December 2025
Honeybee
Hola Honeybee Familias, feliz Diciembre!
We cannot believe how quickly December has flown by. In just a few short days we will be wrapping up 2025 and closing out our first school semester together. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for trusting us with your precious babies. Your support and partnership mean the world to us and allow us to lovingly support each child individually while growing together as a community.
Our Nido friends have been busy growing! We are hearing so much more sweet babbling, seeing stronger and more confident independent sitting, and celebrating exciting milestones. We also want to send so much love and well wishes to Ajunee and Henry as they move up to the toddler community. We are so proud of them and cannot wait to see all the new adventures they will explore!
At this young age, your baby is in what Dr. Montessori called the absorbent mind. This means they are taking in everything around them effortlessly through their senses, movements, and relationships. Every calm moment, gentle routine, and loving interaction is shaping their understanding of the world and helping them feel safe, confident, and capable.
During this busy season, remember it is okay to slow things down. Taking your time and inviting your baby to be part of everyday moments like getting dressed, cooking, or tidying up helps them feel connected and supports their growing independence in the most beautiful way.
We wish you all a warm, restful, and joyful winter break. We cannot wait to see you back in January and continue supporting our babies as they grow, learn, and reach new milestones together! Our environment will be open for our all day/all year program drop off and pick up will be the same.
With so much love and gratitude,
And a heartfelt thank you to Ms. Roxanne for all of her help and support this month!
💛 Ms. Nadia, Ms. Luz and Ms. Lucy
Butterfly
🌟 December News: Celebrating Growth and the Holiday Season 🎄
Hello Montessori Families,
As the calendar turns to December, our classroom is filled with a unique blend of cozy holiday warmth and the beautiful energy of busy toddlers at work! We are quickly approaching the end of the year, and what a magnificent year it has been.
Celebrating Incredible Growth
Looking back to those first weeks of school, it’s truly astonishing to see the immense progress your children have made. We have witnessed tremendous growth in independence, concentration, and practical life skills. They confidently manage their coats, meticulously pour water, and share moments of grace and courtesy with their friends. Each child is building the foundation for a lifelong love of learning, and their success is the greatest gift we receive.
A Fond Farewell and Exciting Welcomes
While we cherish every day with our current group, the Montessori cycle also brings bittersweet goodbyes. We are so proud of our older toddlers who will soon be moving up to the Primary program. While it is always sad to see them go, we are thrilled to witness their readiness for the next stage. This exciting change also means our classroom will soon welcome new toddlers in the new year—a fresh wave of beautiful potential! We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to introduce the prepared environment to these new little friends.
Embracing the Outdoor Environment
We've been so lucky to have such beautiful weather recently! The children have thoroughly enjoyed their time in our outdoor environment with Ms. Susan. Nature is the ultimate classroom, and observing the changing season, smelling the crisp air, and moving their bodies freely outside is essential to the toddler experience. From stacking "natural blocks" to watering the plants, these outdoor moments are vital extensions of the Montessori practical life curriculum.
A Simple Holiday Baking Activity: Montessori Butter Cookies 🍪
The holidays are a wonderful time to engage your child in Practical Life activities in the kitchen! This simple butter cookie recipe is perfect for toddlers because they can help measure, mix, roll, and use cookie cutters. Focus on the process rather than the product!
Ingredients:
Holiday Activity: Easy 4-Ingredient Simple Butter Cookies
To encourage food preparation—a favorite practical life activity—here is a simple, child-friendly recipe you can make together at home over the break. These are perfect for practicing rolling and using cookie cutters!
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 large Egg
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Mixing the Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, have your child help add the softened butter and sugar. Use a hand mixer (with supervision) or a sturdy spoon to cream these together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then, beat in the egg.
Adding the Flour: Gradually add the flour, stirring until a cohesive dough forms. It will be thick! This is a great time for your child to use their muscles to help mix.
Chilling: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This makes it much easier to handle.
Rolling and Cutting: Lightly flour a counter or cutting board. Cut the chilled dough in half. Have your child help roll out one section of the dough to about $1/4$ inch thick. Give them cookie cutters to press shapes out of the dough.
