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Learning Areas

Montessori Practical life

 

Practical life skills with care to help develop independence, coordination, concentration, self control, self-awareness, self care, confidence and nurturing .

 

Practical Life includes:

 

  • Food preparation, dressing themselves, washing dishes, caring for plants, caring for bugs and animals.

  • Caring for our Environment,cleaning ofter themselves, gardening, environmentalism

  • Grace and Courtesy- greetings, manners, social interactions, self care

  • Control of  Movement, refining movements, learning to walk, moving quietly.

Sensory with care

Montessori education is well-known for its sensory focus, which lies at the heart of young children’s learning. The sensorial apparatus, activities and materials are designed to enhance the child’s understanding of shapes, colours, textures, sounds, tastes and smells. In Montessori settings exploration using all the senses provides the starting point of the early years curriculum. Practical life and sensorial activities offer young children opportunities to develop manipulative skills and eye-hand coordination as well as problem-solving and thinking skills. This early independence and exploration are the foundation for creative thinking as well as the basis for later more academic work.

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Language

Children’s language development begins long before they enter the classroom. Dr. Montessori asserted that children from birth to age six are in the age of the absorbent mind. During this time, children are able to learn language simply by living around others who are using language. little wings academy's Montessori classrooms incorporate both spoken and written language into the environment to further enrich this early learning.

Math

Montessori education introduces mathematics to children through touch, shapes and “feel.” In the sensorial area of a Montessori classroom, students can get their first experience with geometry through shapes and learn other mathematical lessons through the five senses. Through use of blocks, shapes and colors, students — especially younger ones — get a hands-on feel for how numbers work as a part of their universe. Here are some of the common math materials that you can find in a Montessori classroom:

  • ​The golden beads are often used to introduce the concepts of addition, subtraction, decimals and squaring numbers by allowing students to manipulate the beads in units of ten. 

  • The wooden rods, usually colored red and blue, help children develop the concept of numbered sequences.

  • Other colorful items, like the pink tower, help build an early understanding of sizes and dimensions as children stack the pink blocks into its tower. 

  • With the brown stairs, young Montessori students learn a similar lesson in analyzing sizes and building progressions. 

  • Numbered cards are also used in many Montessori classrooms to help develop further knowledge of numbers, letting children mix and match the cards to help build counting skills and better understand mathematical concepts.

Cultural

Through geography lessons, children become aware of where they live in the world. Young children learn to identify the continents and many countries. Their world expands. Montessori cultural lessons expose children to different people and their cultures. These lessons include how people have adapted to different climates, their homes, clothing, food, and customs. Through continent and cultural studies, children learn about the interconnectedness of all life on earth. The journey continues in the Elementary curriculum with lessons in Cosmic Education.

Art

Art is one of the many ways children express themselves. Art is a way for children to communicate their feelings. It is through art that children develop their fine motor skills. In the Montessori environment, we provide open-ended art activities that help children explore and use their creativity.

Music

Research shows that music is fundamental in early childhood education, helping children to develop in various ways, including problem-solving and logic skills. Language acquisition is enhanced as children learn songs with varied vocabulary, meter, and rhyme. Cultural lessons are enriched with songs about continents, planets, respect for Earth, and much more.

Quote from Maria Montessori:

“When a child is given a little leeway, he will at once shout, ’I want to do it!’ But in our schools, which have an environment adapted to children’s needs, they say, ‘Help me to do it alone.’”—The Secret of Childhood

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