HotH 6 | House on the Hill

What is Loose Parts Play?

The HotH Team January 2023

4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Play is an important aspect in children’s learning development. When children play, it gives them many different ways and opportunities to learn through play. Information is usually best retained when play experiences are fun and spontaneous. “Play is the work of the child” – Dr Maria Montessori Here at House on the Hill, we want to cultivate and explore this natural creativity and engagement further. Therefore, we are excited to introduce Loose Parts Play, together with gardening and exploration of nature-themed projects as part of our afternoon activities curriculum from 2023! Using the outdoor spaces as our play areas, the children will have numerous opportunities to explore, discover and learn in, about and through the outdoors. The freedom to play with spontaneous ideas and creation using a collection of small objects provides the children with opportunities to make, build, experiment and invent. Loose parts materials can be used in combination, redesigned, pulled apart or put back together, carried around, manipulated, put into patterns or used as visual representations for children’s imaginations. Loose parts also invite children to explore and discover, imagine and create, enquire and experiment, play and tinker about as they build on their developmental skills in a supportive learning environment. The material in itself has limitless use in the world of the child’s creation. At House on the Hill, our loose parts play is about guiding the children to make connections to their daily experiences. We allow the children to recreate these thoughts, ideas and feelings by documenting them using the loose parts material to make their experiences visual and concrete. With our recent trip to the zoo, the children recreated their zoo trip experience using leaves and pebbles from our garden, plus our collection of toilet paper core and ice-cream sticks. How do we include this in our play environment at school? Here is an example of the children’s play experiences after they took a school trip to the zoo: This group of children explored with toilet paper cores, leaves and rocks. They discovered that the toilet paper cores are good for making structure, and so they decided to add the leaves as the shelter. Once they created their structure, they decided that they still needed to renovate the zoo for more details. This meant that the animals were not ready to move in. Instead, they would be in transit from Malaysia! ? Come, join us in our next play and discover if the animals did arrive from Malaysia…. Here is a second group of children playing with the same topic: This group explored with ice cream sticks, leaves and rocks. Each of them created enclosures of different sizes. Some were larger than others to fit larger animals like the elephant. They added animals to their enclosure (using rocks) to represent the elephant, cheetah, hippopotamus and lion. Can you make a guess which is the elephant enclosure? Hint: In that enclosure, there are both elephants as well as lots of food for the elephants. Why do we want to include this in our Montessori environment? The importance and benefits of loose parts play Loose parts play is open-ended; the same material can lead the children to create different uses for it in many different ways. When they play, the fun is all in the process, and not the outcome. For example, a brown leaf can be an elephant in one child’s play, the next time, the same brown leaf can be a skateboard in another child’s play. The possibilities are endless! This means it helps to expand the child’s creativity and imagination to use the same material in many different possible ways for the different play theme setting. Children are the content creators in this play, and teachers act as facilitators to lead and guide them through their story-line. This child-directed play helps the children towards more independent play. Besides fostering imagination and creative play, the children build upon their problem-solving skills, determination, patience, as well as communication skills, to discuss and work together towards a common goal. As the children use the loose parts to integrate in their play, there are many connections and applications to the subject areas. For example, in the subject area of Math, children could apply the concept of sorting and classifying as they arrange the loose parts into different categories or grouping them with similar characteristics together. In the creating the zoo enclosure example, they discovered the differences in size and dimension when they add more sticks. By adding more sticks, the shape of a square also changed into a rectangle. In another subject area of science and geography, the children discovered how to place the toilet paper core to make a more balanced structure using simple engineering skill to create the shelter for their animals. They also learn from one another, when one friend shared about the distance of Malaysia to Singapore, hence the animals were still in transit. These play experiences, when facilitated by the teachers, can help extend their learning. By adding the fun element in play, the children enjoy the whole process of their creation using their child-initiated ideas and imagination. How can parents also include loose parts play with children at home? Similar to our classroom environment, play can also be extended to your home environment. Start with any open-ended materials that can be played with in multiple ways. Common toys will be wooden blocks, magnetic tiles, rainbow blocks, pebbles, assorted flat marbles, play silks, assorted sizes of LEGO bricks, etc. When your child is playing with these materials, allow them to take the lead to shape the content of their creation. Protect your child’s space and time and try not to interrupt or direct them in their thought process. Use lots of observation to have an understanding of what your child is thinking. When conversing with your

