Whenever I spend a bit of time at Brooksfield and get the chance to observe my daughter in action, I always come away amazed at the things she can do on her own. Putting on her coat and gloves. Unrolling, and then nicely rolling back up, a rug, without being asked. Following simple directions without a ton of oversight.    It’s all pretty amazing.    And, of course, once we get home on those days, there’s a new world order. I’m less likely to rush in to help and more likely to sit back and marvel at what happens when I leave her to her own devices. After just a year at Brooksfield, I’m a Montessori convert. I love the emphasis on independence and freedom and the child-led nature feels so right to me.    A few weeks ago, in one of her Night Time Reading about Montessori emails, Sarah...

Christmas trees now line every store and commercials urging you to think about your 'list' now fill the space between every TV show. The season of giving has begun. For our kids, however, these late fall and early winter months often become the season of getting. Getting candy, getting toys. New books and clothes. Things they need and some things they probably don't. And it's so easy to get swept up in it all. Buying gifts for small people is fun. Clothes we wish they made in our size and toys we wish were around when we were small call to us and our family and our friends. But, before we know it, our kids are asking for the next present and tearing paper like it's a job. If you want to turn this season of getting into a season of giving for your little ones, here are a few...

Several years ago an experiment was conducted in Washington, DC in which a group of people decided to practice mental focus for several weeks to affect crime rates. The hope was that crime levels would drop. Before the group began their exercise of positive mental focus, they contacted local officials to inform them of their intent. They were told that nothing short of a severe snow storm would decrease the crime rate. After 6 weeks of up to 4000 people practicing kindness in their thoughts (and it was the middle of summer) the crime rate dropped by  nearly 25% (Hagelin, et al 1993). So let's try some heartfulness in our own community! November is a time of letting go as we see the leaves turn and release themselves. We experience loss of sunlight, loss of warm days, and the sense that winter is coming soon. We are in the season...

It has started. With Halloween barely a week ago and Thanksgiving less than a month away, the season of food has begun. If your house is anything like mine, you have Halloween candy spilling out of every nook and cranny (why didn’t we give out five pieces instead of two to every trick-or-treater!?) and small people asking to eat it a dozen times each day. And, if you are anything like me, you want to say yes to at least half of these requests so you can have a piece too, rather than waiting to sneak one at nap time. Oh, sugar. At this time of year, I often worry that our family’s nutrition takes a deep dive into the land of high fructose corn syrup and that we not only pack on a few pounds but develop some pretty poor eating habits along the way. So, as the season...

This week, we had the great pleasure of being visited by Chef Tom, a "real, live" Chef from  Harth , a new restaurant located at the Hilton in McLean/Tysons Corner. During Chef Tom's visit he gave Room 2 a hands-on cooking class. We made a delicious Pumpkin Spice Cake and learned about: how to follow a recipe how to use a sifter measuring spoons how to use a spatula several spices that we now all love:  cinnamon ginger and a combination called all-spice!   We thank Chef Tom and his assistant Christina for coming to our class, and look forward to cooking with Chef Tom again in the future :)

Yesterday was Brooksfield School's annual Lower School  field trip to the pumpkin patch. We all hopped on school buses (which was fun in its self) headed out of McLean, Virginia and drove  to Ticonderoga Farms in Chantilly. With slides, corn maze, moon bounce, farm animals, and the ever-so-popular spooking hayride that even went through the water, a ghostly time was had by all! We completed the day by picking out a pumpkin to take home. I don't know who was more exhausted the kids or the parents! What a great day!

It's Autumn so celebrate with this colorful and healthy veggie medley! Bake a big batch and have plenty for leftovers! Veggie Medley Recipe A quarter of chopped: sweet potatoes beets mushrooms onions cauliflower Brussel sprouts Yukon gold potatoes Any other veggies you like Parsnips, carrots, rutabagas are great too! Mix in a bowl with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar to simply coat the mixture and add flavor. Then ad sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Spray your baking dish to help prevent sticking. Sprinkle fresh Parmesan cheese in between layers as you fill baking dish with all the veggies Bake at 400-425 degrees until done!

McLean Project for the Arts Annual Artfest will be held at the McLean Community Center on Sunday Oct. 6, 2013 from 10 am - 5 pm.  Brooksfield School will be represented with 12 pieces of art created by our students in Kindergarten through Grade 4. Find us in the Children's Art Walk.  Click here for more information about MPA's Artfest

The month of September is special at Brooksfield School here in McLean, VA. We begin a new year at our Montessori school and have so many new friends and families that have joined us for a Mindful Year. New friendships are budding on the playground. Excitement is in the air and so is PEACE! International Day of Peace The International Day of Peace was celebrated at our school last week and our children will now learn about personal peace in the practice of Mindful Meditation. Give yourself permission today to sit for just one minute with your eyes closed, allowing your attention to go to your breath. Breathe in slowly and relax with an exhale. For just 60 seconds allow your mind to unplug from all the many distractions of your day and simply, BE. As you try to put this practice into your day, remember that in a heated...

Literary Arts celebration begins March 11 th Did you know that the well-known children’s author and illustrator Mo Willems kicked off his career as a writer and animator for Sesame Street and earned six Emmy Awards? During Brooksfield School's annual Literary Arts Celebration, students in both the Lower and Upper Schools will learn this and much more about Willems, whose books have awarded the prestigious Caldecott Honors. On  Wednesday, March 13 th , the students will hear how local children’s author Susan Stockdale approaches the writing process. Be sure to attend the  Assembly on Thursday,   March 14th  to see the children's Willems-based art and presentations. Also, Brooksfield will host a  book   drive all week . Please help your child choose some gently-used books for the boxes we will have stationed at carpool from the  11 th through the 15 th . We will be donating the books to...