January 2026
Every month is a busy one, and January 2026 was no exception. Our focus throughout January was on winter. This included learning about animals that migrate, sleep, and hibernate, winter weather, and the contrast between light and dark days. We completed our North America unit in November and will begin traveling across Europe in February.
Our winter art craft was a cardinal handprint. The children painted their own hands and gently pressed them onto a sheet with a printed branch. Add a beak, eyes, and a sprinkle of snow, and voilà! A gorgeous cardinal in winter appeared. Each season and holiday, we plan specific themed lacing, collage, and art projects. This winter’s lacing activities included the cutest polar bears, mittens, and toques. All of our materials, projects, and crafts are intentionally designed to support skill development, while still being fun and engaging to encourage participation.
Another favorite project was an alphabet snowman bookmark. The children selected the letters in their names and glued them together to create a personalized snowman bookmark. Our annual hibernation lessons were introduced during Circle Time, and the children also worked on booklets about animals in winter. While the exercises and activities are enjoyable, they are all multi-leveled to support development. We continue to see growth in hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and concentration with each activity and project. We are certain that you see these skills emerging at home as well.
Our final winter festival of light is Lunar New Year, as we welcome the Year of the Horse. We began the projects a little early this year, as Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year fall close together. The children started with lantern lacing sheets, using hammers and push pins to create holes in the cards. This required a great deal of focus and effort, and the results are truly spectacular. These lacing cards will be going home next week.
A sudden change in weather and several blustery days had us indoors for short periods, followed by a welcome return to outdoor play. On the few days we stay indoors, the children enjoy exercises such as balance steps, yoga, and lively dance parties. Great cardio, fun music. Food preparation and baking are always a wonderful way to get the children involved, especially during the winter months when comfort foods are extra appealing. This month we made pancakes and pizza, and the children had a great time squeezing their own beverages after we picked up 30 pounds of oranges for fresh juicing. Always moving and busy, busy, busy! As the year advances, we are seeing increased interest in curriculum activities such as math and language arts. Numbers and addition are becoming popular, along with more complex puzzles for individual and small[1]group work. Math sheets and the golden bead material have been especially appealing. The small and large movable alphabets, along with printing sheets, are also receiving a lot of attention. Many children are showing strong interest in sounding out words and writing.
To support your child’s literacy development, please note that lowercase letters are what children need to learn first, not capitals. Using all capital letters can be confusing. Most children’s books primarily use lowercase letters, except at the beginning of sentences and for names. We teach the sounds of letters rather than the letter names. Letter recognition develops through sound, and those sounds are blended together to form words. For example, the letter b is taught as “buh,” not “bee.” Sounding out “buh,” “ah,” and “tuh” will eventually flow together to form “bat”. From there, early reading emerges organically, with confidence and enjoyment. Literacy is truly the gateway to imagination and a lifelong love of learning.
Progress reports, along with registration packages for returning families and siblings, were sent home during the first week of our return in January. These reports help us track each child’s work and celebrate progress across all areas of development. They will be sent home again in June for you to keep. If you have any questions about your child’s report, please feel free to speak with the teachers at any time or call to schedule a meeting.
Valentines are not mandatory; however, every child enjoys participating, and no one likes to feel left out. A class list was emailed to all families last week and again this week to ensure you have everyone’s names. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, we will celebrate in the classroom on Thursday and Friday, February 12th and 13th. Each child will decorate a paper bag to distribute and collect their cards and treats from friends. Please remember to send one Valentine and/or treat per student (just one, not two!).
A few quick reminders:
· School will be closed Monday, February 16th for BC Family Day
· 2025 tax receipts were sent home in January in your child’s home folder
· We’ve noticed that many families aren’t following us on Instagram yet. Please consider joining us at @strathconamontessori for our occasional updates from the school.
