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Daycroft Kindergarten Class Enjoys Hands-on Learning in Colonial History

Building, Crafting, Cooking, and Feasting Help Students Understand Experiences of Native Americans and Pilgrims in America’s Earliest Colonial Days

Ann Arbor, MI (December 14, 2009) – Last month, just before Thanksgiving, kindergarteners at Daycroft Montessori School’s Preprimary Campus on Oakbrook Drive capped their recent study of America’s Plymouth Colony by serving cornbread and juice to Daycroft preschool students and by traveling to Daycroft’s Elementary Campus on Zeeb Road for a holiday feast with the school’s Grades 5-6 class.

The kindergarten class had earlier learned of the Pilgrims’ 60-day cross-Atlantic journey to the New World, and built small ships to bring to mind the Mayflower’s arduous trek.

Students then explored how the newly arrived Pilgrims sought the help of the Native American members of the Wampanoag tribe to tough out their first extremely cold winter in the Plymouth Colony. The class built a village of long houses and canoes in the Wampanoag style, and log cabins to represent the Pilgrims’ homes.

Students also crafted and painted their own personalized walking sticks and created pieces of jewelry like those traded by the Wampanoag tribe members and the Pilgrims in America’s earliest Colonial years.

Joann Erbes, head teacher for the Oakbrook kindergarten class, guided the Plymouth Colony learning. Helping her was Terri Fisher, a long-term substitute teacher filling in for Loree Clifford, the class’s co-head teacher just now returning from maternity leave.

The pre-Thanksgiving celebrations concluded the North American leg of the virtual world tour taken by Daycroft kindergarten students as part of the school’s cultural studies curriculum. The kindergarteners at Oakbrook began the school year by learning about Europe. They will explore all seven continents before the end of classes next June.

About Daycroft Montessori School

Daycroft Montessori School blends the distinctive student-centered teaching methods of Maria Montessori with traditional and progressive teaching methods. Daycroft thus accomplishes its educational mission: to provide a personalized learning environment that appreciates individual differences, nurtures the whole child, and enables students to develop at their own pace and achieve to their full potential.

Daycroft is one of Washtenaw County's leading independent schools. It began as a preschool program in 1968. Daycroft has since grown to include a full-day kindergarten program, an elementary school program through 6th grade, before-school and after-school care, summer camp programs, and enrichment classes.

Daycroft has earned accreditation from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS; www.isacs.org). It is a member of the Associations of Independent Michigan Schools; www.aims-mi.org) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS; www.nais.org).

Daycroft Preprimary School (preschool and kindergarten) is at 100 E. Oakbrook Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Phone: (734) 930-0333.

Daycroft Elementary School (grades K through 6) and Daycroft's administrative offices are at 1095 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Phone: (734) 662-3335.

Media Contact:
Chris Kochmanski
DesignHub, Inc.
(734) 944-8705
chris@design-hub.com

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