Curriculum

Primary Program

Practical Life - This area features activities that encourage independence, order, concentration, and coordination. Children choose from a variety of works that includes learning how to buckle, pour, and serve snack, spoon, wash tables, sweep, and dust. Art is also part of this area and includes a wide assortment of materials that are used in an open-ended manner. The purpose of these activities is to develop concentration and attention to detail, finishing each task and putting away all materials before going on to another activity. The child may repeat each activity as often as they like, therefore perfecting coordination and extending concentration.

Sensorial - This area includes materials that help refine the senses and includes many works that involve seriation and gradation. Exploration, imitation, initiation, and pattern completion are the objectives of this area. The child explores dimension, shape, color, texture, weight, aroma, taste, pitch, and their relationships through a series of exercises called the sensorial materials. These materials isolate various qualities so that the child can experience each one individually. The materials are largely self-correcting so the child can accomplish the exercises alone. Moreover, they are structured, building on what has been previously learned. A sense of order is found in these materials and the child acquires the joy of learning that their environment also has order.

Language - Phonics-based approach is used for reading. We also incorporate sight words and whole language when it is appropriate. Each area in language has activities that emphasize beginning, middle and ending sounds, word building, and reading words. Handwriting is a built in feature of the language area and children learn to write as they are learning the sounds. The child at his own pace pursues each of the separate skills involved in the mastery of reading and writing. At this stage children joyfully absorb many difficult concepts when they meet them in concrete forms.

Math - The Montessori mathematical materials isolate each concept and introduce it to the child in a concrete form using manipulative equipment. The math area contains four distinct areas: 1-10, linear beyond 10, decimal system,
addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division. Children first learn to associate each numerical symbol with the proper quantity. The child progresses one step at a time to a more abstract understanding of the concepts of arithmetic.

Geography - This area contains puzzle maps of the World and its continents. Children have the opportunity to learn the names, flags and location of countries. There is a heavy emphasis on the cultural aspects and parents are encouraged to share their culture and customs in the classroom.

Science - Science is a hands-on activity and in addition to the work on the shelves that includes biology, botany, zoology, and physical science. The children have organized time outdoors to study nature. Montessori classes work on small gardens, window boxes, or tubs in which flowers and vegetables can be grown.

Art & Music - Art and music hold an equal place in the Montessori curriculum, both in theory and in practice. These areas are also included in the integrated curriculum, demonstrating the richness of the human mind and spirit. The art curriculum introduces the children not only to various artistic media but also to the works of famous artists. During the music sessions, children are involved in movement, singing and playing of various rhythm instruments.

Pre-Primary Program

Preliminary Exercises - Preliminary exercises are the first steps toward developing self-reliance. These are "how to" exercises... how to carefully sit down at a table or chair and get up, how to open and close a door, how to roll a rug, how to turn a faucet on and off and so on. These skills, once mastered, become parts of activities found in Practical Life lessons and in other areas of the Montessori curriculum.

Practical Life - Practical Life for toddlers is designed to instill independence, self-confidence, self-esteem and most importantly self-control. All of these are characteristics that play a critical role in subsequent intellectual growth. These concepts are developed through a number of activities such as pouring, sweeping, cleaning the table, setting the table and spooning, to name a few.

Sensorial - Sensorial activities develop sensory skills. They are designed to isolate and categorize qualities of the environment perceived through the senses. A multi-sensory approach is used in the Montessori curriculum to optimize the use of senses for learning.

Language - Language is presented to toddlers through a myriad of activities and revolves around building vocabulary skills, auditory skills, identification of items and sorting and matching of objects in the environment. Language lessons are a continuous part of a toddler's daily schedule. There are also stories and singing and talks and dialogues as well as special materials for more abstract vocabulary.

Art & Music - Art and music are approached from a skills based perspective and the children can freely choose cutting, gluing, painting, magic makers, or clay. Music includes all varieties to help children develop an ear for music as well as more formal instruction on rhymes, moving to music and practicing duplicating rhythms.