Dear Families,
Chag Sameach! As we approach the autumn season and celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, our infant room is filled with joy, growth, and wonderful transitions. This week, we are highlighting a cornerstone of our Montessori environment that beautifully bridges our indoor learning with our outdoor holiday celebrations: the weaning table.
In our classroom, the children eat solid foods at a child-sized table with heavy wooden chairs rather than traditional high chairs. This intentional setup provides immense benefits for your infant's physical and cognitive development:
Physical Grounding: Small chairs allow your child’s feet to rest flat on the floor, stabilizing their pelvis. This allows them to sit upright with far less effort, freeing up their upper-body strength to focus entirely on reaching, grasping, and self-feeding.
Cognitive Independence: Sitting at a real table sends a powerful signal that they are active, capable participants in their community, fostering deep concentration, hand-eye coordination, confidence.
There is a beautiful, natural bridge between this Montessori philosophy of dining and the mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah. Sukkot calls us out of our permanent homes and into a temporary, nature-bound shelter. Just as our heavy wooden chairs ground our infants' bodies indoors so they can confidently feed themselves, the Sukkah grounds our spirits in nature outdoors.
This week, our infants will bring these experiences together by going outside to eat their snacks in our school Sukkah—extending our classroom practice of mindful dining into the fresh air and the natural world. Our little ones will get to experience holding an etrog and shaking the lulav while Morahs say the blessing.
Finally, we want to wish a very happy first birthday to Raeleigh! We enjoy her warm smiles, her determined toddling around the classroom, and the friendly way she waves hello to everyone she sees.
Wishing your family a joyful Sukkot holiday!
Morahs Rachael, Nina, and Mary