Seeing the universe in every child: The Montessori Cultural Curriculum

The cultural curriculum in the Montessori classroom is a window into the universe at large. We invite children to develop an awareness of how their world came to be and cultivate an appreciation for all the things, big and small, which coexist in it. Learning about our natural resources (land/air/water; sink or float; parts of a plant; how to grow a plant), the seasons (seasons sorting cards), the elements on our planet (magnetic vs. non-magnetic), the flora and fauna (vertebrates vs. invertebrates; extinct vs. non-extinct), the vastness of our world--as well as our connectedness-- (the solar system; the colored globe; the continent maps) and the concept of time (calendar; telling time) –these are all ways we help children to discover our natural world.

By exposing each child to cultural area of the classroom—Geography, Science, Botany, Zoology, and History—we invite them to explore the universe at large, using their own curiosity and drive. 

Our hands feed the mind: a look at the "sensorial" area of the Montessori classroom

Dr. Montessori was a scientific observer. 

According to Montessori, a child between two to six years passes through the "sensitive period for the refinement of senses". Children during this time are particularly drawn to certain types of activities. She further discovered that through exploration, repetition, and the introduction to language, children learn to refine their senses and their understanding of the world around them. She took each of the senses and developed materials that would support children in using and refining their skills of classification, ordering, and pairing. 

Here you see one of our young Montessorians deeply concentrating as she works with the Pink Tower-- an iconic Montessori material.These cubes develop visual discrimination of size in three dimensions. As with all Montessori materials, there is always a purpose in addition to inherent beauty. Working with this material prepares the child to understand mathematical concepts in the decimal system, geometry, and volume.(The cubes increase progressively in the algebraic series of the third power. Therefore, the second cube equals 8 of the first; the third cube equals 27 of the first etc…)

The hands, Dr. Montessori, put forth, feed the mind[i]—where the hands represent the physical way in which we take in information through our senses, from visual to stereognostic. As we classify the things around us, we begin to organize our intelligence.

Do you know the name of the other work pictured here? Share your responses or ask your children to tell you about this "colorful" work pictured on the right!

Happy Montessori Education Week!

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[i] The hands are the instruments of man's intelligence." (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, p. 25).

What do these people have in common?

The foundation of a Montessori education.

Flash forward a year from now, a decade from now…what will the children pictured here have in common with today’s most remarkable innovators, such as the Google co-founders and the creator of Amazon.com? The foundation of a Montessori education.

Starting February 28 through March 5, 2016, we celebrate the 109th anniversary of Montessori Education during Montessori Education Week. Dr. Maria Montessori believed that each child learns at his own pace and in his own unique way.  This innovative thinking shaped a new type of learning environment designed to kindle the individual interests of each learner. When asked by Barbara Walters in a television interview what they felt was a major factor in their success, Google co-founders credited their early childhood Montessori education: “We both went to Montessori school,” Mr. Larry Page said, “and I think it was part of that training of …being self-motivated, questioning what’s going on in the world, doing things a little bit differently.”

As articulated by these alumni, the Montessori Method fosters independence and critical thinking skills in young children—skills that ultimately enable them to respond creatively to new challenges, resolve conflicts effectively, and understand and relate to others.

On March 19th at 10AM, we welcome the community to help us celebrate children and learning. Join us at our Open House Social at 10AM (at the Westmont Montessori School, 577 Rt. 24 in Mendham (908)879-6355). Children–come ready to have some fun!