Our program is based on the Montessori Method where each room is set out into five areas which focus on children’s development, choice and interest. In our programs we incorporate the Early Years Learning Framework which has direct links to the activities the children carry out as well as the planned activities for the week. The five focus areas that are presented are:
- Practical Life
- Sensorial
- Language
- Mathematics
- Arts and cultural
Practical Life
The purpose and aim of the Practical Life area is to help the child gain control in the coordination of his movement, and help the child to gain independence and adapt to his society. It is therefore important to “Teach teaching, not correcting” (Montessori) in order to allow the child to be a fully functional member in his own society. Practical Life Exercises also aid the growth and development of the child’s intellect and concentration and will in turn also help the child develop an orderly way of thinking. CITATION Mon \l 1033 (Montessori Primary Guide)
Sensorial
Sensorial comes from the words sense or senses. As there are no new experiences for the child to take from the Sensorial work, the child is able to concentrate on the refinement of all his senses, from visual to Stereognostic. CITATION Mon \l 1033 (Montessori Primary Guide)
Sensorial Exercises were designed by Montessori to cover every quality that can be perceived by the senses such as size, shape, composition, texture, loudness or softness, matching, weight, temperature, etc. Because the Exercises cover such a wide range of senses, Montessori categorized the Exercises into eight different groups: Visual, Tactile, Baric, Thermic, Auditory, Olfactory, Gustatory, and Stereognostic. CITATION Mon \l 1033 (Montessori Primary Guide)
- In the Visual Sense Exercises, the child learns how to visually discriminate differences between similar objects and differing objects.
- In the Tactile Sense Exercises, the child learns through his sense of touch.
- In the Baric sense Exercises, the child learns to feel the difference of pressure or weight of different objects.
- In the Thermic Sense Exercises, the child works to refine his sense of temperature.
- In the Auditory Sense Exercises, the child discriminates between different sounds.
- In the Olfactory and Gustatory Sense Exercises, the child is given a key to his smelling and tasting sense.
- In the Stereognostic Sense Exercises, the child learns to feel objects and make recognitions based on what he feels.
Language
Language is a system of symbols with an agreed upon meaning that is used by a group of people. Language is a means of communication ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized sounds and signs, thus, being the spoken and written language. CITATION Mon \l 1033 (Montessori Primary Guide)
When the child arrives in the Montessori classroom, he has fully absorbed his culture’s language. He has already constructed the spoken language and with his entry into the classroom, he will begin to consolidate the spoken language and begin to explore the written forms of language.
Mathematics
Arithmetic deals with shape, space, numbers, and their relationships and attributes by the use of numbers and symbols. It is a study of the science of pattern and includes patterns of all kinds, such as numerical patterns, abstract patterns, patterns of shape and motion. In the Montessori classroom, five families with math are presented to the child: arithmetic, geometry, statistics and calculus. More precisely, the concepts covered in the Primary class are numeration, the decimal system, computation, the arithmetic tables, whole numbers, fractions, and positive numbers. We offer arithmetic to the child in the final two years of the first place of developments from age four to age five and six.
Number itself cannot be defined and understand of number grows from experience with real objects but eventually they become abstract ideas. It is one of the most abstract concepts that the human mind has encountered. No physical aspects of objects can ever suggest the idea of number. The ability to count, to compute, and to use numerical relationships are among the most significant among human achievements. The concept of number is not the contribution of a single individual but is the product of a gradual, social evolution. The number system which has been created over thousands of years is an abstract invention. It began with the realization of one and then more than one. It is marvelous to see the readiness of the child’s understanding of this same concept. CITATION Mon \l 1033 (Montessori Primary Guide)
Arts and Cultural
Through the utilization of art materials the children are able to express their imaginative and diverse ideas, which will enable carers to incorporate diversity into their programming.
Music and Movement:
Children are able to express free body movement through a range of cultural music, yoga, simple aerobics, animal movements and cultural songs. This helps eliminate the idea of bias and discrimination within the minds of young children.
Physical Education:
Children are provided with equipment and resources which help to develop and initiate physical education within the centre. Children will also be exposed to a variety of activities whilst indoors and outdoors to help promote awareness of physical education.