Dr. Montessori was truly a remarkable figure in the development of early childhood education. She studied, observed, and recorded her findings about young children before "early childhood education" existed as we know it today. She developed a comprehensive philosophy not only of education, but of how to view the "whole" development of children, not just their intellectual development, but also their physical and social development. Even more important than studying and recording the development of young children, Dr. Montessori took her philosophy and put it into practice by designing materials for and teaching in her own school, "Casa dei Bambini", or Children's House. At Hope Montessori Academy, we still use the philosophy and materials Dr. Montessori created for children. Our preschool classrooms are separated into five areas, each with a distinct purpose, yet also enhancing one another.

Practical Life

This is typically the first area children are interested in when they enter the classroom. Practical Life is the area where children practice self-help skills such as dressing, cleaning, cooking, etc. In traditional preschool classrooms this is sometimes called the "Housekeeping" area. Children are naturally drawn to this area because they want to imitate adult actions from home. Children want to learn to tie their shoes, help set the table, and how to pour their drinks because this is what mommy and daddy can do. This area is filled with lacing, buttoning, pouring, sorting, bead stringing and various other self-help and fine motor activities. The Practical Life area also includes drawing, painting, coloring, cutting, and other art activities essential to a preschool program. Hope Montessori Academy uses a "process" approach to art. We continuously have art materials available for children and place the emphasis of their works on the process and not their finished products.

Sensorial

Humans learn using their five senses. The Sensorial area of the classroom is designed to encourage children to use all of their senses to learn. It provides opportunities for questioning, investigation, and imagination through each new experience.

· Children will use their sense of vision in working with shapes, colors, and blocks of various dimensions.

· The sense of hearing is challenged when children classify alike "sound cylinders" filled with rice, beans, sand, etc.

· Children are also exposed to music of various kinds regularly.

· Experimenting with musical instruments is a special part of each child's preschool experience.

· Children develop their tactile sense through exploring "Mystery Boxes" with their hands to guess what's in the boxes and also by matching various fabrics and textures in the classroom.

· Children will be exposed to food from various cultures and will have the opportunity to classify foods as salty, sweet, bitter and sour.

· The sense of smell is heightened when children pair alike "smelling bottles" with scents of lemon, mint chocolate, etc.

Mathematics

Children are exposed to mathematical concepts like sequencing and one to one respondence through hands-on manipulatives. By touching and interacting with specifically designed colored beads, wooden spools, and number games, children will be able to understand the abstract world of math through concrete experiences.

For example, each wooden spool represents the concept of "one". Therefore, if a child has picked up ten wooden spools they can see and feel how ten spools are physically different and "more than" one spool. Given a child's tendency to only understand concrete experiences, this introduction to math is much more meaningful than simply telling a child 10 is more than 1, or having a child count from 1 to 10.

Language

Learning how to communicate and form relationships with others is crucial in the development of a child. Although children are constantly increasing their language abilities simply by talking with classmates and teachers, listed below are a few specific examples of how we help children develop their verbal and written communication, or language.

• Learning songs and rhymes
• Offering group stories
• Providing an independent reading area and "listening center" with cassettes
• Tracing geometric shapes to increase fine motor control
• Tracing letters of the alphabet with "sand paper letters"
• Sequencing, patterning, matching and memory game

Cultural

This final area of curriculum encourages children to explore the world through learning about different countries, customs, celebrations, etc. Children also have an innate interest in learning about animals and nature, so this area includes studying various animal groups, types of trees and flowers, plus learning about food groups. As we know children learn best through experience, regular field trips are a natural and essential extension of this area of curriculum.

(For more detailed information on the Montessori philosophy of education and curriculum please see our recommended reading list)

Supplementary Activities

We also offer extracurricular activities within our school. Classes of dance, aerobics, music, and foreign language are offered on a weekly basis at an additional monthly fee. Highly trained instructors are contracted to provide these services. Additional information may be obtained from the director.