The Observer 2026

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Why Trips Are So Important for the Junior High

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Why Trips Are So Important for the Junior High

Do you ever wonder why the Junior High class goes on long trips, or what goes into planning these trips? Each year, we plan a trip in the fall and another in the Spring. In the spring of 2026, after much deliberation, we traveled to Montreal.

The students were a lovely group to travel with and they conducted themselves so well in public; we were proud to be associated with them. The week was full of adventure and so much learning that it's hard to completely capture it. We had the pleasure of watching each student grow in self confidence as they tackled all of these new experiences. 

Trips are always amazing opportunities to develop both practical and social-emotional skills. Here are just a few of the lessons and experiences our students gained during their time in Montreal…

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Creating Community in Lower Elementary

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The first few weeks in Lower Elementary classrooms (ages 6–9) are when a class builds its community. In our gatherings at the beginning of the year, we talk about how we want to feel in our classroom and what each of us needs to do so that everyone can feel that way. The children’s answers become the basis of our community agreement: the freedoms and responsibilities everyone in our community has so that we can joyfully learn and grow together.

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How Montessori Children Discover the World: Geography in the Early Years

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How Montessori Children Discover the World: Geography in the Early Years

Recently, one of our Children’s House classrooms (ages three to six) has had an explosion of work with the continent maps. Dr. Montessori believed that Geography is not just the study of facts, rather it is an exploration into the life of man. Geography is part of what Montessori classrooms call the Cultural curriculum, and its materials help children make connections across the classroom and out into the world around them.