Bake: Carefully place the cut-out cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden.
Decorate and Enjoy! Let them cool completely before adding sprinkles or a simple glaze.
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
Step-by-Step Practical Life Instructions:
1. Measuring (Child's Task):Provide your child with a small measuring scoop and a bowl. Have them scoop the sugar(1/2 cup) and the flour(2 cups) and pour them into separate mixing bowls. This builds concentration and coordination.
2. Creaming (Adult/Shared Task):In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon (or hand mixer on low) to mix the softened butterwith the sugaruntil light and fluffy.
3. Mixing (Child's Task):Add the vanillaand a pinch of salt. Gradually let your child add the floura little bit at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Adult supervision is key here.
4. Chilling (Adult's Task):Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Rolling and Cutting (Child's Task):Flour a clean surface. Give your child a small, manageable piece of dough and a small rolling pin. They can roll the dough (the final thickness doesn't have to be perfect!). Let them use simple, large holiday-themed cookie cutters to press shapes.
6. Baking (Adult's Task):Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350^{\circ}\text{F} for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
7. Enjoy!
Warmest Wishes
We hope you have a joyful and restful winter break filled with family time and happy memories. Thank you for your partnership this year. It is a privilege to work with your beautiful children every day.
We wish all of our families a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing everyone back in the classroom when we start anew in January!
Warmly,
Ms. Daisy & Ms. Rebeca
Hummingbird
Happy Holidays Hummingbird Familia!
We were so thrilled to enjoy everyone’s company at the social this month. The children enjoyed some winter crafts and lots of food. The weather was cool and it felt nice to sit in a picnic style type of dinner. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your routine to join us at the social, it’s always a pleasure getting to know your family and sharing a meal together.
In preparation for the holiday season, we introduced a couple of new songs, and many books with a winter theme. The children’s favorite song seemed to be “Jingle Bells”, they all clapped along and cheered for it. Also, we read books about snowmen, reindeer’s, and many animals that live in the polar regions. Along with the songs and books, the children explored polar animals and used winter-themed stamps for an art activity.
For food prep this month, the children practiced pressing oranges to make orange juice/water, spreading sun butter on graham crackers, slicing apples, and peeling and slicing carrots. We invite the children to share the food they prepared with the class during lunchtime, or they set it on the snack tray for morning snack.
The time has flown by so quickly, and as we close out this semester, we reflect on all the growth everyone has had this semester, including adults and children. Being with toddlers, there are always opportunities to learn more ways to be useful, understanding, and patient. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support and trust in your precious children. We are so lucky to spend these amazing milestones and silly moments with them all. We hope you have a safe and relaxing winter break.
Happy New Year!
Warmly,
Ms. Kat and Ms. Lenni
Squirrel
Hello Families,
It is hard to believe that we are already at our final peek into 2025! Throughout December, we have continued building on the important work taking place in the Squirrel Toddler Classroom, with a strong focus on concentration. Concentration is a vital part of a young child’s development, as it allows them to fully engage with what is in front of them, make discoveries, and begin to understand the world around them. When children are given time and space to concentrate, they can build confidence, independence, and a deep sense of satisfaction in their work.
This month, we have also seen wonderful growth in language development among many of our friends. Conversations have been blooming as children share about their weekends, talk about who they saw yesterday, and express excitement about upcoming events in their lives. These meaningful exchanges support vocabulary growth and help toddlers connect their experiences to language.
During a sensitive period for language, you may notice certain behaviors at home. Your child may ask for repetition often or want you to say the same words repeatedly. This is a natural and important part of their learning process, as they are working to understand meaning, rhythm, and clarity in spoken language. Sometimes children are also processing language at their own pace and benefit from hearing words slowly and clearly, with many opportunities for repetition.
Throughout our day in the classroom, the children are constantly communicating with one another—through words, gestures, and shared experiences. These interactions support social development while strengthening their ability to express themselves and listen to others. It has been a joy to witness their growing confidence as communicators and members of our classroom community.
Squirrel Team
