Science in our Montessori Primary I Class

The Primary I class had some interesting new visitors during the last month of school--10 caterpillars that were very hungry.

The children observed them growing in size daily. The caterpillars doubled their size within a week until they climbed up to the top of the cup and started building their chrysalides. The children waited patiently for a week for the first butterfly to blossom, and were delighted with the beautiful butterflies that finally emerged.

The children read about and studied the life cycle of the butterfly. Some children drew or wrote about the butterflies. Others brought books to share with the class on the topic.

Germination in the Garden
The experiment of germination started more than a month ago and it is up and going in our garden. We had three clear glass containers with a bean, cotton balls and a piece of white cardboard. We placed one in the dark and added water. We placed one in the sun with water and the other with no water. The children had fun watching, observing and guessing what would happen. In our outside garden, we planted the one with sun and water and it is finally growing.

The children are thrilled and speculating how this plant will turn out. When you visit or tour The Renaissance International School to learn about our Montessori program, please feel free to stop by our garden and take a look at our plants. I’m sure the children will be happy to share information about them.