Programs

THE TODDLER COMMUNITY (16 months through 36 months)

Dr. Montessori’s discovery of the absorbent mind of the child from birth through six years was a vital contribution to education.  She realized that the child’s mind unconsciously absorbs impressions from the environment.  In this way, the children accumulate the material, which will later build up their conscious life.

In the Toddler Community the major task of the adult is to help the child towards functional independence: physical, emotional, and intellectual.  As the adult enables the child to recognize him/herself as separate from the adult, the child begins to gain a clearer sense of self.  Through activities, which help the child develop control, the child gains greater self-confidence.

The child at this age is especially sensitive to the acquisition of their language and culture.  Lessons involving stories, books, songs, picture cards, objects and contact with the natural world are all incorporated into the curriculum to help develop the child’s oral language.  Since this is usually the child’s first contact with other children, this is also a time for them to learn how to participate cooperatively in a group.  Social harmony is achieved through helping the children learn how to move purposefully, put materials away and not interfere with another’s activity.

PRIMARY ENVIRONMENT (3 years through 6 years)

It is between the ages 3-­6 that the child most easily learns the ground rules of human behavior. These years should be constructively devoted to freeing the child through the acquisition of good manners and habits to allow him/her a place in society. The child who has had these opportunities in the Montessori environment is better prepared to devote more effort to the development of his intellectual faculties.

In an established Montessori class for 3­-6 year olds, there are no timetables to regiment activities or a fixed syllabus to cramp the expansion of the mind. Here, in an orderly atmosphere of freedom, the children work independently at chosen tasks, working at their own pace and rhythm for as long as they wish in order to fulfill their needs. From the foundation of sensorial experiences, the child builds his mind in the world of abstract ideas.

The Primary years are filled with a wide range of factual materials. The whole world, of culture embracing subject areas, such as geography, history, science, music, art, language and mathematics is open to the child. It is these early experiences that will form a basis for the wide fields of inquiry and research during the 6­-12 years.

ELEMENTARY YEARS (ages 6 – 12)

By the ages of 6 or 7 the child’s emerging powers of reason and imagination enablethem to explore and discover on a more abstract level. Children are therefore encouraged to research the answers to their own questions. Their research is not limited to just the classroom but also includes opportunities for “going out” on field trips to the library, bank, stores, beach, offices, etc. They develop a better understanding of human life through this direct experience and begin to better appreciate the community in which they live.

Elementary studies include: geography, history, biology, language, mathematics (including algebra and geometry), science (including principles of physics and chemistry), music and art. The entire curriculum is integrated, meaning that all subjects are viewed as related. For example, when students study Africa in world history, they will also read African folk tales in world literature, create African masks in art, sing Swahili songs in music, make hieroglyphic calendars in math and study African animals in zoology. HOMEWORK is viewed as an extension of the work at school. Each assignment is based on individual needs and interests to foster the child’s natural desire to be challenged. Typically homework involves some reading, research and writing. The program also includes physical education, computer technology, foreign language, ceramics, practical life and social skills, and community service.

Summer Programs

Check back in March for more information on Summer Programs in 2012.

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“Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but to experiences in the environment.” Dr. Maria Montessori