Arts education is an important part of Brooksfield’s mission. Exploring rhythm on drums and percussion instruments encourages students to develop their ear for music. By making music together, we have fun and build a sense of community. Often students take turns making music for each other, with one group dancing to the original musical creations of their friends. Children are encouraged to teach their parents the dances they are learning as “homework” on the weekends, and report back on how everyone danced together at home!
Every week throughout the school year, young artists at Brooksfield gather to dance, drum, sing and express themselves. Fall and Spring, we use puppets and masks to turn the Pine Grove & Peace Garden into a magical land where animals play and make friends. When we depart, faerie houses and elf forts dot the landscape! During the Winter months, we stay cozy and create indoor environments for imaginative play, including a tiny trampoline, a loooong cloth river & waterfall, and music from cultures around the world.
Brooksfield is happy to announce it will now be offering BEFORE and AFTER care to students attending Chesterbrook, Haycock and Kent Gardens Elementary schools! The afternoon Extended Day program has welcomed students from Chesterbrook Elementary school for the last several years. With the purchase of Buster, our school bus, we are now excited to expand the program and offer BEFORE and AFTER care to students at Chesterbrook, Haycock and Kent Gardens in grades K through 6th. Buster will be able to drop off students in the morning to the three schools and pick the students up from Kent Gardens and Haycock. Chesterbrook students will continue to ride the county bus to Brooksfield in the afternoons. Extended Day hours will be from 7:30am to 9:00am and 3:30-5:55pm. Brooksfield's Extended Day program is designed to provide a home-like setting with activities that are fun in nature including arts and crafts, cooking, field games,...
Brooksfield School is happy to announce that it will be opening up a two year old toddler program beginning in the Fall 2016-17 school year! We are really excited to offer another wonderful Montessori program to our families that will incorporate the Montessori curiculum as well as the arts and the outdoors! The program will consist of a 5 day a week schedule with 9am to 12pm, 9am to 3pm and 7:30am to 5:55pm options. The best part about the program?... the child does NOT have to be potty trained! If you have a two year old or a rising two year old who you would like to be considered for the program, please contact Sarah Krawchuk, the Admissions Director.
Claire and Ceyda's Class started a six-week program that combines both grace and courtesy and mindfulness in the classroom. This program fosters positive outcomes of love, kindness, and empathy through interacting with furry friends and reading books about a dog named Little Dude. The series of books focus on different topics: feelings, empathy, respect, kindness, manners and courage. Over the last few weeks, the children have had the opportunity to read or talk to Brownie, our class guinea pig! Brownie’s cage was set out on a rug and children were able to sit on “The Brownie Rug” and read, talk or just sit beside Brownie. Today, Claire's class had a special guest visit Brooksfield. Coco, Carlie’s dog, came to Brooksfield for the morning! The children took turns reading, walking and playing with Coco. The children practiced using gentle hands, being kind to Coco and showing her respect. As an act...
When supporting the biodiversity of our environment, it is easy to overlook the contributions of the smallest creatures that inhabit our gardens. Insects are one of the most successful living organisms and constitute almost half of all species on earth. Too often we kill them without realizing that they are actually our allies. Some help decomposition by eating large amounts of dead leaves and spent organic matter while others eat caterpillars and small snails that attack our vegetables and flowers. Our bug hotel provides lots of different habitats for different kinds of helpful creatures to live in the summer and hibernate throughout the winter. Here are some of the materials we used to provide habitats for specific creatures: The hotel structure was made from recycled wooden pallets and off-cuts donated by Home Depot in Merrifield. Hollow stems, such as old bamboo canes, and holes drilled into blocks of...
Children enrolled in Montessori School have plenty of opportunities throughout the day to spend time outside. This is because playing and working outdoors has many proven benefits for people of all ages. Consider how you feel after spending an afternoon in the park or yard. Most people feel refreshed, invigorated, and more able to focus. This applies to children as well. In addition to the benefits listed above, outside play helps kids connect with nature, and truly appreciate the beauty of our world. It also gives young people the opportunity to run, jump, and shout, all things they may not be allowed to do indoors. Dr. Maria Montessori observed these things in her studies and placed a great emphasis on allowing children time in nature and offering them nature education. For all these reasons, it seems only logical that young people should spend as much time outside as they desire. Therefore,...
Join Brooksfield School and LōKL Gourmet on Friday, April 22nd for fun-filled day of Earth Day activities including recycable arts and crafts, music, nature scavenger hunts, pansy planting and more! LōKL Gourmet will be here to give out free food samplings! The event runs from 9:30 to 11am and is open to the public! Hope to see you there!
Tuesday was our third “Farm to Table” cooking adventure in the Upper School. Our chefs for the day prepared lunch for their classmates and teachers. The menu was our first “international” offering – Coconut beef and vegetable curry Cucumber-Mint Raita Chapatti / steamed rice Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting All three chefs were very responsible in the cooking area, chopping, measuring, pouring, stirring and blending with care. Working cooperatively and respectfully meant that everyone was permitted to use all of the cooking utensils, even the pointy ones, and take turns working at the stove. The smells wafting up the stairs from the Upper School were fabulous as the curry simmered to perfection. The squash we used was grown in our summer garden and we harvested the potatoes minutes before we dropped them into the pot! Mint and onion greens, the first few herbs offered up by the gardens this...
Sending your child to a Montessori School helps ensure they are getting a quality education during the school day. However, this does not mean you can't help enhance their Montessori experience at home. There are many ways to expand upon your child's education at home, but one of the very best ways you can do this is by involving your little one in the kitchen. Kitchen work helps fine-tune motor skills, teaches life skills, and gives children a feeling of pride and accomplishment. Many parents are intimidated by the idea of giving their child kitchen tasks. The thought of their child acquiring a cut or burn makes them hesitant to involve their children in the cooking. While this is understandable, it is no reason to make the kids leave the kitchen when dinner prep begins. Here are a few ways very young people can help out with the cooking. Peeling and...
