October 2026
Honeybee
Hello Honeybee Community! 🍂
Fall is here, and cooler weather is approaching! Our babies have been enjoying the rain and cloudy skies as we continue taking our daily outdoor walks. As the temperatures begin to drop, please start sending warmer layers for your child to wear outdoors. We will continue to spend time outside each day as weather permits, so having a cozy layer available will help keep everyone comfortable while they explore.
When we are indoors, we will continue utilizing onesies and comfortable clothing that support freedom of movement. For our walkers, this allows them to bend, squat, climb, and move comfortably and independently. For our crawlers, it gives their legs and bodies the freedom to scoot, crawl, and move from one place to another without restrictive clothing getting in the way. Clothing that allows for easy movement is an important part of supporting independence at this stage of development.
Practicing Limits in Our Nido Community
As our Nido babies are getting older, we are finding more opportunities to practice limits and respectful boundaries within our community. Some of the limits we are practicing throughout the day include:
Waiting until a friend is finished using a material before taking a turn
Giving our friends space when they are walking or moving through the environment
Learning to move “around” people and objects — As our babies become more mobile and purposeful in their movements, they often know exactly where they want to go! Sometimes this means attempting to push through a friend, climb over a person, or even climb onto furniture and shelves to reach a desired space. We are introducing the word “around” and modeling what it looks like to find another path. We point out the space around a person or object and help them practice moving around rather than through or over it.
Remaining seated while eating
Using gentle hands when interacting with our friends and the materials in our environment
These moments are wonderful opportunities for learning. At this age, children are becoming increasingly aware that they are part of a community and that their actions can affect the people around them. Limits help provide the structure children need to navigate these new social experiences while still allowing them opportunities to make choices and develop independence.
This is also a wonderful time to begin introducing and practicing simple limits at home. When a child becomes disappointed because they cannot have something they want or need to wait, we can support them by acknowledging their feelings while maintaining the limit.
For example, we might say, “You really wanted that. Your friend is using it right now. We can wait until they are finished.”
Our goal is not to prevent disappointment, but to help children experience it in a safe and supportive environment. By calmly narrating what is happening and giving language to their experience, we help children gradually develop an awareness of their feelings, practice patience, and begin understanding the natural consequences of their actions. These small everyday moments become an important foundation for the emotional and social development they will continue building as they enter toddlerhood.
Upcoming 🍁 November Highlights
November 3: Nido Picture Day 📸
November 9: Nido & Lower Elementary Community Meetings — 5:30–6:30 PM
November 11: School Closed — Veterans Day Observed
November 23: Live Herb Sale 🌿
November 25–27: Thanksgiving Break — School Closed for All
We are giving a warm welcome to Holden our new member of our Nido Community and Ms. Lorena our new spanish assistant!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of our Honeybee community! We are so grateful to everyone who has donated items from our classroom wishlist.
The babies have been absolutely loving the musical instruments, books, rattles, and other materials that have made their way into our environment thanks to our wonderful families. Your generosity helps us continue creating a beautiful, purposeful, and engaging environment for your children to explore each day.
Thank you for trusting us with your little ones and for being such an important part of our Honeybee community.
With love,
Ms. Nadia, Ms. Luz and Ms. Lorena
Butterfly
Dear Butterfly Familia, 🦋
Happy Fall Butterfly Familia!
Can you believe how quickly October has flown by? It feels like we were just welcoming the new school year, and here we are already heading into November! Our Butterfly children have been exploring sewing, carefully working their needles and thread, and pressing fresh lemons to make their own lemon water. It has been fun watching them explore these activities and enjoy the little details along the way, from watching the lemon juice drip into the pitcher to working their thread through the burlap.
We also have a special little update to share! 🦋 One of our little Butterflies, Maddy, will be moving up to Children’s House! We are so excited for her as she takes this next step in her Montessori journey. While we will miss having her in our classroom every day, we are so proud of her and can't wait to see all the new things she discovers in her next environment. We know she is ready for this new adventure!
Save the Date! 🗓️ Our next community meeting will be on November 10th, and we will be discussing The Absorbent Mind and how young children take in and learn from the world around them. Of course, these meetings are not mandatory, but it's always nice to get together, share ideas, and hear your perspectives. We always appreciate the opportunity to connect with our Butterfly families!