Art Discovery Experiences for Children

Amanda November 2022

Dr. Maria Montessori wrote “Free the child’s potential and you will transform him into the world”. Her philosophy is something that we hold close to our hearts here at House on the Hill as we relate this to the art experiences we provide for the children in their preschool years. Children are naturally inquisitive from birth. They make sense of what is happening around them by learning through observation and exploration. Through the process of art experiences, they make interpretations and form connection of how things work around their environment. These opportunities will also help to enhance their brain development and growth. Engaging in art activities is also a form of self-directed discovery which fuels creativity in children. It encourages risk-free exploration and freedom, which helps to builds confidence. Free expression also enables children to express their emotions and feelings, especially when children are still learning to use words to verbalise their thoughts. Art experiences in House on the Hill include activities that encourage children to explore through art elements such as lines, colours, shapes and textures. Examples of art activities include painting using crepe paper and foam, as well as crayon resin and cellophane collage. In House on the Hill, we strongly believe in the importance of reuse, reduce and recycle materials in our daily activities. We are appreciative of the support coming from the parents to have recyclable materials passed on to the school for the children to be purposefully engaged with. For example, the use of plastic bottles bases and toilet cores are useful in the process of printing outlines. Here are some suggestions of what adults can do to support in this process: 1.Support and don’t lead your child, allowing them to have freedom of choice to use materials in a safe environment In House on the Hill, we do this via the well thought out lesson plans by the teachers. With the objectives of the lesson in mind, the next crucial component includes ensuring that preparation of the materials is ready before the lesson. The children have the freedom to be engaged in using the readily available art materials to work on their masterpieces. 2. Keep it open- ended, instead of having a specific expectation. Let your child explore, experiment, and use their imagination. This is a crucial part of encouraging and building their creativity. Focus on the process, not the product. Do encourage the effort of the child as the process of exploration is more important than the end product. Acknowledge the child’s effect in the process. In the classroom our teachers use encouragement such as “I like the colours that you have chosen for your painting. They are colourful and vibrant”. This helps children to develop their self esteem and confidence. There is no right and wrong in Art Expression, every child has the ability to create their own unique art pieces. They are the masters of their artwork! 3. Art experiences in the home Art experiences do not have to happen in school settings only. Besides the art activities we have written about in this article, other examples of art experiences you can try with your child at home includes monoprinting where the painted image is transferred to another sheet of paper, while the use of playdough encourages creativity, when they can build and construct 3D sculptures. Lastly, an important takeaway for parents is to allow art discovery opportunities at home. They are a great way to encourage social-emotional development and enhancing fine motor skills. In addition, it creates moments for quality interaction and bonding with your children. Do have a go with providing similar art discovery experiences at home and be amazed at the wonders that children will create! Some suggested further reading: Keep Up the Good Encouragement Montessori at Home: Hanging Artwork

Good Eating at House on the Hill: How our Nutrition Programme Complements Good Learning

The HotH Team September 2022

4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour When we started House on the Hill, it was very important to us that we have well balanced and nutritious food for the children. We designed the menu together with leading UK nutrition therapist, well-known author and one of the founders of The Food Doctor, Ian Marber. It is focused on meals that keep the children feeling full and happy, with a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins to give them energy as they go through their day. The House on the Hill Nutrition Programme Our distinctive menu is planned for a four week rotation. Every day, we ensure that there is varied, interesting and delicious food for meal and snack time. We have a kitchen in each campus where our aunties cook fresh meals daily. There is no salt or sugar in the children’s food, including our home-made cookies and cakes. We do not use sauce, powders, frozen or processed ingredients at all. All the ingredients must be fresh, simple and natural. Daily Menus The first meal of the day is the morning snack, which is served after morning outdoor time. This is always fresh fruit. In Singapore, we have the opportunity to have seasonal fruit from all over the world, from blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and cherries, to very fresh tropical fruit such as mango, lychee, longan and even chiku or Spanish persimmons. We try to keep the options as varied as possible – the only fruit we haven’t served yet is durian! At lunch, there is always a carbohydrate, protein and two to four types of vegetables to eat. We only use 100% brown rice, wholemeal bread and whole grain pasta. In the afternoon, we have two snacks. The one at 3pm is usually something refreshing, like fresh cucumber, edamame, fruit with yogurt, carrot sticks or baby corn. At 5pm, we usually give them something with a little more carbohydrate, such as home-made cake with fruit sweeteners, banana cake, home-made cookies with honey, steamed pumpkin or sweet potato. It gives the full-day children an energy boost, but not so much that they are too full for dinner when they get home! The importance of healthy meals We dedicate ourselves to creating healthy meals for children because we understand the health and behavioural consequences of nutrition for preschool aged children. Numerous studies show that balanced diets help children to be focused and energized in the classroom, a must for the daily exploration taking place in our Montessori environment! We must not only feed them healthy food now, but teach children to appreciate and choose healthy food in the future. Susan Baker, MD, PhD, writes that “food preferences, eating behaviors, and decisions about pleasurable foods begin early and probably last throughout the life” making it essential that as educators we help preschoolers develop healthy food habits, beginning with introducing children to healthy foods that they love to eat (source). Learning while eating At House on the Hill, we believe that food is never just food. There are many opportunities to learn and develop whilst we eat. For example: 1. Independence As a proud Montessori school, we are passionate advocates of encouraging independence from young. At mealtimes, this is practiced in a number of ways. Children are taught to serve and feed themselves, even starting from our infant age classes. Using child-sized utensils helps to give them autonomy during meal times. In class, the older children top up their own water bottles, they help to set the table for the class, and even help to dish out servings for their classmates. Even when making their own smoothies, they are empowered to choose and decide what flavours, consistency and size they would like their drinks to be. Children are also given opportunities to be responsible in looking after the class environment including washing their bowls and placemats, as well as cleaning and wiping down of the tables and chairs. All these actions are helping to develop the valuable life skill of being independent, fostering confidence and gaining in self-awareness. When a child is in control of their food intake, they learn to be aware of their natural hunger cues. They learn to stop eating when they’re full, an important life skill. 2. Motor and Sensory Skills Development When children feed themselves, they are developing fine motor skills through touching, grasping, spooning, squeezing and picking things up. They are cultivating their sensory skills when they explore food’s taste, texture, smell, color, and temperature. 3. Social Skill Development Our students eat together as a group in their classrooms. Observing one another during mealtimes helps the younger ones be encouraged to taste and try new food. This mimics real life, and promotes grace and courtesy, learning to eat politely and how to live peacefully with one other. 4. Good Food Habits Before joining House on the Hill , some parents think it is impossible that their child will eat fennel, mushrooms or starfruit. Although we tell parents how delicious it is, it is ultimately the children who convince their parents and rave about it at home. Our parents told us “my kids are now in a “Big School”, and they had to make a big adjustment on their snacks and lunch. They compare how Auntie (in Pasir Panjang) always prepares good meals for them (vs the big school where they did not eat one or two lunches because they didn’t like it). Just want you to know how much we appreciate all the care that goes into the food preparation, the actual eating, and the cleaning up afterwards in HotH.” Picky eating can be common at this age, but many expert suggestions about how to combat picky eating are already incorporated into the HotH menu and routine, such as eating as a group and without distractions, offering a variety of flavors that are reintroduced every so often, and

