Peace education is a cornerstone of Montessori, and the children experienced lessons this week that explicitly teach these skills. First, our classrooms collected and decorated Peace Sticks. We introduce the idea of a community to the children by gathering each individual stick and placing them into a Peace Bundle, wrapping them together as a group. The sticks represent each individual in our community and his or her unique qualities. Here we demonstrate how although one stick can be weak, together they are much stronger, as we are as a community of learners. Also in peace, worry stones are now a choice to use for the children when they are in need of expressing their feelings privately. In writing, our first work on the shelves is tracing in lentils. Students can practice tracing letters or shapes to prepare their hands for writing. In art, cutting clay was introduced. Movement work including hopping from spot to spot, and in Practical Life, clipping clothespins is a new work. Our new Sensorial work this week was Color Box 1.