Montessori youths tour the world in 77 days

On a recent Tuesday morning, a group of students between the ages of 2 and 10 explored Central America.

They made their own maracas. They shook their bodies to Latin music. They chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and mangoes for homemade salsa.

The students, who are attending summer classes at Woodland Montessori School, experienced the literal and figurative flavors of Central America without leaving their campus near Woodland Park.

The school’s summer program, “Around the World in 77 Days,” has been taking children on a trip across the globe since the school year ended in June.

Since then, students have studied ancient people. They’ve made cardboard castles and had tea and English muffins as they explored Europe. They have learned about the rain forest and its animal inhabitants as the focus shifted from Central to South America.

Anywhere from 15 to 25 children ages 2 1/2 to 10 are part of the program every day, said Sally Welder, the school’s owner and administrator.

While Woodland Montessori has offered summer programs for a number of years, the theme changes each June, Welder said. Last year, the students studied the Flathead Valley from prehistoric to modern times. Their lessons included everything from dinosaurs to the “creepy crawlers of the Flathead Valley,” she said.

“We have to add insects to every year,” she said. “We have little boys. They like that.”

The boys in the program joined in the school’s recent Central American activities with as much enthusiasm as the girls.

Four-year-old Dylan Palmer proved he had more rhythm than many older, more experienced dancers as he boogied across the floor during a salsa dance lesson. Some boys were less interested in dancing than in vigorously shaking the maracas they’d made from uncooked barley in taped-together paper cups, but a couple pulled out lively break-dance moves.

A few girls tried hard to follow the salsa lesson they were watching on television. Abby Hayes, 4, pranced along with the children on the screen, and 6-year-old Grace Coen shook her hips like she’d been salsa dancing for as long as she could walk.

When they aren’t dancing, the students have time for art and crafts and other activities. Heshan Matern, 5, said the best part of the summer program is singing.

“Singing is the best,” agreed 6-year-old Kaden Palmer.

The boys said they didn’t have a favorite song.

“We just like all of them,” Kaden said.

“We just enjoy things,” Heshan added.

The children sometimes get to leave campus; they’ve taken field trips to the library or to Depot Park to hear music from the Picnic in the Park series, Welder said. They also walk to Woodland Water Park every other week.

It isn’t too late if parents want to sign their children up for the program, she said.

Parents with children already in the Montessori program may call to get their children in the summer sessions. Other parents are asked to give Woodland Montessori two weeks’ notice so the school can make sure it is properly staffed, Welder said.

In addition to its regular summer program, the school offers special classes.

Swim lessons, soccer camp and a class on ancient Egypt are coming up this month.

Those classes and a summer schedule are available on the school’s website, www.mtmont.com.

The summer program runs through Aug. 26.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.