Celebrating 10 Wonderful Years: An Interview with Ms. Jing and Ms. Marilyn

The HotH Team August 2022

Founder Ms. Wu Jing and Founding Principal Ms. Marilyn Ow We’re celebrating the tenth-year anniversary of House on the Hill this year! Founded in 2012 by Wu Jing and Oliver Bettin, they sought to impart high-quality early childhood education and care, with an emphasis on staying true to the values and educational excellence of the Montessori Method. Together with founding Principal Marilyn Ow, Jing now leads a team of dedicated staff across four campuses in Singapore: Mount Sophia, Balmoral, Pasir Panjang and the newly opened Hollandse Club branch. Here they look back at the first ten years of House on the Hill. Our first campus at Tower House, 12 Mount Sophia 1. Why did you start House on the Hill? J: I was looking for opportunities in early childhood care and had decided on a Montessori school after learning about the pedagogy. I felt that there was room for a school that was committed to the pure principles of Montessori. When we met Marilyn, I felt an instant connection to her. I loved how professional she was, and I felt strongly that this was how a Montessori educator should be. For me, that was the turning point. This whole naïve plan to have a school, it lit up from there! Team Photo (Mount Sophia, 2015) 2. What are some of your favourite moments from these 10 years of HotH? Graduation (Mount Sophia, 2020) M: There are so many. I think my greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the children grow when they start with us to when they graduate. They are so tiny when they start, and to see how they go from being apprehensive to be in a new environment, perhaps having some separation anxiety, to the day that they are all grown up and graduating from their Kindergarten years. These are very joyous moments for us. Knowing that we have played a part in helping children grow, it gives me great satisfaction and joy. J: There are many sweet memories, but there is one that really stands out for me. One year, a truck accidentally hit our old school building at 12 Mount Sophia. It came out of the blue on a Sunday. We had to close for renovation and repairs, and so many of the parents immediately came together to support us.I remember that within two hours they had set up a parent volunteer committee! M: It was on a Sunday as well! J: I rented the meeting room in my condo, and they all came, lawyers and other professionals, and everyone was sitting there sharing their ideas on how we should handle the situation. It was really touching. M: At that time, the teachers also played their part. We needed to look after the children during the days that school was closed. The teachers had to quickly change their lesson plans. J: Yes, we did ten days of excursions! Each morning they would meet at the bus stop and off they would go. The aunties also came to my house and cooked for our staff as we tried to get the school back on its feet. Looking back, it was such a tough time, but it is also a very fond memory. 3. Do you think early years pedagogy has changed in the past 10 years? In what ways? Parents Workshop and Curriculum Briefing (Balmoral, 2019) M: I don’t think pedagogy has changed much, but what has changed are the parents. They want to be a lot more involved in the whole teaching process, and that’s where the difference lies. It is so much more meaningful when parents play a part in the teaching. So, we help by supporting them with workshops, Montessori at Home materials, and we ask parents to extend learning through lesson plans and our thematic topics. You’ll be amazed at the difference when parents have set their homes up to encourage independence in the children. It makes learning so much easier for the children. 4. What should parents look out for with their young children? Jing with her sons, Kai and Hans (Balmoral, 2019) J: After so many years of working with young children and their parents, and as the mother to two young boys, I would say that parents must learn to be patient about their children’s learning path. They should give the children plenty of space to explore. Children need time to learn in their own way. I have had to learn to step back with my own sons. Instead, I observe them, and I try enable them to think for themselves. We are big fans of independence at House on the Hill, and letting children do things on their own. It gives them such confidence. I understand the anxiety, but it is important to respect the learning process and let it take its course. 5. How do you see the future of House on the Hill? What’s in store for the next 10 years? Focused on developing happy, confident children J: We don’t have big plans to expand, we want to just keep doing what we are doing and doing it well. We are focused on making sure that the children are prepared for life as caring, global citizens and will continue to develop our employees. Looking back, it has been such a joy to do this for the last 10 years. It has been hard work, but I treasure everything that we have been doing here. I’m proud of what we have achieved. If we value and believe in what we are doing, we will go far. A version of this interview was published in the August 2022 Expat Living Magazine. Please click here to view the article.

