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Blogs
Art Blog
Visit the Blog for more »Art Teacher Nicole Batchelor: I believe that every child is an artist, and that the world needs artists in order to remain healthy and vibrant. Art is a process that allows students to explore and experiment with a variety of materials as they create. It empowers them to come to their own conclusions and understanding of what one can do with these materials. Every child should have the opportunity to observe, reflect, take risks, make mistakes, be playful and have fun. My greatest hope is to be a facilitator to each of my students as they continue along their individual paths. I want each child to be able to express themselves confidently through their art, and to know that this expression is a valuable and necessary component of a healthy community.
Science Blog
- The Miquon Kids’ Research Journal Volume Two
- Spotted Lanternflies and Children
- The Miquon Kids’ Research Journal
To support the development of curious, life long learners, Miquon students actively experiment to better understand the world. The science program emphasizes critical thinking processes that give children the skills they need to explore their own questions. Specific areas of study are selected through the interplay of a variety of factors (including, but not limited to): personal relevance to students’ daily lives, local and global events, the availability of resources, and student and teacher interests. The disciplines of biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, engineering, and art are woven throughout the curriculum.
Sarah and Louis’ Group Blog
Visit the Blog for more »Fifth and sixth grade important years at Miquon. We carefully structure the classroom work to support children as they prepare for the next level of their education in middle school. We give them opportunities to further develop their self-determination and leadership, study and research skills, vocabulary and writing, foundational algebra concepts and more — all within the context of joyful learning. Upon graduation, our sixth graders are confident, poised, and supported as they prepare to greet the next chapter.
Diane and Mark’s Blog
- No Good Options: Our read of ‘Refugee’ by Alan Gratz
- What is Mentionable is Manageable
- Visualizing for Understanding
Miquon alumni are known for the depth at which they approach their work, their curiosity, and their self confidence. Much of this is attributed to the unique Progressive educational program we offer here at Miquon in our fifth and sixth grade classrooms. Longtime fifth and sixth grade Miquon teacher Diane Webber strives to impart a love of learning to all her students, and assistant teacher Mark Palacio brings a strong passion for music and culture to the classroom.
Math at Miquon Might Look like Fun and Games….
But a closer look shows how kids can uncover their individual way of learning. In recent newsletters to families, co-teachers Eléonore and Reem talk about incorporating group activities to nurture learning in our 1st and 2nd grade students.
This week in 1st grade, we imagined and solved a number of story problems involving adding two quantities together. Some of us enjoyed acting out the stories to visualize what was happening. Others used math manipulatives to represent the numerical operations. We practiced different ways we can represent our thinking on paper and are beginning to move into our work with subtraction.
In 2nd grade math, the focus has been on developing strategies for addition and subtraction strings (adding and subtracting three or more numbers). Some strategies our 2nd graders have come up with so far are finger counting beginning with the highest number, starting with a fact you know, and finding a friendly number.
We also had a joint math games session. We loved watching our 1st and 2nd graders teach each other their favorite math games and explain the strategies they use to play. Rachel Elin-Saintine, our Director of Teaching and Learning, joined us to introduce Marcy Cook math tiles. The tiles (pictured below) are an activity that 1st and 2nd graders can engage in largely independently. Each tile is a puzzle; the digits 0-9 are arranged on the tile to solve the puzzle. Because the digits can easily be removed and rearranged, the Marcy Cook tiles are a fabulous way for mathematicians to grow their comfort and confidence with “messing up” and trying something new.
Games are incorporated into our Investigations curriculum weekly, but having a math time dedicated just for them allows our mathematicians to explore, build confidence, work out problems independently, and develop new skills in a fun, low-pressure environment.
Baking with a Purpose
Nursery Blog
Visit the Blog for more »The Nursery blog provides a detailed account of daily life in the Miquon Nursery for three and four year-olds. Each year is different, which is what makes Miquon’s Nursery program truly progressive: our respond to the children’s ideas and interests, and create a unique curriculum tailored to those interests as a result. Our teachers guide the children as they discover new things about the world, leading them through a purposeful, structured exploration of those things in a child-centered, playful manner.
Kindergarten
Visit the Blog for more »Kindergartners are incredibly curious about their world. They have so many questions! They are eager to investigate, make hypotheses, and experiment with their ideas. They have a captivating interest in interacting with others and creating strong interpersonal connections. Given ample opportunity to observe and wonder, work and play, they are engaged and responsible advocates for their own learning.
