OUR SCHOOL VISIT TO FREIGHTLINER'S FARM

The one good thing about the school being used as a Polling Station is that we get to go on a school trip! Last Thursday 5th May, we all met outside the school and headed off to Freightliner's Farm in near by Islington.

We had a great time and the children got to meet chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, sheep and cows. We were also given a seed planting workshop. The children decorated their plant pots and then carefully planted peas to grow and take care of at home.

It was wonderful to see the excitement and anticipation in the children's faces, as they waited patiently  in line to stroke a chicken. They found the sheep very amusing and 'baa'ed back to them in conversation. The trip was a fully sensorial experience, as soon as we arrived they remarked on the smell. They noticed the difference in touch between different types of feathers and fur.   Once in the farm environment, their eyes were open to new things and they even found pleasure in discovering the farm cat! They all enjoyed getting tactile with the earth as they planted their seeds and were in deep concentration as they filled up their pots right to the top.  

Maria Montessori placed a great deal of emphasis on care of plants and animals and discussing how the proper way to treat them is an important part of grace and courtesy. Montessori felt very strongly that from birth a strong link between the child and nature must be maintained. And of course care of plants and animals leads directly to respect of the environment as a whole.

As Montessori herself said, "Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experience in the environment."

Have a look at some photos here.

Casa dei Bambini Montessori School