What we do
The Montessori Way
The prepared Montessori environment is comprised of four general areas: practical life, sensorial, language and mathematics. Botany, geography, culture and the physical sciences are imbedded within all areas of the environment, giving children the essential keys for understanding their whole world. Through this method we strive to fulfill our basic human need of deep connection to each other, the environment and community.
Practical Life
The activities of practical life support the core of child’s development. Personality develops through their engagement with the greater world around them. This engagement guides the child’s natural development toward mastery of independence, concentration and control of movement. Honing these skills to carry out life’s daily tasks on their own gives children ownership and confidence in all aspects of human development.
In this area children are given lessons which help them care for themselves, the environment and each other. Lessons such as dish washing, wood polishing and pouring are rooted in the mastery of sequence and movement. Grace and courtesy are lessons given individually and collectively about social interactions. These lessons empower children to independently navigate their relationships with one another and the whole.
Sensorial
The sensorial materials offered in the Montessori environment develop the ability to make judgments and comparisons based on size, shape, sound, weight, texture, color and temperature. Deep impressions with the senses in this area provide the child with the essential keys to our physical world.
Activities isolate each of the senses and so, the child refines and classifies their world. This refinement of the senses leads to greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of life’s beauty. The sensorial area continues to support the mastery of gross and fine motor control essential for future use of writing tools and use of the innate mathematical mind. Dr. Montessori says: “Nothing comes to the intellect that is not first in the senes.” (Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, p. 98)
Language
From birth to age six children are in a fundamental stage of life for the acquisition of language. All languages consist of a collection and system of sounds and symbols upon which meaning is agreed. Sounds and symbols of the child’s mother tongue are decoded through spoken language, as well as through one-on-one lessons with the guide which are lively and active.
The prepared environment as a whole, consisting of beautiful and interesting items, sparks the child’s curiosity and lends seemingly endless opportunities for conversations that enrich vocabulary thus providing deeper meaning and understanding of how they can communicate within their world. Through fun lessons the child naturally refines motor movement while vocabulary, sound awareness and letters are presented. Because we are in sync with the child’s normal development for language acquisition, learning writing and reading can be an enjoyable natural process.
MATH
Dr. Montessori’s method awakens children’s natural mathematical mind through a logical progression which utilizes precise concrete materials. Hands-on manipulation and repetitive experience with these materials builds the child’s solid foundation of numeracy. Collaborative and individual games are used to introduce our decimal system, including the formation of large numbers and the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Math is an everyday aspect in all of our lives!
What we do
Yoga
Children’s yoga provides a fun and safe environment for children of all ages to explore their minds and bodies through various activities that encourage creativity, teamwork, and mindfulness. Breath and postures are explored by playing games, singing songs, and introducing materials and props that enhance their experience and bring deeper meaning to the play occurring throughout class. When children are given the opportunity to move, imitate, and have fun they are learning!
This type of yoga allows an opportunity to engage children in curriculum that is not only child-centered and developmentally appropriate but also generates another avenue in which children can communicate and participate with one another, in ways they might not have before. I believe the implementation of a quality yoga program in schools will help children establish a strong foundation for building community amongst each other, self-confidence and well-being.
When combining varying ages endless opportunity arise for children to learn from and teach one another. The environment that is created during class puts me in a place to simply participate as a guide for the children to explore the possibilities of their own mind and body, preparing them to meet everyday challenges with mindfulness and respect for themselves and the world around them.
What we do
Arts
MUSIC
Music is part of our daily life at Lotus. Familiar songs punctuate our day, helping us transition joyfully from one activity to the next!
Once a week, Jenny Houghton brings her passion for music to life with our children at Lotus. The children are introduced to basic musical concepts through sing-alongs, playful movement, and rhythm exercises. Each week we set aside a few minutes to explore music and dance from around the world. Educational videos introduce the stunning art of Flamenco, Irish Step Dance, Folklorico, African Dance, and more! In the 2019/2020 school year we will expand our curriculum as we start learning more about families of instruments and genres of music.
More than anything, our goal in these classes is to foster a lifelong appreciation and love of music!
ART
At Lotus Montessori we incorporate artistic exploration into all areas of learning! The fine arts offer priceless opportunities for daily self-expression and discovery. Through the arts our community is unified in joyful expression of self.
