so you can share this gift to the children in your life.

Young Masters Little Wisdom Curriculum

October 23, 2018

Children at Montessori Children’s House are learning to use their Invisible Power

Moorsetown, New Jersey – The fifth unit from the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Curriculum continued for an enthusiastic group of students at Montessori Children’s house this week. As always the lesson begins with the YOUNG MASTERS PLEDGE. The only difference today is that three children lead the pledge, adding a few extra turns to liven things up. “Great job!” said Stephanie Pelly, who is co-creator of the curriculum. As the day began they reviewed what they had learned over the past four weeks. “Who can remember the secrets of the heart?” Miss Stephanie asked. “Friendship,” said one boy. “Imagination,” said another,”Gratitude,” a little girl chimed in. “Courage,” said one of the smallest boys. “That’s my favorite,” as he continued to confess he loved to wear his power badge.

This week children 3-6 learned they had an Invisible Power and then – then learned how to use it. “Did you know you had an Invisible Power,” asked Miss Stephanie. “No, what’s that?” one little girl asked. “You’ll find out. Let’s read the story,” said Miss Stephanie.

The children were introduced to Saphinne this week, the storyteller on the CD. In real life that’s Elayn J. Taylor. “They really liked hearing her voice,” said Miss Stephanie. By the end of the story they had learned the Invisible Power is CREATIVITY. Everything begins with an idea.

They talked about how all people are creative because everybody has ideas. Everyone has an Invisible Power. They discussed how people create artwork like Kye Fleming, the illustrator for the Little Wisdom books. They looked at what went into creating a painting Miss Stephanie brought to class. They found out how an author uses the gift of creativity when he or she writes a book and how a singer or a songwriter uses their creative gifts to share their own music. They learned, though, that CREATIVITY in many different forms.

CREATIVITY is the power you can use to create anything you can think of! They talked about famous creators like Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone and Thomas Edison, who created the lightbulb. “What about Walt Disney as a famous creator,” said Miss Stephanie as she showed pictures of all of those brilliant creators. “Think of all he created and the people who worked for him created.”

“Now it’s your turn to use your creative power, said Miss Stephanie. With limited time for the lesson, the best choice was a group project. “We’re going to practice using our Invisible Power together by creating something where everyone can take a turn adding something special.” Miss Stephanie brought out her “Peaceable Being”. “How can we make this special?” asked MissStephanie. They brought it to life together – drawing on it with markers, decorating it with stickers and adding paper cutouts. Music from the CD played in the background as they learned cooperation, how to work together, take turns and share materials. They learned what it meant to use their creativity and they were very proud of their creation.

At the end of the lesson, they passed a small globe. As each child held it in their hands they said, “I am a creator. I use my gifts.” The children are creating postcards this week either drawing themselves as a Young Master or making pictures of the Secrets of The Heart. What could be better than a group of children learning they’re born with an invisible power and gifts they can use their whole life long .

Next week is the last unit of the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program, where they will learn about “This Little Light.” The shines inside each of them – LOVE.

Here are a couple of videos which show the Discovery program in action.

Create Something Wonderful – The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program

What Can I Learn Today – Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program

If you’re interested in bringing the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program to your school. The curriculum is available right now at no cost to you, by clicking here.

October 23, 2018

Love Has The Last Word – Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program @ Children’s Montessori House

Moorsetown, New Jersey – The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program at Montessori Children’s House wrapped up this week with the last book and lesson in the series. The children were now able to say the YOUNG MASTERS Pledge as a group. Several children took turns by themselves and one of the youngest little girls proudly showed Miss Stephanie she could do it all by herself. Promising to use their gifts everyday has become second nature. BravoYoung Masters! One of the children called out, “What’s today’s gift?” Miss Stephanie giggled to herself thinking how each week she pulled the SECRET OF THE HEART out of a ceramic gift box. “Oh you mean today’s SECRET OF THE HEART? That’s right that’s your gift isn’t it?” She reached in and pulled out the word LOVE. The children were getting the connection. The secrets of the heart were indeed the gifts they possessed.

“It’s This Little Light,” said Miss Stephanie, “Butaan, Phylos and EEtha are going to find out what it means to have This Little Light inside. “Did you know you had a little light inside? Well you do…everyone has a light to share.” The gift of LOVE was the today’s secret. Today’s gift. And today, the children would learn how to share that gift with their family, friends, teachers, pets and even the earth.