A Day in the Life at House on the Hill Hollandse Club

The HotH Team July 2022

4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour What did you do in school today? The tidbits of information we receive from our children in response to this classic question can range from endearing, to informative, to cliff-hanging. “I found a toad in the garden!” “I ate cherries.” “I played with my new friend!” “I don’t remember.” If only we could be a fly on the wall and see for ourselves what our children do in a day at House on the Hill! Every day at school is different, in part because of the different flexible care options offered to suit families’ needs, including half and full day care and options for coming two, three or five times a week. Additionally, the daily routine will be adjusted for each class level and the specifics of each centre. But no matter the day or the centre, each child spends their days in a stimulating learning environment, filled with care, fun, and openness. At the newly opened House on the Hill Hollandse Club campus, the children are settling into their new school happily. The freshly renovated rooms are starting to fill with the sounds of chatter, singing, learning, laughing, eating and more. Here’s a glimpse into what a typical day is like here at House on the Hill Hollandse Club. Good Morning! By 8:30 each morning the children have arrived and are mingling with their friends. Whether they walk, roll up on a scooter, ride the bus, or catch a cab, each child is greeted by the teachers and goes through a health check before entering the school. First things first, we like to move in the morning! Here at Hollandse Club, the little ones run out for playtime in the sunshine at the playground! Montessori Work Time Every day each child has uninterrupted Montessori time. Our children in the Playgroup and Pre-Nursery will work for 30 to 45 minutes each day and the mixed age Nursery to Kindergarten classes will work for the full three-hour cycle. As classical music plays in the background, the children are free to move about their classrooms and choose the activities that draw their attention. The teachers will observe the children to find appropriate windows to work with them one-on-one, introducing new materials and concepts in a focused and individualized manner. Throughout this cycle you will find children working on subtraction, practicing phonic sounds with the sandpaper letters, focusing on matching the different sounds of the sound box, serving themselves snacks, or taking a quiet break in the library. They are also practicing concentration and time management skills! Circle Time Each classroom is a community, and each day they will find the time to gather together for Circle Time. The Good Morning Song includes the days of the week and the months of the year, and it is always great to see one of the children in the Nursery to Kindergarten class leading their peers in the song! During Circle Time the class might also read stories and share stories about what happened over their weekends! They’ll use this time to discuss important upcoming events and whatever may be affecting their community. Mandarin It’s time for Mandarin class! Our fun loving Lao Shi fill this time with engaging songs, games, stories, crafts, fun character writing practice, role play and more. These are integrated into the immersive reading, writing and speaking curriculum, designed to build confidence and a love of the language. Soon, we will be introducing our very popular elective afternoon Mandarin programme (天天向上). Here, the children are exposed to traditional culture, arts and crafts, stories, Chinese painting, poetry reading, dramatic expression and more. This approach has proven very effective, our students love expressing themselves in Mandarin! We believe in a no-stress, supportive environment that encourages bonding with the language, building a strong foundation to grow and develop from. Lunch Time What makes for a great lunch? At House on the Hill, nutrition is very important to us. Our nutritionally balanced meals are designed to support young, developing bodies, helping them to have the energy they need to learn and play happily. We use quality ingredients for our delicious lunches, with no added flavour enhancers. Each day our aunties cook fresh meals with whole grain carbohydrates, healthy proteins, lots of vegetables and always, some yummy fruit! Lunch is also a good time for the children to develop social and emotional skills, enjoying their meals with their peers. They also work together to prepare the table, serve themselves and clean up afterwards. Afternoon After lunch some children will head home with parents and guardians, while others will freshen up, change out of their uniforms, and settle in for a nap. Older children or children who do not nap anymore will be engaged in quiet activities in the classroom. When it’s time to wake up, the students will fold and keep their own bedding. Now recharged, the children spend the afternoon taking part in a multitude of activities, from getting their hands dirty helping to care for our herb garden to dancing gleefully during music and movement. Pending the schedule for the day, they might work on creative expression activities such as edible dough play, head out to collect some treasures from Mother Nature or work on their motor skill development in the classrooms and out in the playground. The teachers also take the opportunity during quieter moments to collaborate for lesson planning, send updates to parents and organise upcoming events and activities. Active little bodies need good nourishment to keep energy and focus levels high. We serve healthy snacks in the afternoon, such as refreshing fruit salad for hot days, or the children’s favourite – banana smoothies! As the day draws to a close, it’s time to pack up and head home for dinner. And that’s what a usual day in the life at House on the Hill Hollandse Club looks like! If you would like to find out more about joining

