Education
Through our education system, we strive to ensure that the children are engaged, experience enjoyment and can realise meaning in what they are involved in.
In line with the well-researched, proven and effective Montessori Principle, our 3-5 Montessori Pre-kinder program is designed around the 3-hour work cycle. During this cycle, children have certain periods when they are in command of what work they choose to engage with, and during other periods they are provided with choices based on the educators’ observations and gentle guidance.
Through the provision of choice and respect towards the child’s choices, the child develops self-discipline, experiences prolonged periods of intense engagement, enhancing their abilities to concentrate, and they acquire a sense of independence and fulfilment.
Learning moves gradually from the concrete, an indispensable part of this are the Montessori materials, to the abstract through the scientific practices of manipulating, experimenting, and discovering.
Through the utilisation of multisensory stimuli, our method creates favourable circumstances to consolidate learning into deep learning.
Children's Groups
MONTESSORI 2.5-3 Group
2.5-3 years old children are in their own designated indoor and outdoor areas for most of the program, with some time spent with the children aged up to 4 years for the mixed age group program and activities to achieve enhance their Montessori based educational experience.
The children in the Red Room have age appropriate periods of education, punctuated by physical activities or rest activities.
The education program is Montessori based, with a strong focus on Practical Life (including Grace and Courtesy and behaviour management) and Sensorial Skills. During the activity periods, the children are involved in singing and dancing simple songs, basic movement exercises, and basic coordination activities.
During the designated rest periods, the younger age group children are given the opportunity to sleep, engage in quiet activities or meditation exercises. Toileting is encouraged according to the Independent Toileting Schedule.
MONTESSORI 3-5 Integrated Kinder
At this stage of the child’s development, the children are introduced slowly to the language and mathematics areas of Montessori, as they show a great affinity to using sentences and talking at great lengths. The educators, through careful monitoring and planning, create an environment that is relevant to the child in order to introduce them to basic language skills.
While math and language are available for the child to choose, the central focus is still in the development of the self through developing practical life skills, including learning about behaviours and the by being introduce to ones culture. This is also the stage where the children see themselves in relation to others, as the children are beginning to understand social structures and are beginning to form friendships. The educators plan activities to stimulate this learning through self-regulation and respect for others.
MONTESSORI 4-6 Integrated Kinder
At this age group the children are well into the crucial time of development. There is another minor shift in the focus and deepening learning and understanding of the Montessori areas. Children are given the tools to start writing their first words and are encouraged to create their own stories, based on their life experiences and imagination.
With the guidance of the Kindergarten Teacher and the Montessori Directress, the children are also able to act as a role model to the younger children and those that took a different path in the Montessori Method.
MONTESSORI 4-6 Integrated Kinder
Materials
The Montessori Materials are unique in their concept and execution and are an indispensable part of the Montessori Education Method.
By deconstructing skills to their basic components, Maria Montessori designed materials that would grab the child’s interest, provide them with immediate and impersonal feedback, and provide them with incrementally challenging tasks.
Further, the materials are interconnected and progressive, each next one leading from the previous one.
Maria Montessori also designed the materials to engaged multiple senses, helping the child create multiple connections between the learning objectives, thus enhancing the learning process and knowledge retention.
The result of all this careful planning and design is that the child is engaged, continuously challenged, leading to purposefully learning, even if they don’t know it. Even if they don’t know how to use the materials.
MONTESSORI 4-6 Integrated Kinder