September in Tokyo brought lots and lots of rain, 35 consecutive days with rainfall! We’ve sung songs about thunder and raindrops and even songs about the sun but it just kept on raining! We’ve still managed to stay happy and cheerful and at the start of the September,our guides showed us a big box that was delivered to us. When we opened it, we weren't sure what it was until we were half way through building it! It turned out to be a trolley to store all our lunchboxes and w

Why the Dandelion? When you first think of a dandelion, you may picture something delicate, a soft white seed head floating gently on a spring breeze. But if you have ever tried to pick a bright yellow dandelion from between the cracks of a pavement or a garden bed, you know the truth; the dandelion is anything but fragile. It is one of the brightest, strongest, and most resilient little flowers in the world. When we were in the early stages of establishing our small Montesso

Easing into the New School Year: A Calm, Unhurried Guide for Tokyo Families Late August in Tokyo brings a quiet shift in rhythm. As the summer holidays start to wind down, our thoughts drift towards the upcoming school year. For guides and teachers, we have had some time to sleep in, relax, and do all the things we didn’t have much time for during the school year, and, as the weeks pass, we start to miss the children in our care and wonder how they have grown over the holiday

We have had the most wonderful, busy, and creative time during June! Our classroom has been filled with so much colour, art, and laughter. We started off our summer camp by stepping into the vibrant world of Henri Matisse. We loved learning about his favorite doves and cats, and were inspired to find out that even when he was old and had to stay in bed, he never stopped creating beautiful art using long sticks with crayons attached! Next, we traveled to Mexico to explore the

Springtime not only brings new plant life but also new life in the animal kingdom. Going to the park has been extra special over the past few weeks, as we have found countless ladybug larvae and pupae hidden in the bushes. Of course, we brought some back to school and observed them change into fully grown ladybugs. After spending much time with our eyes almost glued to the tank, we drew pictures of them and noticed that they all had unique designs on their shells. Each day we

Celebrating Spring at Dandelion Montessori School. A Month of Blossoms and Learning We began the month by enjoying the cherry blossoms during a picnic at the park. It was lovely to finally sit out in the sun! The beauty of the blossoms surrounded us, and we felt the warmth of spring in the air. April was filled with so many cooking opportunities. We started by making "Stone Soup," a Dandelion favorite. Each child brought in a vegetable, which we chopped and added to the pot w

Celebrating Growth and Learning at Dandelion Montessori School A Month of Joyful Discoveries Time seems to move faster each month! We are fully into the swing of things, and the guides are amazed daily by how quickly the children are developing and internalizing new skills. Celebrating Girl's Day We began March by celebrating Girl's Day, where we tested our paper-folding skills to create princes and princesses. It was a delightful way to honor tradition while engaging in a fu