I finish up a lesson on the Sandpaper Letters, stop and look around my classroom and take a few seconds to soak up the beautiful Montessori environment that surrounds me.
I often get asked by perspective parents how a program can be so individualized, with 24 students, 2 teachers and an aid. Maria Montessori designed a set of materials that enables the children to learn from working with them. Once you have established a normalized classroom, the children work with and learn from these materials independently. They are given individual lessons from their teachers and then work on the materials until they achieve mastery.
The Montessori method is an amazing thing. It would take me forever to explain the whole philosophy here, so instead I decided to capture that very moment I was talking about in my first paragraph. The following pictures were taken in my classroom at around 9:45am on Thursday, April 21st. I took approximately 5 minutes to capture my classroom.
I often get asked by perspective parents how a program can be so individualized, with 24 students, 2 teachers and an aid. Maria Montessori designed a set of materials that enables the children to learn from working with them. Once you have established a normalized classroom, the children work with and learn from these materials independently. They are given individual lessons from their teachers and then work on the materials until they achieve mastery.
The Montessori method is an amazing thing. It would take me forever to explain the whole philosophy here, so instead I decided to capture that very moment I was talking about in my first paragraph. The following pictures were taken in my classroom at around 9:45am on Thursday, April 21st. I took approximately 5 minutes to capture my classroom.
A Montessori moment...
Colour Box #2, self initiated project.
Initially teaches the secondary colours.
Initially teaches the secondary colours.
Seasons project.
Teaches the different aspects of the four season.
Teaches the different aspects of the four season.
Egg Shell Crushing.
Builds hand and wrist strength in preparation for writing.
We use the powdered egg shells to feed our compost worms and our plants.
Builds hand and wrist strength in preparation for writing.
We use the powdered egg shells to feed our compost worms and our plants.
Finishing up the Map of Canada, Pin Punching Project.
Working on Quebec.
Working on Quebec.
A Numbers and Counters lesson.
Teaching number quantity, as well as odd and even numbers.
Teaching number quantity, as well as odd and even numbers.
Working on a provincial flags project.
Colouring the NewBrunswick Flag.
Colouring the NewBrunswick Flag.
Some quiet reading time in the library.
Glass Polishing.
A multistep Practical Life activity that helps to build a longer work cycle.
A multistep Practical Life activity that helps to build a longer work cycle.
Working on a Map of South America, Pin Punching project.
Pin Punching Argentina.
Pin Punching Argentina.
Blue Word Building with the cursive, Large Movable Alphabet.
Constructing four-letter(and up) phonetically correct words.
Constructing four-letter(and up) phonetically correct words.
Reading about farm animals after completing a Map of Canada Lesson.
Pink Word Building with the Large Movable Alphabet.
Constructing three-letter phonetically correct words.
Constructing three-letter phonetically correct words.
Sifting Lesson.
Builds fine motor skills and concentration.
Builds fine motor skills and concentration.
Checking out potential new books, after reading about bug life-cycles.
Broad Stair and Pink Tower Extension.
An exploration of dimension and size.
An exploration of dimension and size.
Metal Inset Variation.
Refining pencil skills.
Refining pencil skills.
Pin Punching.
Amazing for concentration, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Amazing for concentration, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Parts of a Turtle Project.
As part of our Botany curriculum, the children learn about different animals.
As part of our Botany curriculum, the children learn about different animals.
Along with the materials you have seen above, there were children working on planting sunflower seeds and the Map of the World.