Primary
The Pre-K and Kindergarten Program


The Prepared Environment:

·         Provides an ordered environment which assists children’s minds to become ordered.
·         Provides materials and environment that are safe to touch, feel and move and explore.
·         Provides for child’s need of movement.
·         Provides a wealth of experience so that the child absorbs as much as possible.
·         Allows child to express self, to talk with Guides and other children as their needs and interest dictate.
·         Provides language experiences rich in vocabulary.
·         Provides lessons which enable a child to succeed, fostering a sense of independence and high self-worth.

Practical Life

The exercises in Practical Life present the child with objects that are familiar to him: pitchers, cups, brooms, etc. They are based on the need to repeat simple exercises that develop concentration, coordination and attention to detail, while giving the child pleasure and success. The skills learned in this area will be necessary later on in every life as well as in academic areas such as writing, geography studies, mathematics and scientific reasoning.

Sensorial

Dr. Maria Montessori developed a series of Sensorial exercises in which each sense is isolated, providing the child opportunities to explore and to experience the world using senses. The exercises develop the visual, hearing, taste, smell and touch senses. Each exercise in these categories aids in the development of basic concepts, such as long/short, big/small, thick/thin, etc.

Language

The purpose of the language area in a Montessori environment is to develop the skills of reading, wiring and communication. Different exercises aid in the development of each of these skills. They fulfill the need to express one’s thoughts and feelings, as well as the need to belong to a group. Mastery of language skills gives the child the freedom to select topics of interest and work at their own pace.

Mathematics

The mathematical mind begins developing with the Practical Life and Sensorial exercises where children develop logical and sequential thought. As with all the exercises in Montessori, Math is introduced using concrete material. With the Number Rods, for example, the child learns the concept of 1-10 which is then associated with the Sandpaper Numerals. As the child progresses, the material becomes more abstract. In the primary level, the decimal system, the numbers 1-1000, as well as the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, are presented. 


Science
Science experiments and exercises are set up in the classroom using safe and easy-to-use equipment. Some experiments are prepared to be demonstrated to the children. Others are set up and kept on the shelves, allowing the child to pursue independent work once the lesson has been presented. The purpose of these experiments is to isolate and illustrate specific scientific phenomena. They also provide a foundation for later study, help to enrich the child’s vocabulary, and serve to enhance the child’s sense of wonder.

Nature Study
As our own survival depends on the survival of the natural world, it is important for the child to begin to have an appreciation of that world. The Montessori environment extends to the natural world. Plants and animals are present in the classroom for the children to observe and care for. Children are encouraged to bring to the class items found in nature. A large array of language cards are available in the classroom showing types of animals, plants, flowers, trees, rocks, minerals, seashells, fossils, leaves, etc. The Botany Cabinet, similar in construction to the Geometric Cabinet, allows children to explore the various leaf shapes. Field trips provide endless avenues of exploration of the natural world. Nature Study is woven into studies of language, art, music, geography and history on a regular basis.

History
History lessons are presented to children in ways that allow them to see how history is a part of their own lives, beginning with their own personal history and moving on to histories of their communities and the world. Children explore history through photographs, stories, sets of cards depicting various categories of items from prehistorical times to the present, and the making of time lines. Field trips to museums and historical paces also provide rich experiences to the children in relating the story of the world.

Geography
Geography is presented to the children in a Montessori environment as two separate yet connected groups of exercises. The world is presented in the study of physical geography in terms of land and water formations. It is also presented in the study of political geography in terms of the continents and nations. Extended exercises in each area allow the child to experience and view the world from both angles. Land and water forms allow the child to physically make a lake, island, cape, bay, isthmus, strait, peninsula and gulf. Puzzle maps of the world and of continents allow the child to experience the divisions of land into countries.

Music
As in all areas of the Montessori classroom, Music is presented so that the child experiences it in a physical sense. In addition to singing and listening to music, children experience music through their senses, feeling the rhythm of their own heart beats, clapping, dancing, moving and manipulating rhythm instruments. Music of all types and form all cultures are presented to the children.

A series of bells in pairs from middle C to high C are provided to children in the Montessori environment in order for them to be able to discriminate musical sounds, match notes and create simple tunes. Using the solfedge system, children learn to differentiate the sounds of the various and different pitches.

Drama and Art
Drama in the Montessori environment takes the form of exploration of movement and self-expression. It is presented in the telling of poems and stories through movement and music making.

As art is an integral and crucial part of any culture, it is also important part of the Montessori environment. Children are given access to art materials to express themselves artistically and explore different media. They are also presented the history of art and art of other cultures through pictures and actual artifacts. 











Preschool Community



"The child is the well-spring of love. Whenever we touch the child, we touch love. It is a difficult love to define; we all feel it, but no one can describe its roots, or evaluate the immense consequences which flow from it, or gather up its potency for union between men. Love is more than electricity which lightens our darkness, more than the ethnic waves to transmit our voices across space, more than any of the energies that man has discovered and learn to use. Of all things love is the most potent." -Maria Montessori