Social/Cultural Upbringing in Montessori

Amanda June 2022

“Within the child lies the fate of the future.“ – Dr. Maria Montessori We are a proud Montessori school and hold fiercely to the tenets of the Montessori Method, as laid out by Dr. Maria Montessori. A central and core component of our schools’ curriculum is the social and cultural curriculum. We encourage kindness and respect, building an understanding of harmonious living amongst our students, which we hope they will take to heart and carry on as they develop into adults. Every experience is thought through and purposeful. In their daily activities and interactions, our children develop social and emotional awareness as they relate to their classmates, teachers, and surroundings. Children learn the world they live in and the various cultures through subjects that include science, zoology, geography, history and art. In their mixed-age classrooms, children experience mutual learning opportunities and collaboration. Through daily interactions and group activities, our students develop social skills necessary to relate and participate in a harmonious society. It is our belief and hope that in helping to set this fundamental foundation for our children, we have set wheels in motion. They start to learn self-awareness and awareness of their surroundings. This helps eases difficult transitions and inculcates a sense of confidence and comfort as they age and develop. Social Development the Montessori Way Humans, by natural design, are social creatures. In the real-life world, interactions with others occur regardless of differences amongst us (e.g. race, religion, age). A Montessori classroom of different age-groups seeks to mirror this. Mixed-aged grouping is a classic part of a Montessori curriculum. Montessori pedagogy believes in peer-learning through mixed-aged grouping as it avoids competition amongst them and promotes a healthier learning adventure. Every day in class, the children develop the social skills necessary to relate and participate in a harmonious society. In a class of different ages and skills, the older children become more sensitive to the younger children’s needs and through their own, personal experiences, can predict and help problem-solve the challenges a younger child might currently go through. It is often common in our schools to see an older child wiping tears off a younger child’s face and holding their hands to calm them down! On the other hand, younger children feel less ‘pressured’ in a new environment – especially for new additions to the class. We see that the younger ones have trust and support in, relying on the older children for guidance. This mimics the siblings-at-home relationship, and we have seen many interactions where the younger children are inspired by the older ones, who in turn ‘lead’ play and lead the way. Having the experience of being helped, and admiring or looking towards the older kids for inspiration imparts confidence and a sense of security in the younger children. We also encourage them to see that one day, they too, will be older and can pay it forward to other newer, younger children. Cultural Development the Montessori Way Cultural lessons/experiences enliven a child’s understanding of the very much adult world around them, and helps them make sense of it through their discoveries. Admittedly, the Cultural exploration in Montessori curriculum is very broad in content, but it does tend to be quite specific in its intent. Typical topics such as Botany and Zoology are well-received by children of various ages as they tend to be worlds that children experience in a daily sense and therefore can relate. Experiences such as observing caterpillars morphing into butterflies, growing seeds into edibles, rearing stick insects or even nursing injured birds back to health give children concrete and tactile understanding of the essential needs in life. They develop emotional depth as love and care naturally pours out while taking care of the animals and plants, as well as a deep-rooted understanding of one’s sense of self. Travelling to different parts of the world at a much younger age is common for many of our students. Deeper and more complex topics such as History and Geography – just to name a few – makes sense as well. Going through the puzzle maps of the countries of the world helps them relate to their travels and to the different countries they’ve been. The act of the Montessori birthday walk tracks and marks a child’s year in life in a simple but essential history lesson. It drives a child to understand how ‘much’ they have grown. This in turn, helps them to make that connection to the milestones they have gone through to get to where they are currently. It helps to facilitate a lifetime habit of pausing, self-reflection and acknowledgement of growth. Comments such as “I was so small and could only cry!” or “I could only crawl then!” are common throughout birthday walks and mark a child’s understanding of their physical and emotional growth. It is a natural inclination for people to seek connections through their experiences, especially with young children. The cultural concepts taught through the Montessori pedagogy aim to help children connect and make sense of the world through their own discoveries and experimental journeys.

