Montessori Philosophy
The Montessori approach encourages self-discipline, self-knowledge, independence, academic skills, problem solving ability, and a love of learning. A Montessori education is a curriculum that permits children to progress at their own rate. Our program focuses on the five core areas of exploration. Each skill learned is a building block on which to cement successive learning.
Practical Life
The Practical Life area in a Montessori classroom is a variety of daily life activities that aid in the development of coordination, concentration, and independence. Our classrooms are specially designed to encourage children to choose their own activities and make discoveries.
The activities include preparing food, pouring from glass pitchers, fastening clothes, and caring for their environment. Practical Life will support your child's growth in self-confidence, independence, and ability to accomplish life skills that are needed. Don't be surprised if your child wants to clear the dinner table, help with cooking, and naturally wants to clean up after themselves in the home.
Sensorial
Through interaction with sensorial materials, children develop and refine their five senses. Each child is able to explore using sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell for new experiences.
The benefit of sensorial lessons is helping your child cognitively learn more from their environment. Many of the sensorial activities are directly related to math and geometry concepts and help create order in your child's mind in preparation for mathematical concepts.
Children will be sensitive to colors, textures, and objects they use in their daily life. Unknowingly, they will apply what they have learned by appreciating nature, art, beauty, how things are constructed, and how things work in their world.
Language
Language is a rich part of the Montessori classroom. Under the guidance of our trained educators, children are taught using a phonetic approach, highlighting the sounds of each letter.
This allows each child to move effortlessly through reading. The process of learning to read is very exciting, and children are often motivated to read when they show signs of readiness. Each child is encouraged, in a loving manner, during their daily language activities which builds self-confidence and the love for reading.
As children become familiar with sounds and symbols, they put letters together and begin the process of writing. Each child’s progress is monitored individually and lessons are offered to children when they are developmentally ready.
Mathematics
Maria Montessori believed that everyone was born with a “mathematical mind”. In a Montessori classroom, children are introduced to mathematical concepts in the concrete form.
The materials, such as number rods, can be felt and manipulated so that the hand and mind are always working together in the learning process. The Montessori materials that focus on math are so intuitive to a child's way of learning mathematical concepts that they will enjoy learning the subject and thrive in this area. What a great way to build their mathematical foundation while having fun learning in such an exciting unique way.
Cultural Areas
Dr. Montessori called botany science, history, art, social studies, and geography the "cultural subjects" because she believed that the knowledge and understanding of these subjects is what makes the difference between a "literate" person and a "cultured" person. Today, we might use the term "educated".
The Montessori cultural studies makes a Montessori classroom so different from other classrooms.
The cultural subjects are taught in a very specific order (big picture to smaller parts) and integrated into the curriculum. Eventually, after the foundation of each of the individual cultural areas is set, the study of the individual areas are then integrated into each other, as well as the core curriculum, creating a deeper understanding of the world and the interconnectedness of everything in it.