A Reflection by Milinh Villanueva, Head of School, Cantera Montessori
At Cantera Montessori, we inspire independence and critical thinking by empowering children to make thoughtful and respectful choices every day whether it’s choosing how to collaborate with friends, resolving conflicts kindly, or contributing to their classroom community with confidence. By exploring diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives, they learn to appreciate differences and develop empathy. This approach empowers them to celebrate individuality while fostering a sense of community and interconnectedness.
While we explore diversity year-round, winter offers a unique learning opportunity around celebrations and holidays. By discovering how people celebrate in different ways, children learn to appreciate differences and develop respect for others.
Through work on our cultural shelves, books available in our library, and readings plus discussions at circle time – we explored holidays like Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the Winter Solstice. For Kwanzaa, we talked about its seven principles, such as unity and creativity, and engaged in activities that celebrate working together. For Hanukkah, we learned about the menorah, and heard the story of the oil that lasted eight days. For Christmas, we discussed themes like giving and kindness and learned about different Christmas traditions around the world. For the Winter Solstice, we explored the Earth’s rhythms and celebrated the return of longer days with crafts and stories, and observed our own long shadows! In our community of children ages 2.5 through 6, each child took away something special in these lessons. These experiences not only broaden their understanding of global traditions but also create an inclusive environment where every child feels seen and valued.
To bring what we learned into our broader community, we hosted our annual Winter Faire. Families joined us to create crafts inspired by winter celebrations from around the world that we have been learning in class, whether it was making a Christmas ornament, Kwanzaa necklace, Hanukkah candle and/or Pomander Balls, it allowed the children to partake in this experience with their parents. Our community leaders, also known as the kindergarteners, even prepared materials for the event by preparing materials for our event. Parents shared their own traditions, and children share what they learned making the event even more special! This helped children connect what they’ve learned at school to the experiences and stories of their families.
Why does this matter? Dr. Maria Montessori said, “An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.” Guiding children to embrace diversity fosters compassion and a sense of connection. This year’s focus on winter holidays went beyond facts, it celebrated humanity and showed children the beauty of learning about and valuing our differences.
What are some ways you celebrate winter and/or the holidays with your family? Feel free to leave a comment, we would love to hear from you!