Goals Of The Montessori Classroom…

Our first commitment is to the multi–dimensional development of each child. Montessori children amass a great deal of factual knowledge in school. Our aim is for each child to find personal inspirations and interests, as well as a desire to learn. Through careful attention to children’s social, emotional, and physical development, we can foster a peaceful and engaging atmosphere of learning. 

In our classrooms, children are given choices and a great deal of freedom. By offering such choices a child develops vast character qualities, including responsibility and pride in learning. Following work through to completion, while working independently or in cooperation with others, the Montessori child moves towards the “normalization” process, or Maria Montessori’s ultimate goal of student-led education. 

Curriculum

Our school follows the Montessori Curriculum as outlined by the North American Montessori Center. This intense curriculum is broken into areas of study and exploration. Our teachers (trained in the NAMC program) also have the freedom to design high-interest thematic units that tie into the staples of Montessori education outlined below.

• PRACTICAL LIFE where children work with materials to care for themselves and their classroom environment. (Sweeping, pouring, dressing, among others).
• SENSORIAL where children refine their visual discrimination and concrete understanding of order using all five senses. (Stacking, sorting, puzzles, among others).
• READING & WRITING where children explore the letters, sounds, and structure of our language. Our classroom is covered in words and books for children to connect with reading on a personal level. Children are also pulled for guided letter identification and formation lessons, small group phonics instruction, and Kid Writing. (Sandpaper letters, letter/sound board, journals, among others).
• MUSIC where children sing, listen, and keep beat with a variety of musical instruments. (Daily songs, drums, and listening center, among others).
• ART where children use a variety of materials to create projects. The children also study artists and art movements. (Easels, oil pastels, stamps, among others).
• MATHEMATICS where children work with hands-on manipulatives, developing skills from one-to-one correspondence through graphing, place value, addition, subtraction, and multiplication. (Number rods, bead stairs, counting tiles, among others).
• SCIENCE where children use inquiry and observation to explore a variety of scientific materials. Children also participate in experiments, care for class pets, and outdoor play with this area of study. (Water table, chemistry, biology, among others).
• GEOGRAPHY where children study the world, its people, cultures, and countries. (Foreign language, landforms, and holidays, among others).
• ENRICHMENT WORKS is a program, unique to the Bethany Children’s House, where children are invited to work with a specialist in a field of study that they find interesting, such as an artist, musician, or dancer.