Since today was the last day Miss Stephanie wanted to honor each child in a special way. So one at a time, each child was asked to sit on a chair in front of their classmates. They were invited to wear special heart glasses if they wanted to. The children took turns saying three things they loved about their friend. The children expressed their kindness and compliments to each by saying things like, “I love when she plays outside with me!” “I like the way he makes me laugh.” “I like your hair” or “I love his shirt!” One little boy sat in the chair for his turn and said, “Can my friends say five things they like about me?” “Well, who doesn’t like hearing good things about themselves,” Miss Stephanie thought laughing. “Why not?”

A special certificate was presented to each child for completing the discovery program. They are indeed YOUNG MASTERS, and though they know this class is over for now, they understand there are many more gifts to learn and much more to know about using their gifts. During the past six weeks their teachers have reported the children looked forward to Tuesday when Miss Stephanie was there to teach them about the Secrets of The Heart. They now had a good idea how to demonstrate what they’d learned about – friendship, imagination, gratitude, courage, creativity and love.

The class ended, as it began with each child putting their hand on the heart and saying, “I promise to use my gifts everyday, in every way for I AM A YOUNG MASTER!” Then they all shouted “PEACE”! In a final moment the children were asked to close their eyes and remember how thankful they were as the song, “Thank You For Being Here,” was played. It was a good day for these Young Masters. A day filled with a sense of accomplishment and possibility.

Before Miss Stephanie left she noticed all the YOUNG MASTERS books and CDS were displayed in the classroom library. One child mentioned, he liked to sit down at the desk and listen to the books on the CD and look at the pictures of Buttan, Phylos and EEtha. It’s now up to the wonderful teachers at Children’s Montessori House to continue this very meaningful work along with their daily curriculum. Thank you to Denise Reid Sharp and Connie Campbell for recognizing the importance of this program and well done Young Masters!

If you’d like to see a music video of this program please view – Shine Your LIght

If you’re interested in the Young Masters Little Wisdom Curriculum. It’s available to teachers for a limited time for free. Find out more by clicking here.

October 23, 2018December 19, 2018

Naudain Academy, a Montessori School, Prepares Children To Make A Difference In The World With The Young Masters Little Wisdom Program

Voorhees, New Jersey – Leddy Naudain, owner and administrator of the Naudain Academy, now in it’s 35th school year, has always been one step ahead of how to change children’s lives. Her daughter Lauren follows in her footsteps as a co-administator who thinks outside the box. So it was no surprise that the Naudain Academy, where peace education has been a mainstay for students for many years, decided to introduce the YOUNG MASTERS LITTLE WISDOM DISCOVERY PROGRAM to it’s extended Day (Kindergarten) students. What is a Young Master? Read on and find out about this incredible program that teaches core values and life skills to children 4-8.

Stephanie Pelly who teaches this self-discovery program in the New Jersey area, conducted the first of thirteen classes this week, by asking the children what they thought a Young Master was. “Someone who shares, a person who is peaceful, someone who does karate or ballet, a person who is loving and someone who helps others,” were some of the answers. One little girl asked, “Are you going to teach us how to care for ourselves and others?” “All great answers”, Stephanie commented and then went on to explain.”We’re all born with special gifts that we can share with others, “said Stephanie, “these gifts are not necessarily presents that you give to people that you buy from a store, but rather gifts that you can share from your heart – they’re the secrets of the heart. A Young Master is you!,” she said, “learning how to use those gifts.” The children were fascinated.

During the 13 week program, that spreads across the 2011-2012 school year, they will discover six different Secrets of the Heart. There is one book, chocked full with music and story for each secret. Stephanie asked the students if they would like to discover the first Secret of the Heart. With great enthusiasm they all screamed YES and from her little red treasure bag, she pulled out our first secret – FRIENDSHIP! The children were very excited.

Before they read the story, she shared the Young Masters Pledge with them and they repeated after her , “I promise to use my gifts every day, in every way, for I am a Young Master!” This group of 24 students were fast learners and proudly said the pledge a second time holding up their peace fingers as they spun around smiling and standing proud.

Stephanie then introduced the first book in the series YOUNG MASTERS – The Friendship Seed. She explained how Bunny Hull, the author used her imagination to create characters like Buttan, EEtha and Phlyos for the stories. The children listened carefully to the words of the story and learned that a smile is like a “friendship seed” they can share with anyone, anytime. They talked about how friendship grows when you share a smile or kind words with a friend. One child said, “You can plant a Friendship Seed when you ask a friend to play with you.” “So right,” said Stephanie.