Helping Children To Be More Independent At Home

The HotH Team May 2022

“Independence is an ongoing and organic process. As a child learns to pour water, put on his/her shoes, or clean his/her workspace, he or she becomes a more confident, independent individual which will lead to ongoing benefits throughout life.” – Dr. Maria Montessori A lot of parents are amazed at what their children can do in school. At House On The Hill, our children have the freedom to follow their instincts and choose the activities that call to them, developing their independence. Having seen how they are in school, some parents have asked me “why is my child not doing things on her/his own at home?”, “how do I let my child be a little more independent at home?”, “why is my child not doing anything by him/herself at home?”, or “they are always making a mess when they do things on their own”. Baby steps need to be taken to foster independence in children. The Montessori Method promotes independence by giving a child the ability to make their own choices, providing gentle guidance and allowing them to learn at their own pace. To share my personal experience; I’m a parent to 2 girls. I started with simple tasks in their daily routine at home to encourage independence, such as putting their clothes away in the laundry basket, wiping their eating mat after mealtime, putting their shoes away, packing up their toys after playtime, self–feeding during mealtime…etc. It took some time, and mess (part of the learning process) for them to be confident enough to tell me that “I can do it”. Once they were comfortable with these simple tasks at home, they started to approach me to help out with my chores. I realised that they wanted to learn how to complete more challenging tasks. So I began to let them help out by completing tasks like making their beds after waking up, folding and keeping the laundry away, sweeping their bedroom etc. Most of the time, my first child finds joy in doing all these by herself and often comes to me to say “Can I help you a little more?” with a cheeky smile. My younger one looks up to her sister and will follow what her elder sister does at home. Getting them involved in chores also allows me to have a little bonding session! I believe that encouraging independence in children can start from a very young age, it helps them to be confident and makes them happy when they can do things on their own. Also, an independent child means that you have fewer tasks on your plate! Here are some tried-and-tested recommendations from me to nurture independence at home, based on my personal experience: Tips for fostering independence at home: Learn to let go (trust your child!) The first step in getting your children to be more independent is for you to stop doing everything for them. Instead of doing it for them, show them how to do it. Let go, and you will be amazed by what your child can do! Build in extra time Children take time to complete a task on their own, especially in the initial stage. Building in extra time keeps the pressure off you and also allows children to have enough time to learn at their own pace. Don’t strive for perfection We don’t want them to be afraid of making mistakes. Letting children learn from their mistakes helps build resilience and is essential to raising a confident and happy child. Allowing them to struggle and sometimes fail, allows them to develop important social and emotional skills. Applauding their effort Giving your child positive feedback when they complete a task and appreciating their effort works wonders in promoting their confidence! Provide choices Allow your child to make choices and decide on things they want to do themselves. Giving choices within parameters provides children with safe boundaries within which they can practise doing things for themselves. Letting your child develop independence can be challenging for parents but it is very rewarding. There are so many ways to prepare your child for independence and it should be a gradual process from a young age. “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” – Dr. Maria Montessori.

The Secret Tools of a HotH Lao Shi

The HotH Team March 2022

你好！ The Mandarin programme at House on the Hill is one of the children’s favourite parts of their day in school, and this is due in no small part to our team of passionate Lao Shi (老师). Our Lao Shi diligently and conscientiously work to ensure that our students have a robust foundation in the language, with a fun and engaging curriculum designed to keep our young charges focused and excited to learn. After many months of planning, we finally launched a new afternoon, elective, full-immersion Mandarin programme (天天向上) last month. So far the reviews have been very positive. For this blog post, we thought we would take a look in the toolkit of our Lao Shi and pull out the secret tools that they use to engage with their students and make their classes so fun and effective. 天天向上 Curriculum In Singapore especially, many of our students graduate and go on to primary school programs where having a good foundation in Mandarin is extremely important. While our daily Mandarin program is extremely robust, parents who want more dedicated time with the language for their children now have the choice of daily whole afternoon immersive Mandarin environment. The curriculum takes the children through a combination of games, storytelling, cultural immersion and learning materials, with a focus on 听说读写 (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Our aim is to develop students who can comfortably and confidently use the language, with a strong foundation to build on as they leave us for primary school. They will also have a strong connection with the culture and language. So, how do our Lao Shi creatively help the children learn? For many of us adults, learning languages can be a challenge; this is even more so for young, easily distractable children. One of the best ways to learn Mandarin is by making it fun! This starts with the Lao Shi themselves, who approach lessons with a sense of adventure. We know that young children respond best to animation and smiles, and lots of body movement! This video is a great example of having fun whilst learning with Lao Shi – here she turns herself into the river in a role playing game. Secret Tool No. 1: Games! This leads us to the first secret tool in Lao Shi’s toolkit – games! A popular favourite with the children is learning through games. The Lao Shi employ all manner of games in class, such as action, role playing, music, card and outdoor games. This encourages pure immersion in the language and facilitates becoming more at ease with using it in a casual and informal setting. Secret Tool No. 2: Music and Movement Each term, our students will learn songs that relate to the theme of the term, which is an enjoyable way for young children to listen, acquire vocabulary, and for memory retention. This also encourages them to communicate clearly and well. We usually start a class by cranking up the speakers and having some singing and dancing as a warm up. Families can also have a sing-a-long session by using the song links that Lao Shi share with parents. Children even enjoy doing a little performance for their own families at home. Secret Tool No. 3: Pens The best way to encourage good Mandarin writing skills is by constant practice and repetition. Lao Shi employ different methods to keep this practice time fresh, through worksheets and crafts. Different writing implements develop fine motor skills and prepare students for writing in primary school. Plus, writing with different colours is fun! Secret Tool No. 4: Printer and Laminating Machine Lao Shi often use printers and laminating machines to make their own equipment to aid with learning. These help to bring a topic to life for the children, in a simple and easy to understand manner. Secret Tool No. 5: Glue Glue is our Lao Shis’ favourite tool in the their toolkit. They are super creative and glue helps them to create all types of fun learning materials to use in class! For example, Mandarin Sandpaper Strokes Drawing on our Montessori background, Lao Shi created a Mandarin version of the Sandpaper letters. Dr. Maria Montessori emphasized that writing should come before reading when learning language, and the same holds true for Mandarin. Our students first learn to trace basic 笔画 (strokes) and repeat the word to Lao Shi. Tracing the letters gives children the foundation for beautiful penmanship and helps them to learn how the sounds they hear are written. Lao Shi use crafts to encourage creative hands-on learning. This helps children relate their knowledge from the lessons to their work, increasing their interest in Mandarin. Secret Tool No.6 : The Great Outdoors There’s something about being outdoors that makes learning so much more fun! We go out when the weather is good, for water calligraphy, games and crafts. The children are more engaged and can experience the fun of learning Mandarin in a relaxed and happy atmosphere. Real life experiences and lots of exploration help to bring the language to life! To learn more about our regular Mandarin programme, please read our blog post: https://houseonthehill.com.sg/loving-mandarin

