Montessori Curriculum

PRACTICAL LIFE-These activities enable children to develop strong fine-motor skills, become more self-reliant, and be proud that they can do things for themselves. Motor education through Practical Life exercises, include dressing oneself, pouring, cutting, mopping, sweeping, etc. Children learn the appropriate use of tools and utensils. Practical life works are designed to promote concentration, independence, coordination and order. The areas of Practical Life are, Care of the Self, Care of the Environment, inside and outside plus the ever important exercises of Grace and Courtesy.

SENSORIAL-These activities help children use their senses to distinguish shapes, colors, designs, three-dimensional objects, to match and to categorize. All of these concepts are vital for learning and comprehending the world around them. Such Montesori works include the sound cylinders, pressure cylinders, temperature bottles, smelling jars and fabric squares. All of these sensory activities refine the child's five senses.

LANGUAGE-Language activities draw from the practical life works and sensory sensitivity from sensorial exercises. Children usually begin to learn to write before they read. Through the sandpaper letters, the child attaches phonetic sounds to letter symbols. They can then begin to sound out small words as well as practice writing. Some of the Montessori works include the metal insets, sandpaper letters, the moveable alphabet and the reading tablets.

MATHEMATICS-The Montessori math curriculum gives the child experiences with concrete materials. This enhances concepts regarding space and quantity which enables them to form one to one correspondence, understanding sets of items, numerals, number operations and early geometry through again the use of concrete materials. Learning at this age always goes from the concrete to the abstract.

CULTURAL SUBJECTS-These activities feed the child's natural curiosity for all of natures wonders. The study of social studies begin with the introduction of geography with the world globes and puzzle maps of the world. They learn about the different animals and plants from each continent. Later they are introduced to the different people who share this earth along with what we have in common such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation and protection. This gives the children an interconnectedness to all life with a healthy appreciation for biological and cultural diversity. That is why the Montessori Method is called EDUCATION FOR PEACE!

ART ACTIVITIES- Most art projects are set up as open-ended activities so the children can create and explore various mediums. They are offered water colors, gluing, chalk, collage work, cutting, play dough, clay, etc. Other expressions stem from the Montessori work itself, like the tracing and painting of the continents, fractions, geometric shapes or illustrating a word or story the child has created.

ABSORBENT MIND-The absorbent mind exists within the child from birth to six years of age. This is absolutely the critical time for children to learn effortlessly in a prepared environment with all obstacles removed. They can then go forward in their independent pursuit of discovery and learning. The child will then become masters of their own development and gain success in educating their potentials. The directress is the dynamic link between the child and the prepared Montessori environment!

SENSITIVE PERIODS-The sensitive periods are from birth to six years of age. These are periods of intense fascination for learning a particular skill, such as going up and down stairs, putting things in order, counting or reading.

After the age of six, the sensitive periods wan and the intensity diminishes. Again this is the vital time for learning all things.

Program

Montessori Curriculum

Parent-Toddler Class

Preparatory Class

Primary Class

Admissions

The focus is process rather
than the product

The sensitive periods are:

Language
Attention to tiny objects
Grace and Courtesy
Order
Refinement of senses
Refinement of movement
Socialization