Curriculum

Toddler Curriculum

Practical LifeOpportunities to mop, sweep, water plants, clean, and prepare food are plentiful in the toddler program. These activities develop the children’s sense of living in community. There is also a particular emphasis on functional independence, which includes a wide range of life-skills: dressing and undressing, washing hands, feeding oneself with a spoon, and many more. The toddlers and parents are guided through the toilet learning process as well.

Fine & Gross-MotorThese materials focus on refining the children’s physical abilities. Materials such as bead stringing and puzzles challenge the children’s eye-hand coordination while materials such as painting and using scissors refine the use of their hands. Specific lessons on how to balance on a balance beam or hop on one foot expand the children’s gross-motor coordination.

LanguageThe language area gives the children opportunities to expand their language skills in a variety of ways. Songs, poems, conversation, and storytelling abound in the toddler’s day. To build vocabulary, the language area emphasizes experiences with real objects so the children can attach vocabulary to sensorial experiences. For example, there may be a basket of real vegetables where the children can experience and compare the weight, texture, taste, smell, and color of a sweet potato, a head of cabbage, and a carrot!

Art & MusicThe children explore art through a variety of mediums including crayons, collage, watercolor, easel painting, and clay. Furthermore, stories about the art pieces hung on the walls of the environment introduce the children to the foundations of art appreciation. Elements of music such as singing, dance, and music appreciation are an integral part of the children’s day.

Primary Curriculum

Practical LifeThe materials of practical life develop the skills the children need to care for themselves and their community. These include buttoning, washing and cutting vegetables for snack, watering plants, and sweeping a spill from the floor. While these activities serve a practical end, they also build the foundation for the children’s emerging executive functions by promoting independence, movement, and focus.

SensorialChildren absorb and learn about the world around them through their senses. The sensorial area allows the children to organize the impressions they have absorbed from the world. These materials each focus on a different impression – color, shape, size, texture, weight, etc. – and encourage observation and comparison. The children’s work with these materials prepares them for their later work in the language and math areas.

LanguageThe Montessori approach emphasizes the natural joy children find in language. Stories, poetry, songs, and books are only some of the components used to expand the children’s ability to express themselves. From this strong foundation, the children progress through the sequence of Montessori language materials to build their skills in both writing and reading.

$abacus icon$ MathThrough independent problem solving in Practical Life and the exploration and comparisons drawn with the Sensorial materials, the children engage with mathematical concepts early and continuously in the casa. The formal Montessori math materials explore the numbers 1-10, the concept of 0, the decimal system, as well as the four operations. As a result of these experiences, the children experience an ease and joy when manipulating numbers.

Cultural ExtensionsThe cultural extension materials expose children to a variety of subjects. Art and music are part of everyday casa life. Biology is explored through the life cycles of plants and animals and general classifications. The children explore geography and culture through maps of the continents, storytelling, and parent contributions. The children are introduced to the diversity of backgrounds, religions, and countries of origin in their own casa community.

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