Dear Montessori Parents,

What an exciting week this is! On Tuesday night the Auction committee met at Trattoria's in Swansboro and the room was filled with great energy. Over  fifteen people were comparing notes, making decisions and enjoying each other's company. I know that we are in for a great fundraiser. Watch for a billboard next week between Swansboro and Jacksonville.

This Friday from five to seven o'clock  you are  invited you to come with your children to visit their classroom and allow them to show you some of their lessons. Our teaching staff will be here but we understand that this is your special night with your child. So we will just stand back and enjoy observing you and your child.

Mathematics

Numbers to Ten and the Number Rods

A child needs to know numbers to 10, in order to be able to work in the decimal system.

The red rods introduce the concept of comparative length. Through laying out the rods one-by-one, the child learns, at the most basic concrete level, how the numbers one to ten relate to one another.

The red and blue segmented rods, add the concept of one-to-one correspondence and allow for the memorization of the 1 through 10 counting sequence.

Each rod represents a given number and the relative difference between each number is clearly seen.

This is the material that teaches one of the most important ideas in Mathematics. We define the "unit."

See you on Friday evening.

Peggy Higgins