We are off and running into the second half of our school year and our Little Hoku ohana continues to grow. 🙂

Since returning to school we welcome three new children: Celso, Sawyer, and Leo. You may have noticed that almost all of our cubbies are full! Ms. Lory and I are so happy to feel all of the buzzing energy that a nearly full class brings.

As we work to get our new friends settled, we look to the other children to help by showing kindness and a strong example of how we do things at school. This is a great opportunity for children who have not been in the class long to really begin to feel at home by showing others around. For the children who have been with us from the beginning, they now have the chance to take on a leadership role.

We enjoyed Kindermusik this past week. 🙂 This is really a special program and I am so excited Ms. Tamara will be coming once a week for the next six weeks! I place a high value on music exploration and I know the kids will thoroughly enjoy.

Montessori Connection

Intrinsic motivation is a prompt to action that comes from within the individual; a drive to action that is rewarded by doing the activity itself, rather than deriving some external reward from it. The concept of intrinsic motivation is fundamental to the Montessori philosophy. Here are a few things you can do at home to help foster this important quality:

  • Make tasks achievable, with a defined end and outcome. Provide opportunities for children to build skills and build confidence. Give them the opportunity to use these skills. Set the child up for success! Our actions are often based on our beliefs, we need to believe we can do a task. Children need to believe in themselves.
  • Eliminate extrinsic motivations as such punishments and rewards. Children can become dependent on them, then in turn parents become accustomed to them and rely on them.
  • Share accomplishments and struggles with each other. Allow children to share their highs and lows, their progress and all the steps along the way. Remember the key isn’t about what you learn but about how you learn.
  • Allow children to see their successes or improvements over time. Show them how they have improved, how far they have come, “Remember last time you couldn’t reach that bar/go that far…”
  • Give genuine, accurate and authentic feedback.
  • Be curious and passionate about learning yourself, seek to learn and do new things, role model enjoying the journey, not just the outcome.

  • Work together or in a group to achieve a common goal. This can be as simple as working on a project as a family, where everyone has a role.  Children can feel like they have contributed to something greater than themselves.

Ms. Eva
 
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