Children’s House
A Love for Learning
(3 - 6 years)
Dr. Montessori dedicated her life to serving children. Years of observation and education lead her to create the Children’s House – a mixed-age environment carefully designed to nurture the child’s need to explore the world, care for themselves, and learn. At Cathedral Hill Montessori School, we are proud to provide two Children’s Houses wholly dedicated to serving children ages 3 to 6. Each class is led by an excellent staff who are extensively trained in the preparation and use of the Montessori materials.
It’s a Mixed Age Classroom
In the Children’s House, children move freely and make independent choices as to what activities they will engage in, where they would like to work, and who, if anyone, they would like to work with. Once introduced to an activity by their guide, children are free to return to the work independently and repeat it as many times as they’d like. The guide keeps watch to be sure the material is used appropriately and successfully, as well as offering further lessons in areas of interest. Each child has unique skills and challenges and it is the guide’s job to observe them and, through observing, learn how to best help each child learn and grow.
Practical Life
When observing a Montessori classroom, you may see a child preparing herself a snack of sliced banana. Another is carefully trimming and watering the plants. Two children may work side by side, sewing buttons and polishing glass objects. These are all examples of Practical Life activities. The materials are designed to give children the opportunity to care for themselves, others, the Children’s House, and beyond! Through repetition and freedom of choice, Practical Life activities help children develop concentration and refined motor skills. Children are given responsibility and are treated with the respect they need to become an active part of their community.
Sensorial
Children at this age absorb the world through their senses, touching things as they pass by, smelling flowers, and trying all different ways to taste! Dr. Montessori observed this behavior and created materials to help facilitate this sensorial need. Each sensorial material is designed to bring awareness to the many different sensorial qualities of our world. All 9 senses (with the exception of pain, for obvious reasons) are represented : Vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, sense of touch, kinesthetic (muscular) sense, stereognostic (recognition through feeling) sense, sense of temperature, and baric (sense of weight). Each is isolated into different materials such as the pink tower, smelling bottles, sound cylinders, baric tablets, and stereognostic bags. The child is able to explore, learn new language, and identify these qualities in the greater world.
Language
Language is everywhere in the Children’s House. All the materials offer an opportunity for building vocabulary, whether it be naming objects in the environment, looking at language cards, identifying flags from around the world, or studying the life cycle of a butterfly. The sounds and symbols of our language are introduced with sandpaper letters, providing a multi-sensorial learning experience, and shortly thereafter, children begin writing using the moveable alphabet. From there, the child explodes into the world of writing and reading. One child might be making a book of different animals, labeling each illustration, while another might be researching different phonograms, identifying the sound /sh/ in a book. You might be surprised to know that our third-year children are introduced the concept of the parts of speech and different word studies, such as compound words and homophones.
Math
Dr. Montessori observed the preschool-age child’s natural mathematic abilities. She designed activities which isolate the different mathematical concepts and allow the child to explore them through the use of concrete materials. Children develop a deeply sensorial understanding of quantity, associate names and symbols with ease, work with large numbers from one hundred to one million, and start on the path of memorization and even long division. Parents are often surprised by the genuine fun their child has working with the golden beads and finding the product of 3642 multiplied by 3! The beauty and simplicity of the materials, the opportunity to work in a group, and the many avenues of discovery make the math area a truly fun place to be!
Group Activities and Play
While most of the day is spent in self-directed work, there are also times for group activity and play. The teacher may gather a group for songs or to tell stories about a cultural, scientific or historical theme of interest. Ample time is also given to run, dig, explore and play with friends outdoors.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Instead of a top down curriculum based upon age, the teacher is trained to respect your child’s unique potential and connects him with the lesson best suited at that precise moment of development. Your child will be challenged according to her ability, not to a generic standard.
The Children’s House
The teacher works to perfect the environment – in it, your child works to perfect him or herself. Our teachers put tremendous care and attention to detail into the classroom with low shelves, beautiful artwork, books and cultural items of interest to pique your child’s interest and stimulate his senses. The children respond by developing a sense of classroom ownership and a drive to care for it, further deepening the bonds of the community and their quest to learn.
Essential Skills for a Successful Life
The Primary classroom is designed to help your child become his best self. Through “grace and courtesy” activities, we teach your child how to solve conflicts, how to act politely in social situations and how to be kind and helpful to friends.
Kindergarten Included
Montessori is a continuum of education that allows your child to build upon experiences each year. Your child will stay in the Primary classroom for 3 years, including the traditional “kindergarten year” – when the seeds of learning come to fruition. Reading and writing come to life from sounds and symbols. She is introduced to numbers and the decimal system. She learns about geometric figures and the political countries of our world. She leaves the program with a strong set of academic skills; but, far more importantly, with the attitude that learning is fun, exciting and boundless.
The Children’s House is a 5-day/week program. We offer half-day (8:30am-12:30pm), full day (8:30am-3:30pm) options. We also offer Before Care for Children’s House children beginning at 7:30am for an additional monthly fee. Snacks are available in the morning and the afternoon. Lunch is a delightful collective activity, with lovingly-packed lunches from home.