Naudain Academy – The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program

They talked about how they’re all connected. They took turns saying “I am a good friend because… ” and they each shared their own unique answer. Some children stood up and said, “because I respect others, because I am helpful, because I share.” They giggled as they talked about caring for their friends, making others laugh and being kind. Concepts of friendship were taking root.

Stephanie pointed out to the children that on the work mat she had a stone statue called the circle of friends. They listened to words of the music on the books CD as together they made a a circle of friendship and each child took a turn standing up in a circle and sharing their wonderful affirmations about friendship. They took turns connecting fingers together with the person next to them and they held hands. The children were asked to think about what it meant to be a good friend and to notice the differences in each other. “Do all friends look alike and act the same?” asked Stephanie. “Friends look different, they have beautiful different color skin, they may like different things, a different sport, or different game, but they’re still great friends.”

They created a friendship chain together where each child took two pieces of colored paper cut in strips and wrote their name and what makes them a good friend. They connected their chain of answers, words like helpful, kind, share and play together. Their understanding was growing. At the end they talked about how the friendship chain has many different colors. The colors can represent the differences in friends like, the different likes we may have or different talents. It was clear the children liked this idea. Their friendship chain will hang on their holiday tree for the next month. They were encouraged to create a friendship chain at home with their families.

A deep exploration of friendship for children, designed to teach them that they are each Young Masters with many gifts to share…the secrets of the heart. This is no doubt a highlight for the children at Naudain Academy. They closed with the Young Masters Pledge.

Next workshop the children receive their YOUNG MASTERS JOURNALS to chart the course of their discovery. Stay tuned.

Visit Naudain Academy and find out how their making a difference in children’s lives.
www.naudainacademy.com

October 23, 2018December 19, 2018

Naudain Academy, a Montessori School, uses the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program to teach friendship.

What is a Young Master? Someone born with gifts. A Young Master is YOU. This is what each and every child in the extension program at Naudain Academy is learning. They are indeed Young Masters. This week they continued to explore friendship as they reviewed the Secret of The Heart they are focusing on for the first month. They began as always.

“Let’s stand and say the Young Masters Pledge,” said Stephanie Pelly, the program’s director. Proudly they stood with peace sign over their hearts and said the pledge with and without the CD. “I promise to use my gifts every day, in every way, for I am a Young Master. The children already remember the pledge and state it with great enthusiasm.” said Stephanie. “With each meeting they understand a little more, what it means.”

They reviewed the book they read at their first meeting. Many children recalled not only the title of the book The Friendship Seed, but were also able to share the author’s name, Bunny Hull and the illustrator Kye Fleming. They discussed the names of the characters in the story and she then asked them if they could remember, “what was the Friendship Seed that was shared in the story…who can tell me?” she asked. Together the children cheered – a smile.

They talked about how plants and flowers grow transition from a tiny seed and how a friendship can grow from one single smile. They talked about how it’s important to take care of our friendships, to nurture them and they explored how to do that. Together the class created a “friendship flower.” On each petal they wrote an idea that could help their friendships grow in school. They could “be kind”, one child said, “and say kind words.” Another child said, “I could help a friend or cheer a them up if they were sad.” They talked about how they could “include others,” or “share with a friend.” “What about unkind words,” asked Stephanie. ” Those are like weeds that don’t help friendships grow,” they all agreed. “We don’t want those in our garden!”

Stephanie then invited one child at a time to come to the front of the classroom and hold a “friendship flower”, this was a beautiful red rose that she had brought to class. Each child said something they liked about their friend, until everyone had a turn. This activity made each child feel that what they had to say was indeed important and valued. They were showing kindness to their friend.

The children were given an activity sheet to take away so they could complete their own friendship flower at home and discuss it with their families. The Young Masters Journals were introduced for the first time. The children were excited about receiving their new books which will allow them to track their journey of discovery as they learn how to use the Secrets of the Heart.

Before the program ended they listened to new songs from the Friendship Seed CD and sang THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE in English and Swahili, which they learned was the language of Kenya. Finally they listened to Hey Young Masters and played air guitar as began to learn the words. “The music is one more important way the children begin to grasp the very important concepts they’re learning,” said Stephanie.

It was good day at Naudain today as the children moved one step closer to learning what powerful little beings they are and how their creativity as Young Masters can create a world of friendship, for them and for the world they live in. They’re learning they make a difference. Stay tuned for the next adventure as the children of Naudain Academy continue their quest to the Secrets of the Heart.

