The Montessori Method and Lemonts

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that children are born with a strong desire and natural ability to learn and absorb an unlimited amount of knowledge in their first six years. The role of the teacher is to follow the child’s natural development, without imposing or suppressing educational instruction based on preconceived ideas.

As such, at Lemonts, children are placed in an environment that is specifically designed to promote their natural course of development, guided by teachers that practice the Montessori method, to help them flourish.

We use Dr. Montessori’s scientific method of education, grounded on the first three stages of pre-adult development, the first of which is The Absorbent Mind, which covers children from birth to six years old. Within this stage, she identified what she called the Sensitive Periods, where children have the ability and willingness to learning things effortlessly.

By creating an environment designed for a child’s learning journey, combined with providing the materials and direction in which to achieve the goals of that journey, every child at Lemonts is given the opportunity to become a curious, caring, and successful learner for life.

The Prepared Environment

The Prepared Environment is a Montessori term used to describe how the school’s space is designed and functions to offer activities and materials to each individual child based on his or her current developmental needs and interests. Simply put, the Prepared Environment is a classroom designed for children to nurture their natural development.

At Lemonts, our Prepared Environment is organized in a way to promote independence, freedom of choice, responsibility, and individual uninterrupted learning. It is well-ordered and aesthetically pleasing, without being overstimulating, thus fulfilling the child’s need for order and independence, providing a sense of security, and motivating them to explore.

AREAS OF EXPLORATION

Our setting encompasses all five areas of learning which children are free to explore as their interest guides them:

Activities of Everyday Learning
Sensorial
Literacy
Numeracy and Arithmetic
Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Each area has the full range of relevant Montessori materials of varying levels of difficulty planned in order to encourage our children to learn at their own pace. Additionally, a quiet and relaxing area is provided so that they have the opportunity to be reflective at a time of their choosing.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE, RESPONSIBILITY, AND INDEPENDENCE

Children are free to choose their materials, ensuring the optimal time for them to absorb specific skills, whilst promoting responsibility and independence, resulting in an environment free of frustration. While only one of each material should be placed in the classroom to encourage co-operation and patience, no specific timeframe is place on the length of time spent on any material. This encourages the child’s will, concentration and need to master skills at their own pace. Children don’t need to move from room to room to explore different subjects, giving them the safety of one space in which they feel relaxed and secure.

Materials should have well-defined objectives, and where possible, a control of error so that children can repeat, self-correct, and master activities independently. This leads to a greater sense of accomplishment and in turn strengthen self-esteem and confidence. Activities and themes explored are always based in reality, giving children the opportunity to take a lead role in caring for their environment. By doing so, they master skills and situations that they will need in life and consequently gain a sense of self-worth and belonging to the society they live in.

The Montessori Curriculum

We focus on each child individually, giving them control of their learning journey. We trust in their natural instincts to know what they need to learn and when they are ready to learn it, giving them the space and time to explore it at their individual pace. This allows children to feel comfortable delving into a variety of subjects without creating a dislike for it because they felt forced to learn it when they weren’t ready or interested.

This is not to say that there isn’t focused structure to their learning. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Following a predefined curriculum, we delve into all facets of knowledge through monthly themes, that also include exploring science, geography, arts, culture, music & dance, cooking through group and individual activities.

At Lemonts, we encourage children to respect and protect themselves, others and the environment. Grace and courtesy lessons are at the core of our Montessori curriculum, giving children the guidance they need to live and successfully contribute to their community today and for life.

The Montessori Materials

Montessori materials are a core element of the Montessori educational approach, designed to be hands-on, self-correcting, and developmentally appropriate. These materials are carefully crafted to support children’s exploration and learning across various domains, from sensory development to academic subjects. While children are encouraged to problem solve, our teachers are always there to help if the child asks for help or seems frustrated.

Isolating Concepts

Montessori materials introduce a single idea or concept at a time, in a way that allows children to focus on and understand it deeply. Whether its a particular skill, characteristic, or idea, when a concept is isolated it becomes easier for the child to grasp and absorb.

Self-Correcting

Many Montessori materials are designed so that children can check their own work. For example, a child will notice when a puzzle piece doesn’t fit, prompting them to correct their mistake independently, without a teacher’s intervention. This leads to leads to an abundance of self-confidence (I did it!) and analytical thinking (I worked it out!) and ultimately a sense of pride and self-accomplishment.