The Curriculum

An array of specially designed self-correcting materials and activities are invitingly arranged on open shelves in specific and yet integrated areas of the classroom – Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Maths and Culture.

The Montessori program is enhanced by extra curriculum activities such as mandarin, Preparation for Primary 1, Art, Gym, Music and various life style programs like mini golf, yoga and capoeira. (The Lifestyle programs vary throughout the year).

Children choose their own activities and work independently at their own pace under the gentle guidance of the Montessori Directress. In this way your child develops concentration, independence, self-motivation and a love of learning. The children regularly work in small groups or come together for full class activities allowing them to develop social and interpersonal skills as well as learning the importance of team work.

They are exceptional Explorers

The 3-6 year old is a little person driven to know and experience everything – ‘why’ and ‘how’ and ‘what if’ seem to be their motto. They are sensorial explorers. They constantly build on their knowledge by absorbing every aspect of their environment, their language and their culture. At this age, the child has a deep urge to touch, explore, manipulate and learn from direct experience with the objects around him or her.

Practical Life

Practical Life activities provide the link between the home and the school. The direct aim is to help the child become more independent by caring for themselves and their environment thus leading to a greater self-confidence and ability to face new challenges.

The indirect aim of these exercises is to enhance concentration, co-ordination sequencing and independence as well as developing an orderly way of thinking.

Through these activities the child learns self mastery and develops grace and courtesy allowing him the possibility of adapting to his society in a socially acceptable manner.





Sensorial

Sensorial materials were designed by Dr Montessori specifically to help the children refine their senses and therefore become more perceptive to their surrounding environments.

The refining of the senses at this age leads to a greater awareness of detail and allows the child to focus on the world around them.

Activities include matching and grading using materials that isolate the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, kinaesthesia and smell.






Language

Language is a universal means of communication and an intrinsic part of the thinking process.

An environment rich is language is mandatory; children need to be surrounded by all forms of language, written, spoken, sung; they need to be involved in meaningful conversation, to be read to and to see others reading.
They need to hear correct enunciation, articulation and to be introduced to punctuation.

The Montessori language program does all of this by leading your child into the discovery of the spoken and written language by using his senses of touch, sight and hearing.

He moves forward on this journey at this own pace with the guidance of the Directress, by using concrete materials to introduce the phonetic sounds, reading and writing.

Eventually the child will compose their own written works and be able to read the work of others.


Maths

The sensorial and practical life work have already awakened the child’s mathematical mind to measurement, geometry, sequencing, order, categorising, patterns, quantities, etc.

A sense of order and exactness is already formed in the child’s mind and the new hands on materials allow the child to easily absorb the concepts of the decimal system and the various mathematical functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

The child embraces this new work and easily masters the concepts of units, tens, hundreds and thousands and how to manipulate these quantities.





Culture

Cultural materials lead a child to experience geography, natural science, history, music, religion and art.

Again, all such experiences are initially in a concrete form but eventually progress into the abstract. A child will initially learn about the earth by examining a globe, then a jigsaw puzzle of the world then onto a map of the world.

This process is one that the child has been following in the Montessori environment since day one and he moves easily through these different areas learning about his culture, the culture of others, as well as animals and their habitats and plant life on earth.

Through these studies the child gains an understanding of the life and culture of others and learns to respect and appreciate the differences. He also gains a knowledge of the world he lives in and the importance of protecting it. The child learns and adapts to this society and eventually becomes a valued contributing member.