October 23, 2018December 19, 2018

Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program Continues at Naudain Academy, a Montessori School

Voohees, New Jersey – It was a rainy day and the children were ready for some indoor fun. The theme of imagination continued on their favorite day, the day Stephanie comes to conduct the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery program . As always Stephanie Pelly began with the Young Masters Pledge. “I promise to use my gifts everyday, in every way, for I am a Young Master.” As they reviewed what they had learned during the last class, the children remembered that their Magic Eye was – inside their mind. Stephanie asked, “when can you use your imagination?” “On a rainy day like this,” one little boy answered, “or when I’m laying in bed, driving in a car, at school or with my brother, sister or friend – anytime.”

Today they played imagination games, beginning with The Magic Circle. One child at a time came up to the front of a classroom and began using their imagination to create something in the hula hoop. One girl pretended the hula hoop was a mirror and she held it up to look at herself and strated to brush her hair. Classmates took turns guessing what she was doing. Another child pretended The Magic Circle was a garden of beautiful flowers. One by one she picked a flower and brought it up to her nose to smell its fragrance. Another young boy imagined he was typing on a computer. Even Stephanie took a turn, making a big snowball and throwing it at one of the children. Lots of fun!

The second game they played was Magic Ball. Stephanie used her imagination as she pretended to pull a magic ball out of her pocket. She bounced it and tossed it in the air. Finally, she called someone’s name and threw to them. Using their imagination they caught the ball with both hands and passed it to a friend next to them. The imaginary ball moved around the circle being rolled, tossed and thrown across the room even like a pitcher does in a baseball game. Sometimes the ball grew really really big and sometime the magic ball became very small. The children got a chance to stretch their power of imagination.

The last group activity for the day was story time. Everyone worked together to create a story. Stephanie began by holding up a microphone. “Once upon a time,” she said. The next child held the mic and continued, “There was a little boy.” The story unfolded with each child speaking into the microphone to add their new idea. It went something like this: “A little boy was watching tv… and then he saw something on the news… he got scared and then went into his bedroom… and began dreaming…he dreamed about a door that was opening… and then he heard someone calling his name…he woke up only… to later hear his alarm clock ringing… he was just dreaming.” The children cooperated by taking turns and their story was told. “We all have a story to tell,” said Stephanie.

The program ended today by singing Thank You For Being Here and then they quietly laid their heads down to listen to some soft, gentle music. This was one more opportunity to use their imaginations.

Stay tuned for our next Young Master LIttle Wisdom Discovery adventure. See you next time!

Visit Naudain Academy at www.naudainacademy.com/

October 19, 2018November 27, 2018

The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program teaches the children of Naudain Academy, a Montessori school, about “The Hidden Treasure” – being grateful

Voorhees, New Jersey – The children of Naudain Academy were excited to learn about The Hidden Treasure today and as they discovered the next Secret Of The Heart. Students had several guesses before Stephanie Pelly, the program facilitator, revealed the secret. “Is it love, friendship or sharing with your friends?” they asked.

Stephanie slowly drew the the word gratitude from her special container. This was a new word for most of the children, so she explained that gratitude means being thankful. She also explained that being grateful is showing appreciation for people or things in your life.

The children were excited to hear the story from the Young Masters Little Wisdom book, The Hidden Treasure. They began to understand that while it’s wonderful to receive gifts, the true gift is being thankful. They discussed the many things for which Butaan and Phylos were grateful for in the story and after the story they shared all for which they were grateful as a class.

