Birthday Walks

The Montessori birthday tradition is a 'Birthday Walk.' The class sits on the circular rug in the center of the room. A sun is placed in the middle of the circle and the birthday boy/girl holds a globe and orbits the sun to symbolize the number of years they have been alive. As they make their way around the circle, highlights of their life so far are described. (This is why I have no photographs to share--I was too busy recapping precious little lives.) We shared pictures from each year as we told stories about their development.

Each class had its own special touches. In R's class Ms. Wanda keeps the beat of the walk on a drum. K's class allows the birthday girl/boy to select a classmate to hold the sun. P's teacher lights a candle for each lap. Daddy was able to put a hold on his cases mid-morning in order to enjoy the festivities. Each child got both of us in their room for their walk. It was a special way to commemorate their birthday!
(This is a picture of my 'staging area' in the hallway between their classrooms, featuring everything but the chicken nuggets: juice boxes, fruit, veggies, cupcakes, plates, napkins, baby pictures....check, check, check...)

Even though it was a lot of work to host three meaningful ceremonies and provide lunch for three classes, it was clearly special for my trio. They each got to be THE guest of honor at a birthday celebration. Their smiles were priceless--and tonight as we recounted the fun of the day, I got to see those smiles again. It was definitely worth the work!