Makin' Butterflies
Makin' Butterflies
Our exploratory program allows children to develop at their own pace in their physical, emotional and social well-being. The environment of the classrooms and outdoor playgrounds are developed intentionally to be rich with beauty and wonder with sensory experiences that encourage awareness without excessive stimulation.
Makin' Butterflies (18 months to 3 years old)
CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES
- The Montessori School of John’s Island’s general objectives at all levels are to:
- Nurture self-confidence, independence, concentration, coordination, a sense of order, and an awareness of self, community, and the world.
- Encourage and direct the innate desire to learn, choose, and solve.
- Provide a carefully prepared environment and personnel to support learning as it moves from a concrete base to greater abstraction.
CURRICULUM MATERIALS AND METHODS Curriculum and materials are multidimensional and concrete, particularly for children from birth to age eight. Children will again explore the same material at different levels. For example, a group of geometric solid figures is first explored at the sensorial level. It is then named, then matched to similar objects, then analyzed, then compared with other objects for differences, then constructed out of clay, and then duplicated using paper, pencil, and scissors. Eventually, it is explored mathematically and geometrically. This repetition facilitates true understanding and helps negate the current belief that a topic can be studied, tested, and then forgotten. This repetition also encourages children to assume responsibility for their own learning and makes them more self-aware, thus able to see and correct their errors. |