Hatch House
The Montessori philosophy promotes that each child is a unique individual but considers and treats them as equal. No matter who we are or where we came from, what tongue we speak or what colour our skin may be, our heart beats as one, we feel pain and happiness just the same.
Based on this same principle Montessori also considers everyone’s culture and celebrations equally important. Embracing our differences and educating children about our uniqueness and individuality are part of the Montessori Culture curriculum and part of the daily life of our school. When the holiday season approaches our value of diversity really shines through as we prepare for the unique way of how we at HHMS celebrate the holidays while giving equally special attention to the multitude of rich culture and colourful traditions represented in our school community. We, at HHMS, true to the philosophies and beliefs of Maria Montessori, respectfully observe each uniquely remarkable holiday.
This is why The Spirit of Hatch House was born. This amazing family event was conceived by our Principal and Owner of five years, Ms. Vigh. The event is now an annual tradition and one of the biggest and most wonderful social gatherings at Hatch House.
Families have the opportunity to showcase their own unique culture, tradition or celebration. The displays feature a great selection of special décor, dishes and trays with special cultural motifs, intricate jewellery, cushions and dolls, food samples, treats and beverages, while music and videos are playing and photos are telling stories. To complement the wonderful displays our hosts are dressed in traditional outfits or wear special clothing representing their culture.
The learning opportunities for children and adults alike are endless and priceless.
This year’s celebration took place on Saturday and we had an amazing turnout. The main floor of the school became the hub of celebration. We were treated to a visual, gustatory and auditory feast stimulating our senses and to a social and emotional indulgence. We travelled from Canada to India, to Trinidad and to Germany and from Spain to the Netherlands through the wonderful presentations of our families. We lit the Menorah for Hanukkah, played with ‘dreidels’ and tasted delicious Hanukkah cookies. We followed ‘Sinterklaas’ from Spain to Holland and sampled windmill ‘koekjes’. We were taken by the beauty of the ‘diyas’ lit for Diwali and had a glimpse at some incredible string puppets or ‘Kathputlis’ from India, while savouring samosas and masala chai. We delighted in the story of one of our youngest students, introducing his parents’ origin from Trinidad and Germany, as our taste buds pleasured the wonderful flavours of roti.
What an incredible way to welcome the holidays! What an incredible way to bring us together and celebrate as one big happy family!