A Day in the Life: Keia

The HotH Team February 2022

Hi everybody, my name is Keia and I am almost 4 years old! I am in the Shiny Starfish class at House on the Hill with Ms Gim Peng and Ms Shermaine. Today, I’m going to show you what a day in my life is like! 6.00am Good Morning! I usually wake up with my siblings, Luke, Leia and Mia, as we share the same bedroom. Sometimes, Mummy wakes me if we have to leave early for school. Today, I brushed my teeth and joined my siblings at the breakfast table. 6.25am Breakfast I like to have breakfast with my siblings. We usually have toast, cereal and fruits for breakfast, strawberries and eggs are my favourite! But sometimes, auntie will prepare roti prata or noodles for us! *Mummy says oats will make me taller but I prefer roti prata. Haha. * 6.35am Bye! See you later! Kor Kor and Jie Jies leave for school. Papa sends them to their school which is nearby while I continue breakfast with mummy. Big hugs to Leia and Mia!! “Bye!!!! See you later!!” Today, I had to take an ART test. I stayed very still while Mummy helped to swab my nose. I helped Mummy to squeeze 3 drops of liquid into the test kit and waited for the result. “Yay, a negative result!” 7.00am Getting ready for school Time for a shower before putting on my uniform. I can do this all by myself! I remembered to brush my hair too! Ms Gim Peng taught me to comb my hair from roots to bottom in school. 7.20am Off we go! Time to leave home for House on the Hill! Papa helps to buckle me into the car seat and off we go! Papa drove us to school today before he went to work. Usually Mummy will drive us to school. We love to sing on our way to school! 7.35am Coffee Stop We stop by a coffeeshop near school to get coffee for mummy and her colleagues. I help mummy with her tumblers. I love watching the uncle prepare mummy’s coffee! Our hands are busy carrying things so we can’t take pictures, sorry! 7.45am Checking in at school Hello! We’re here! Today, Ms Aishah checked my temperature and I sanitised my hands, then Ms Casilda checked me in. I love arriving at school early. I get to chat with Ms Gim Peng and other teachers, plus my other friends who are early. We also get a chance to feed our school terrapin pets, Moana, Lilo, and Stitch. Enjoy your breakfast! 8.45am Playground Time My favourite time of the day! I love to run down the slope and play a game of pirates with my friends. Hot Lava is my other favourite game to play! 9am Montessori Work Time It’s time to work. Today I am writing words that I can blend. I’d been practising hard to use the LMA (Large Moveable Alphabet) to learn to build words previously. Today, Ms Gim Peng says I’ve learnt to blend and put the sounds together very well to read the 3-letter phonic words. I can transfer them down to my writing exercise book! After I completed this task, my friend and I worked on an activity together. We were figuring out how to form a story game by putting pictures together in sequence. We are learning about what happens to our food after we eat them during our thematic day (Digestion System)! Did you know that we must always chew our food into smaller pieces? For Mathematics, Ms Gim Peng introduced addition to me using the short bead stairs. I can add numbers using the beads, just like my sisters! After this, I worked with another friend on the coloured blocks. We are always able to use these to come up with creative ways to form different patterns. Today, we explored the different ways to hide the smaller blocks in the bigger cube! After this, I worked with another friend on the coloured blocks. We are always able to use these to come up with creative ways to form different patterns. Today, we explored the different ways to hide the smaller blocks in the bigger cube! 11.30am Lunch Time! I eat lunch with a small group of friends. When the food arrives, we take turns to take our bowls and serve ourselves. My favourite lunch at school is the chicken and potato with lots of cheese (my teacher calls it the Potato Chicken Pizza Slices) and the fish which I eat with bread (Mummy says this is Mediterranean Style Salmon). Mummy likes that there’s no added salt and sugar in the food, I don’t know what that means, it all tastes good to me! 12.15pm Clean up time After lunch, we take turns to wash up and change out of our uniform. I have to pack away my used clothes. 12.45pm Mandarin Class We eagerly wait for Laoshi to arrive for our Mandarin programme. Today I’m learning the words for different clothing items. So that’s the word for slippers! I’m going to practice saying these words at home. My favourite part of Mandarin class are Laoshi’s games. They are so much fun! 3pm Snack Time I always like to have my afternoon snack at school before Mummy picks me up. My favourite day is yoghurt day – that’s when I get to pick my own fruits to have with my yoghurt! I like trying lots of new fruit. Yum! 3.30pm Time to go home! It’s time to go home. I pack my bag up and make sure all my things are inside. I go to my shoe cubby and put my shoes on, then I head downstairs. There’s Mummy! I give her a hug and then we head home. See you tomorrow House on the Hill! 4.00pm Exploring with Leia and Mia My brother and sisters are home when we get back. Now it’s playtime with Leia, Mia and our cousin! We get our backpacks and wagon

