These past weeks we’ve been exploring Mexico, and it turned into one of those topics that just kept growing.
We started with the landscapes, the animals, the colours. The children had a lot of questions: about jaguars, about deserts, about why the food looks so different from what they eat at home. Things got hands-on quickly. We made guacamole together, which was part cooking lesson, part sensory chaos. We also created alebrijes, the wildly colourful fantasy creatures from Mexican folk art. Every single one came out completely different, which turned out to be a natural bridge to what we worked on next.
Our Country Celebration calendar
- September: Mexico
- October: USA
- November: Canada
- January: Argentina
- February: Brazil
- March: Peru
- April: Australia
- May: New Zealand
- June: Samoa
We also love having families contribute to our celebrations. If you would like to come into the classroom and share an activity, tradition, story, food or something special from one of our countries, please contact your classroom team: capdevilahouse@barcelonamontessorischool.com for Capdevila House, or sacharoffhouse@barcelonamontessorischool.com for Sacharoff House.
Getting to know themselves and each other
Alongside the Mexico project, we’ve been spending time on something a little quieter. As part of our peace education work, we invited the children to notice themselves: what they look like, what they enjoy, what they’re learning, what makes them happy. Small questions, but ones children don’t often get the chance to sit with properly.
What came out of it was something we always love to see: the realisation that everyone is different, and that this is not a problem, it’s just how it is. One child loves drawing. Another is happiest outside. Some are learning to ride a bike; others are working on reading. None of it is the same, and all of it is valid.
This is really what peace education looks like in the 0–6 classroom. Not a single lesson, but small moments where children learn to see themselves and to see each other. With the International Day of Peace falling in September, it felt like the right time to plant those seeds.