THE PROGRAM
“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct their own experiences.”
- Maria Montessori
Our program is designed to allow a multiage group setting. Dr. Montessori divided children into groups based on her research which showed distinct periods of cognitive development, each with its own specific needs and behaviours. By having 3 year age gaps in the same environment there are children at the beginning, middle, and end of each plane of development.
Free
Play
We have periods of uninterrupted free play, where children have the freedom to explore, create and discover without predetermined programming. During this time, the adults respect concentration, but observe closely. We will use our findings to develop activities based on the interests of the children.
Multiage
Grouping
A multiage setting is part of the secret to the success of Montessori education. Dr. Montessori observed early in her work that children learn not only from their teacher but also from their interactions with their peers.
Learning in the Montessori setting is seen as a highly social activity. A multiage group allows the younger children to learn from the experiences and to inherit the culture of their environment from their older peers, while it allows the older children to gain the experience of being leaders in their environment.
Defined Areas
We have a common meeting area children are familiar with and this area will also be used to share, read and do other group activities.
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Children are encouraged to use materials found in the natural environment however, we provide materials on-site such as books, paint, homemade playdough, nets, magnifying glasses, microscopes, pencils, paper, etc. The provided materials are used to promote focus and allows the opportunity to master individual skills. We rotate the materials according to the interests of the children which can be daily or weekly. By having materials on a rotational basis, it excites the children and also encourages them to engage with the provided materials in different ways.