About Montessori
Philosophy | CurriculumPHILOSOPHY
The Montessori philosophy fosters an environment where children are encouraged to grow at their own pace and develop positive self-esteem, self reliance, and self discipline.
According to Dr. Montessori each child’s natural interests, or “sensitive period” (period when the child shows unusual capabilities in acquiring particular skills), will lead them to explore different areas of learning at different times. Therefore the child has access to many kinds of materials at all times. These allow the children to develop skills in practical living, careful exploration, reading, math, science, geography, music, art, movement, and abstract reasoning.
CURRICULUM
Practical Life
Daily living exercises develop skills in care of the self, others and of the environment. Through these activities the child gains a sense of organization, competence, confidence, coordination, concentration and independence.
Sensorial
Learning through the senses is the young child’s forte. Dr. Montessori created materials that refine the ability of the senses. The sensorial materials help the child explore and understand similarities and differences in: shape, weight, texture, smell, temperature, color, length, width, size, taste, sound, etc…
Mathematics
All the number “works” are physical, concrete ways for the child to grasp mathematical concepts. These are the connection between a quantity and its symbol, introduction to the decimal system, beginning operations with counters, math games and questions to solve, memory work, and the passage to abstract/analytical mathematical reasoning.
Language
We enjoy and explore language in many ways: through stories, listening and interacting, poetry, songs, prose, directions, recitation, participatory games and more. We use phonetic materials to teach reading and writing. Tracing materials are used to prepare the child for the basics of penmanship.
Culture
Cultural topics in our environment encompass subjects such as botany, zoology, ecology, physical sciences, geography, history and social studies. Foreign languages (Spanish and Italian in particular), art, gardening, music and movement also enhance our program. These explorations bring the child into contact with the world outside themselves and link the child to their world in many ways.
Visual Art
The children are encouraged to explore these media in a non-directive approach to the materials and process of art.
Enriching Activities
The children create and care for our garden plot at the nearby Eastside Community Gardens and enjoy cooking, art and more.
