The Montessori Elementary classroom commences the year with the Big Bang! Exploring how the Universe, Solar System, and Earth were formed starts our history studies. A favorite lesson is the study of the Timeline of Life. Roll out the timeline and dive into the story of how life evolved in the different Eons, Eras, and Periods. Passing around a rock that is over 2.5 billion years old, we see the blue-green algae of the cyanobacteria and compare simple, single-cell life to our complex, multicellular bodies. Learning that the horseshoe crab survived the 5 extinctions, along with its blue blood, amazed us all. We are not only looking at animals; we are tracking the progression of plant life. Seeing the ginkgo fossil, our newly planted ginkgo tree connects today with 200 million years ago. Of course, the Mesozoic Era with dinosaurs is a favorite for many. The knowledge these students have regarding dinosaurs is impressive. We wrapped up the lesson with a saber-toothed cat skull, mammoth molar, and cave bear jaw. This lesson is designed to strike the students’ imaginations and prepare them for further research.
