Celebrating Halloween the Montessori style.
As you know, the basis of our methodology is the Montessori philosophy, and this can be applied to any aspect of our life, also in the organization and preparation of a holiday following the Montessori line.
So, let’s tell you how we celebrate Halloween and how any holiday is an opportunity to learn. If you want to know more about another way to celebrate Halloween, this is your post.
- During the week we carry out practical life, sensory, artistic and many other activities.
- We went shopping to buy seasonal foods: oranges, pumpkins, chestnuts, almonds to prepare bags of healthy snacks and we made a delicious sugar-free cake, using dates to sweeten.
- We clean and decorate a pumpkin and toast its seeds. Now it is a fabulous work material to make transfers and use as counters.
- We teach our children that fear can be overcome and that it is an emotion that we all feel and that protects us and keeps us safe on many occasions.
- We dance, sing and laugh in a super fun puppet theater.
- We don’t “terrorize” ourselves with pumpkins with evil smiles, nor do we tell scary stories about witches, monsters, zombies, etc. Since in these ages of 0-6 years we consider that they are not necessary, it is difficult for them to differentiate fiction from reality. It is important that they understand that nothing bad is going to happen like in the movies.
We explain the true tradition of Halloween, how certain cultures believe that with this holiday they get closer to their ancestors and deceased loved ones. Maybe it’s a good time to talk and learn about your family’s ancestors. When a holiday approaches, we talk about its history, where it was born and in what context and how it has evolved to this day. We approach this holiday and others, from a less fantastic and more realistic vision, because reality can be magical.