Then Stephanie passed around a red gift box and told the children that there was a wonderful, amazing, awesome, super, fantastic and great gift inside. In fact it’s the greatest gift. She told them they could all have a chance to peek and see it, but they would need to keep the gift a surprise until each person discovered the gift themselves. One by one the gift box was passed as each child took a peek inside. She repeated, “thank you for being here, you are a gift!” as one by one they each looked inside the box and saw a star mirror and – their own face looking back at them. Some children got it right away… some took a moment to realize that they are the gift. It’s who they are and all that they can share with other. Some were a little confused and didn’t see themselves as a gift, so after each person had a turn Stephanie asked, “So what is this wonderful, amazing awesome, super, fantastic and great gift?” One little boy raised his hand and said, ” Each one of us is a gift to the world!” “Exactly,” Stephanie said. “We can share our smiles and friendship with people every day! We each have something to give. Something for which to be truly thankful.” She then asked the children to share some of the gifts they can give to others. Immediately they chimed in, “friendship, imagination, love, kindness, sharing and playing together.” “Yes, all the secrets of the heart,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie then told the children she was going to use her imagination to give each child a gift. One child said, “we learned all about imagination in the book The Magic Eye. They remembered. She went on to tell them that in order to receive the gift she was giving them, she would need to use her imagination… and so would they. One by one she pulled out “imaginary gifts” and placed something inside each child’s hand or around their necks or once in awhile I even rolled a special gift to a child. Every child said “thank you” and said they were grateful for their gifts. One child said… “I know what my gift is, a baseball.” Another child said, “You gave me sparkles.” “My gift was a mircophone!” “I got a telescope.” “I got a necklace.” One child pondered long and hard and might still be thinking about what his gift really was. “You can think about it while you’re in bed tonight, ” Stephanie said, and added, “I gave you each my love with your gift…and that’s the best gift.”

They sang “Circle of Appreciation” and had fun playing a game where the students got to point to all their different friends during the song. They loved this song and game. The lesson ended as they passed around earth ball and shared the many gifts they earth gives to us. “Something for which we are are very grateful,” said Stephanie, “to be on this beautiful Earth with our families and friends.”

Stay tuned for the next secret of the heart and the continuing journey for these very fortunate Young Masters at Naudain Academy.

See what wonders are happening at Naudain Academy.

October 19, 2018November 27, 2018

This Little Light – The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Program teaches the gift of love to students at Naudain Academy, a Montessori School

Vorhees, New Jersey – The Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery program begin with the Young Masters pledge as a group. “I promise to use my gifts everyday, in every way, for I am a Young Master.” Several children wanted to say the pledge by themselves or with a friend or two. They took turns. One of the youngest girls, said the pledge all by herself with no help. Stephanie heard a child say, “What’s today’s gift?” Each week Stephanie pulled a Secret Of The Heart out of her cermaic gift box. “Oh,” she said, you mean what’s today’s Secret of the Heart?….well…” Imaginary drum roll……as she reached in and pulled out the word LOVE.

Stephanie explained to the children that in this week’s book Young Masters: This Little Light, that Butaan, Phylos and EEtha share the gift of LOVE with their family, friends, teachers, pets and even the earth. Since today was the last day for a while, she wanted to honor each child in a special way. They read the book and then shared some of the music.

For the activity, one at a time, she asked each child to sit on a chair in front of their classmates. They were invited to, if they wanted, wear Stephanie’s special red heart-shaped glasses. The children took turns saying three things they loved about their friend. A few things the children said were “I love when she plays with me outside!,” or “I like the way he makes me laugh,” Children even gave compliments, like, “I like your hair or I love your shirt!” One little boy sat in the chair for his turn and said, “Can my friends say five things they like about me?” “I guess he loved hearing kind words,” Stephanie said, admitting she is truly entertained by the honesty of children.

Today each child was presented a special certificate for being a Young Master and completing the Little Wisdom Discovery Program. During the past six weeks, the regular teachers have told Ms Stephanie that the children were always very excited to learn about the Secrets of The Heart – Friendship, Imagination, Gratitude, Courage, Creativity and Love. It’s been a remarkable and memorable experience. One they will never forgot.

As the class ended each child put their hand on the hearts and said, “I AM A YOUNG MASTER!” Then they all shouted PEACE! “Yes, you are,” said Stephanie. They all closed their eyes and sang Thank You For Being Here one last time, with Ms. Stephanie. “Always remember to use your gifts,” said Ms Stephanie, “you each have special gifts to share with the world.”

Before she left, she noticed all the YOUNG MASTERS books and CDS are in the classroom library. One little boy commented, “I like to sit at my desk and listen to the books on the CD and look at the pictures of Butaan, Phylos and EEtha.

“It’s been a very rewarding time,” said Stephanie, presenting this program. “Now off to the next school and a new classroom of Young Masters.” Join us for Stephanie’s continuing Little Wisdom adventures.

Stephanie Pelly is co-creator of the Young Masters Little Wisdom Discovery Curriculum and conducts the program at Montessori Schools throughout New Jersey, New York and surrounding areas. Contact us to find out how Stephanie can conduct the program at your school.

Download your complimentary copy of the Young Masters Little Wisdom Curriculum today!