Crocheting plastic bags to make sleeping mats for the homeless

TNSM teacher Johnnye White invited Candice Moxley to speak with elementary students during their civics and appreciating differences class. Candice helps the homeless in her area by making sleeping mats for them. She uses plastic strips cut from multiple colors of reused grocery bags and ties them together to make what she calls plarn. She then crochets the plarn row by row to create a rug. Candice likes to keep her hands busy helping others and learned how to make these mats by watching a  Youtube video. To make one row requires 8 bags, and it took nearly a year for Candice to complete a …

Thanh-Tu’s Next Book Review

It’s time for another book review from Thanh-Tu, a voracious reader from the 2nd grade. He gives this book many thumbs up saying, “This was a really funny one!” The title is “Summer Reading is Killing Me!” by Jon Scieszka. A summer reading list gets placed in a “magical book” and that’s when the craziness begins. Characters from one book time warp out of their own titles into the lives of characters from other titles and together, they created a new and crazy storyline as the boys try to get everyone back in the right places. Be careful, because at the …

Enjoying their work in (6-9)

Students in (6-9) have been busy using a number line to order and compare fractions, making stamp circles to show the various relationships between two circles, creating maps of the US, using geometry stick box to show line relationships, practicing parts of speech with grammar sense game and using bead chains to practice skip counting.

4th and 5th graders visit Columbus

TNSM 4th and 5th graders took a 3-day field trip to Columbus, Ohio. Their first stop was to visit the Center for Science and Industry (COSI) which is one one of the largest modern-built science centers in the United States. Students felt 60 mile/hr winds, watched rats play basketball and rode a unicycle across the ceiling of the lobby. While in Columbus, they also visited the American Whistle Corporation for a factory tour. Each child left with a shiny new whistle just like the Superbowl referees have. Toured the Anthony Thomas Chocolate Factory and really liked seeing how things are …

With the help of food coloring, students observed hot water rising

Yes, hot water really does rise. Nancy Buchman’s science students poured hot water into a test tube and used food coloring to dye it red. Then they laid the test tube on its side in a bowl of cold water. As you can see from the photos, the hot water left the test tube and rose to the top of the bowl.  This is the same way hot air reacts with cold air.

Ella identifies tree leaves.

Although it may look like a colorful fan, Ella is using a helpful resource for tree identification based on leaf shapes. The tip of each card is decorated with a cut-out of a leaf and the base shares important information about each tree. Before long, the trees on our campus will be lush with leaves, and the students will be able to name many of the trees in our woods.

17 TNSM students in 2015 Student Art Show at Kennedy Heights Art Center.

Some of Robin Hartmann’s elementary art students will be showing their work at Kennedy Heights Art Center from April 25-May 23. Students from The New School Montessori, KHAC and other local schools will share how they’ve discovered their inspiration by exhibiting their masterpieces. TNSM students have used wire and pastels on black paper to create self portraits. The opening reception is: Saturday, April 25 from 2-4 p.m.      

Kindergarten students have “walked through the garden” with Claude Monet.

Jennifer Frank, (3-6) teacher, led kindergartners in learning about Monet’s works and together they looked at his paintings and made observations. Mika noted that the bridge and lily pads had reflections painted into the pond. After their discussion, the children worked in groups to create their own Monet-inspired works.  

TNSM students interviewed by WVXU’s Around Cincinnati host Barbara Gray

TNSM students, Katherine and Jack, talked with Barbara Gray in an 11-minute WVXU interview for the program “Around Cincinnati.” The link below takes you to their discussion about TNSM’s Shakespeare Club’s performance of Macbeth. The students share their insights into the characters they played and the themes from the play that they now understand more fully. TNSM’s after-school Shakespeare Club will be performing as part of PROJECT38’s Shakespeare Festival at Memorial Hall Stage on Friday, April 17 from noon to 12:30. Admission is free. http://wvxu.org/post/new-school-montessoris-student-actors-prepare-bard