Montessori Students Celebrates Orange County’s Cultural Diversity
Montessori Students Celebrate Lunar New Year
FULLERTON, CA – Arborland Montessori Children’s Academy has invited the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to celebrate Lunar New Year with its students in the Dual-Language and Trilingual (English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese) Programs on January 26, 2017, from 8:45 am to 9:30 am. The American-born students, growing up in English-speaking families, will not only be able to say “Happy New Year!” in pure Chinese, but will also do so with the traditional bow and correct hand gestures. Guests will be treated to two songs, both in Mandarin Chinese, entitled “Jasmine” and “Congratulations” – the traditional New Year song and also be able to observe class in session.
Arborland started its Chinese-English dual-language program in August 2015 with a mixed-age class of 3-6 year olds. The idea of the program is to fully immerse the child in both languages, one teacher communicating in English, and another in Chinese. If the children are unable to understand a particular Chinese expression, the teacher will supplement words with body language. This method is in line with Dr. Maria Montessori’s teaching that before the age of 6, children absorb any language in their daily environment, and can easily learn multiple languages effortlessly.
With only a year into the program, the children have made great strides in fully understanding the Chinese language. They respond with the correct Chinese words, use Chinese expressions as part of their daily communication, and recognize and write some Chinese characters. Students of the Arborland dual-language program are taught directly to use Chinese characters, without phonetic notations. They are even taught the correct stroke orders of each character, an important skill usually learned at a later age.
As the children move up in grade level, the program has also been extended to the elementary classroom. Students from ages 6 to 9 started their trilingual program August 2016, learning Spanish, Chinese, and English. With their deepening knowledge of the Chinese language, it follows that the children have also developed a strong interest in the Chinese culture. They ask questions like, “Is there a Chinese Christmas?”, “What is the Chinese zodiac?”, and are very eager to learn more.
The Arborland students are very eager to share everything they have learned in the last one and a half years, and we are extending this invitation to everyone who wishes to partake in this learning journey with them.
School Celebrates Annual International Culture Day
Arborland Montessori Children’s Academy has been celebrating International Culture Day every spring for over 25 years. In the weeks leading up to the big day, students from toddlers to 6th Grade learn all about a specific region of the world and its customs, traditions, ecology, history, and more. For the children and teachers, it is the culmination of weeks of preparation and study of different continents and their wealth of cultures with learning opportunities. On the day itself, there is great excitement as each class presents a small part of what they have learned in a short recitation, song, or dance routine. Everyone attempts to reflect the country they are representing with their music, songs and dance and also in their outfits for the day. Parents are encouraged to take part and provide culinary delights from the country their child is representing. In the words of the children, “It’s a blast!” It’s an international carnival, a fiesta, a day to show off in front of parents and friends. We would like to welcome our community to join us for a fun day of song and dance, delicious food, and a passport game that takes players around the world in 60 minutes (or less)!
For more information about Arborland’s dual-language program, feel free to visit our website at www.arborland.com, or call (714) 871-2311. You can also email drchen@arborland.com for more information. The Arborland Montessori School address is 1700 W. Valencia Drive, Fullerton, CA 92833.
