Montessori education focuses on 6 core areas of learning: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, Cultural and Creativity.
Each area of learning has its own place within the Montessori classroom and complements all 6 areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum.
Children fulfil their learning opportunities having freedom of movement and freedom of choice, as they play, explore and discover.
They are able to access purposeful activities both inside and outside. Care of the environment, care of self and respect for others, with lessons in grace and courtesy are aspects children naturally develop within the prepared environment, contributing to a life-long love of learning.
Activities of everyday living - nurturing independence and life skills.
EYFS Key Areas of Focus: Personal, Social & Emotional Development; Physical; Communication & Language Development.
Our Activities of Everyday Living are real items children would encounter every day, freely used when they first arrive at nursery and act as a bridge between nursery and home to help children feel secure, build self-esteem and confidence.
Children learn skills to help them become independent within the nursery and at home, such as pouring with glass jugs and glasses, transferring dried pasta into bowls, dressing, washing dishes, pegging their own work to dry and sweeping as well as supporting children to care and show respect for themselves, for others and for the natural environment.
We introduce simple routines children can manage themselves and while doing so the activities not only help children develop concentration and a sense of order, but as they develop fine and gross motor skills children gain indirect preparation for literacy and mathematics that naturally develop later on.
Children naturally want to do things for themselves, therefore we ensure we prepare our nursery for them to do so, being mindful not to interrupt them and give them time to repeat and practice.
'Help me to do it by myself' is the Montessori motto we encourage.
See this video of a young child independently dressing when getting ready to go out.
EYFS Key Areas of Focus: Understanding the World through our senses, using Language and Physical Development, building Social and Emotional Development)
Our Montessori sensorial materials are specifically designed to stimulate and refine the senses and separate one concept at a time. Each of the materials grades any differences such as colour, size, shape, texture, weight, sound or smell.
Whilst working with these attractive materials the child is also being indirectly introduced to other areas of learning such as preparation for the language and order that is used in mathematics while developing an awareness of the world around them.
We provide a rich language environment with stories, songs, rhymes and discussion.
The Montessori reading materials such as ‘sand-paper letters and moveable alphabet’ utilise the senses to help develop understanding and letter recall when the child is ready.
A wide range of books both fiction and non-fiction are freely available and enjoyed in our comfortable book corner. We follow a phonetic approach to literacy with phonetic games to prepare the child, before progressing through the language materials.
Exercises such as phonics, reading, ‘metal-insets for design’ to develop writing skills, creative writing and grammar are introduced as early as the child is ready.
As children learn through concrete hands-on experiences, the Mathematics Materials are specifically designed to be handled and looked at for the child’s mind to grasp the idea and aid understanding.
Children gain a physical impression of shapes, size and quantity as well as seeing and visualising the patterns and structures of mathematics.
Children are introduced to counting and numerals through activities available daily, and introduced to the decimal system, concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as fractions when they are ready.
EYFS Key Area of Focus: Understanding the World.
Children explore a range of activities to understand biology, history, geography, technology and science.
Maria Montessori placed a great deal of emphasis on these subjects and believed that children should be helped to appreciate both the natural and man-made environment in order to understand man’s place within the world.
The materials aim to do this in conjunction with outdoor activities looking at nature in our nursery garden.
Children have opportunities to cook a wide range of simple foods, discovering foods from different parts of the world. We provide opportunities for children to enjoy the whole process from selecting ingredients, weighing, pouring/transferring/mixing in preparation for baking and to enjoy sharing food when eating together.
EYFS Key Areas of Focus: Expressive Arts and design.
Children can express themselves through a variety of mediums throughout the nursery. We encourage the children to create, imagine and develop their own ideas.
They have opportunities to experiment and create with a range of materials, for example through their art, using paint, runny glue of glue sticks, scissors and collage materials, exploring the colour tablets and recreating shades of colours with the paint, building with the Pink tower and Broad stair by providing a variety of small world and construction resources.
Our children love to sing, dance and play the instruments. They have opportunities to explore a variety of instruments and sounds, to make up their own songs and rhythms and to play a long as we sing new or familiar songs.
We have a large garden that offers a range of activities and resources. Providing the children with space and variation through the different sections.
The children can freely choose their resources from their child-height shed, such as kitchen utensils to carry to the mud kitchen or tuff trays, sand and water play, a range of sea and land animals, insects, mark-making tools, numbers etc.
We provide tricycles, balls, building blocks, ramps to name but a few. The Children have fun running, moving the tyres, climbing, balancing and playing on the slide, or simply relaxing with a book sat on a bench.