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Between ages 3 and 6 children continue to exhibit great curiosity and to have a tremendous capacity for learning. They love to explore color, form, sound, and texture, as well as many other aspects of the world around them. They continue to explore with their senses by touching, looking, hearing, etc. They absorb facts about the world, including the names of things. They acquire independence by learning to do things for themselves, to concentrate, to better use spoken language, to make increasingly coordinated movements, to read, to write, to grasp numbers, to be well mannered, and to make informed choices. Like the toddlers, the children in the Primary classes benefit enormously from a classroom that is specifically designed to enable them to take advantage of their readiness to learn. A Montessori program for children 3 to 6 is unique in that it offers a carefully prepared classroom full of scientifically designed materials and equipment. At Chesapeake Montessori School every teacher is trained to observe each child and to present the activities and materials for which the child is ready. Most lessons are individualized. Our goal is that a child's experience in a Primary class be enjoyable and an aid to his/her developing independence. Thus we help to further a child's cognitive growth and the development of his/her creativity, social skills, love of learning, self-confidence, and power of concentration. Our Primary program includes the following: Practical Life: Cutting out paper shapes and walking carefully along a line help develop the physical coordination needed to carry out the actions the child's mind directs. Mastering buttons, zippers, and bows; carefully holding a pitcher and pouring a cup of juice; polishing a silver vase; cultivating plants-all are sources of pride and joy, since every child needs to master care for self and the environment. Sensorial Materials: Building a stair from rods of graduated length, and arranging cubes and prisms in the Binominal Cube train young eyes. Matching cylinders according to their sounds when shaken and arranging bells to form a scale delight eager ears. Matching tablets of various textures while blind-folded challenges tiny fingertips. Each of the senses is exercised in its own special way. Using words to accompany all these discoveries ("long", "longer", "longest"; "ovoid", "pentagon") further develops an awareness of the attributes of objects. Language: Learning the names for an endless variety of objects satisfies a child's boundless curiosity. Listening to interesting stories gives his/her growing mind food for thought and expression. Hearing simple conversational French brings an awareness of other languages. Feeling the shape of Sandpaper Letters while practicing their sounds, spelling words with Movable Alphabets, and practicing control of a pencil prepare the child for that joyous discovery of writing. Because our approach to words is phonetic, these experiences and the child's expanding vocabulary pave the way for learning to read. The acquisition of this skill is not only crucial but immensely exciting to the child. Mathematics: Manipulating special Montessori materials brings awareness and understanding of the basics of numbers. Imagine, for example, discovering what 1000 looks like or seeing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division carried out with our beautiful Golden Beads. History, Geography, and Science: The world of the Primary child also expands into these exciting realms which include the uses of globes, puzzle maps, flags, picture folders, books, and stories. There are observations of simple experiments and studies of plants and animals. Observing an insect crawl up a stem, seeing buds develop day by day-experiences such as these build a child's knowledge of the natural world. Music and Art: Matching and grading bells, singing new and familiar songs, and learning about instruments are all exciting activities for young children. They also love to work with colors and shapes in a variety of ways, and to learn about well-known art works. Physical Education: Children in the last year of the Primary program work with our physical education teacher several days each week. On some days they join the other Primary children outdoors.
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30 Old Mill Bottom Road, North, Annapolis, Maryland 21409
Phone: (410) 757-4740 | Fax: (410) 757-8770 Email: cms@Chesapeake-montessori.com © 1999-2004 ~ The Chesapeake Montessori School Website design by The Abel Group |
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