With love,
Ms. Daisy & Ms. Rebeca 🦋
Hummingbird
Happy Fall Hummingbird Familia!
In the month of October, we welcomed two new friends and their families into our Hummingbird community, Lily and Cooper. If you see them around, please help us extend a warm welcome. Cooper joined us from the Honeybee (Nido) classroom, and Lily is beginning her Montessori journey with us. The children have been practicing grace and courtesy as they welcome their new classmates by offering patience, kindness, and encouragement. They have also been showing them where materials belong and modeling how we care for and use the classroom environment.
Along with our new friends, we also welcomed three fish, a snail, and a frog to our classroom aquarium. The children have been delighted to observe our new pets, watching the frog swim and the snail glide along the glass. Caring for living things is an important part of building responsibility and respect for our environment. The children help care for the fish by feeding them each day and are learning how to observe our pets gently and respectfully. These moments also provide opportunities to practice grace and courtesy as we take turns observing and ensure that everyone has a chance to enjoy watching our classroom animals.
We have been enjoying these cooler days outside, and the children are loving the fresh air. As the temperatures continue to drop, jackets will become part of our daily routine, making this a wonderful opportunity for the children to practice the Montessori coat flip. This simple movement supports independence, coordination, and confidence. The child places their jacket on the floor or a low table with the tag near their toes, slips their hands into the opening of the sleeves, and joyfully flips the jacket up and over their head. The children enjoy practicing this skill and discovering what they can do independently.
We also encourage the children to take off their jackets on their own as much as possible. When a little assistance is needed, we offer just enough help to allow them to continue independently—perhaps loosening the zipper slightly or easing a sleeve so they can grasp it themselves. Some children benefit from a small ring attached to the zipper, giving them a more secure grip as they pull it down.
These small, everyday tasks are meaningful work for toddlers. They strengthen motor skills, build self‑confidence, and help the child feel capable in caring for their own body. We love supporting them in these moments of growing independence.
This month, the children have been joyfully engaged in a variety of food preparation activities. They have baked cornbread and cheddar biscuits, grated cheese, sliced apples, peeled and cut carrots, and spread sunflower seed butter on crackers. Each of these tasks offers meaningful, hands‑on work that supports coordination, strengthens fine‑motor skills, and invites the child to concentrate through a sequence of steps.
The food the children prepare is shared during snack or lunch, so you may notice a bit of our community snack tucked into their lunch containers. Contributing to the group in this way gives the children a deep sense of belonging. They take pride in offering something they made themselves, and this experience gently nurtures confidence and independence.
These practical life activities are small but powerful moments—helping the children feel capable, connected, and joyful in their work.
As we continue growing and discovering together, we look forward to many more meaningful moments with the children. Thank you for your trust, encouragement, and partnership. It is a joy to witness and support your children's growing independence, confidence, and emerging sense of self within our community.
Warmly,
Mrs. Kat and Ms. Kayla
Squirrel
Hello Families,
October has been a wonderful month filled with discovery, exploration, and growth! Throughout the month, our class has been noticing all the rain we have had and observing how it has helped the grass grow. The children have been curious about the changes happening around us and have enjoyed noticing the tiny details in nature.
We had our friend Adeline start her journey in Children’s house! While also welcoming Iliana and Maverick to our classroom! We are so excited to have them join our group and look forward to learning and growing together.
This month, we spent time washing berries! This hands-on activity gave the children opportunities to practice important practical life skills, strengthen their coordination, and build independence. The children enjoyed taking part in this everyday, while learning how to care for their food.
During our language lessons, we explored the wonderful world of forest animals. The children had opportunities to learn about different animals, build their vocabulary. We loved seeing their curiosity and interest as we explored the animals that live in the forest (the bear was a fan favorite!!)
A new song we have been singing we called it the beehive “song”/poem
“Here is the beehive… but where are the bees.
Hidden inside where nobody sees
Watch as the bees fly out of their hive
1,2,3,4,5! Bzzzzzzzzz”
📸 Save the Date: Picture Day!
Picture Day is Tuesday, November 3rd!
Here is to another month here at Squirrel!
Warmly,
Our Classroom Team 🍁
Warmly,
Morgan and Lucy