Six Essential Skills for Children’s Positive Development

Amanda January 2022

Six Essential Skills for Children’s Positive Development by Nurul Fitton Montessori does not always mean specific materials found in our classrooms. Much of it comes down to a central philosophy and an awareness within our educators, to create meaningful, holistic experiences that help our children to better engage their curiosity and develop their senses.. A Montessori education places much stock on “holistic education” – in other words, the holistic development of the emotional, artistic, creative and academic aspects of a child’s life. This approach nurtures the growth of all the different areas of a child’s mind, in an attractive as well as natural way. We aim to enable children to make the greatest possible use of their academic learning as a tool for social and emotional growth. Our Montessori-led curriculum thus focuses on developing the six essential skills to children’s positive development. This helps our students to be engaged with all facets of learning, emerging as confident, joyful, independent young people, full of curiosity and a love of learning. Here are the six essential skills that the Montessori method helps to nurture, and how that in turn develops growth in a holistic fashion. 1. The child as a spontaneous observer of nature “Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur.” – Dr Maria Montessori Children are instinctively attracted to plants! At House on the Hill we bring children to nature, and bring nature to the children. We aim for a balance of free play and Montessori inspired activities that help children care for and learn about their environment. For example, we set flower pots made of recycled bottles all around our compounds. The children never forget to water the plants with their little watering cans. Very often, we notice that they are silent and peaceful, completely absorbed in contemplation. Spending time in an outdoor environment is vital to the development of the whole child. Not only is it a natural extension of the study of botany in the classroom, but playing and learning outdoors promotes physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. We use our time in nature to encourage a connection to it. We discuss how to care for it and how to be environmentally responsible. 2. The child as a lover of all living beings “Children have an anxious concern for living beings, and the satisfaction of this instinct fills them with delight.” – Dr Maria Montessori All children have innate concern for living beings, and the satisfaction of this instinct fills them with delight. They are filled with feelings of tenderness and enthusiasm, and the desire to care for these beings. Helping to care for a furry or scaly class pet is a fun and an exciting exercise for children in HotH. We have adopted a number of animals over the years. Aside from being an extension of the learning of zoology, a class pet teaches the children important values such as compassion, empathy, respect, and responsibility for other living things. We nurture leadership and character building through caring for our hamsters, terrapins or even stick insects in the classroom. In the picture below, the child was so struck by the changes undergone by the little hamster that she could describe its development, reporting its growth like a miniature zoologist. It is never too early to learn to care for the needs of other living beings. Whether they are helping to empty the water in a terrapin’s tank, or feeding the stick insects with some mulberry leaves, our children learn to be responsible and develop strong human-animal bonds. These relationships also help to strengthen a child’s social skills, giving them the potential to do better in a school setting. Social & emotional development begins at a very young age — these skills help to guide our emotions and feel empathy, as well as building healthy relationships. It helps children to recognise if someone is sad, and ask if they are okay; helps them with understanding their thoughts and feelings, and develops their ability to relate to others. *Do note that all child-animal interactions are supervised. 3. The child as an explorer of endless discoveries “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry”. – Dr Maria Montessori Children love to experiment independently. We use activities such as engaging in hands-on science activities to develop curiosity, observation and focus, as well as the cognitive skills of sorting, learning to classify and motor skill development. When children engage freely in science activities, they begin to realize that some experiments will work while others do not. This is a critical learning process. A child who is constantly testing new objects may be ready to move on to more challenging task. Trial and error is important when learning science. In the picture, the child is observing diligently, focusing on the experiment that she has just conducted. What worked? What didn’t work? How could I do it differently next time? The world is a fascinating place and we want our students to hone and maintain a sense of curiosity, learning step-by-step ways to play, discover, explore – and conquer! 4. The child as an advocate of cultural diversity “Culture and education have no bounds or limits.” – Dr Maria Montessori The Montessori curriculum supports an understanding of the cultural diversity of the world. One of the ways we support this is when we observe festivals of the diverse cultural practices of those who make our community. Instead of beginning with a particular festive celebration, we build on the children’s imaginative powers and begin the lesson with stories that explore the traditions and practices of the individual ethnic group. These stories create a framework of detailed information, and extend into more specific lessons of explorations and research. It is our priority to support cultural diversity, by exposing the children to as many other cultures and practices as possible. Here in this Lunar New Year observance

Category: HotH