Our Montessori Casa program is designed for children aged 3 to 6.5 years. The classrooms are carefully prepared to allow children to freely engage with various educational materials.
Learning motivation and social skills, like respect, compassion, empathy, and leadership, are formed. The goal of this stage is to develop a love of work, a joy of learning, and a desired work habit, like persistence, self-discipline, concentration, and responsibility.
During Montessori time, children have the freedom to select from a diverse range of activities. The classroom typically has five major curriculum areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, and Cultural (or science, geography and history). There are also separate areas for Art and Music & Movement, as well as Physical education and swimming classes.
Activities in Casa1 Classroom:
Practical Life:
Practical Life” is a huge area of the Montessori Curriculum. It’s about giving children opportunities to engage in real everyday activities such as taking care of themselves and their surroundings. These activities are appealing to the young child as they resemble everyday activities the child has seen adults complete.
Practical life activities are intentionally crafted to encompass a comprehensive series of individual steps, each organized in a logical sequence from left to right and top to bottom. This structured approach not only aids in developing spatial awareness but also prepares children for reading by teaching them to follow text in the same direction.
Within the Practical Life area, children engage in meaningful everyday tasks such as pouring, sweeping, tying, threading, spooning, zipping, and buttoning. The tasks encourage a sense of order and a healthy work cycle, promoting persistence and focus.
Engaging in practical life activities also enhances problem-solving abilities and critical thinking, as children learn to navigate challenges and develop confidence in their capabilities. Overall, these activities support holistic development, preparing children for both academic success and meaningful contributions to their communities.
Sensorial Area:
The Sensorial Area is one of the core academic areas of the Montessori Casa classroom. This area is designed to help children refine their senses and develop their ability to observe, compare, and contrast various attributes of the world around them.
The Sensorial materials are thoughtfully crafted to refine and engage a child’s senses of sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. Each material isolates a specific quality, such as shape, size, colour, texture, temperature, weight, pitch, or volume, to help children focus their attention and deepen their understanding. Additionally, these materials include a built-in control of error or “self-correcting” design enabling children to learn independently and develop their problem-solving skills. This means that any errors made during an activity become apparent to the child without requiring intervention from a teacher.
Working with these Sensorial materials allows children to abstract and identify the qualities they experience. They can name these attributes and apply the concepts to their surroundings, leading to a heightened awareness of the world around them. This process fosters a deeper perception of their environment and enhances their overall learning experience.
Mathematics Area:
Mathematics is an important and highly practical area of knowledge. Math skills are essential to scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and many basic activities in daily life.
In Casa classrooms, the mathematics curriculum follows a deliberate progression from concrete to abstract concepts. Using specially designed materials, such as number rods, sandpaper numbers, and colourful bead stairs children can visualize and physically manipulate numbers, building a strong foundation in mathematical thinking. The Golden Beads offer a concrete representation of numbers, allowing children to physically see and manipulate units, tens, hundreds, and thousands.
The learning process is sequential, starting with simple concepts like counting and gradually moving to more complex operations like addition and subtraction, allowing children to grasp place value through materials they can touch and see. Through materials like geometric solids and shapes, children begin to understand basic geometric concepts and properties.
Real-world connections are emphasized, as children apply their mathematical understanding in practical situations, such as measuring for cooking or counting items during shopping. Additionally, math activities support language development, encouraging children to articulate their thought processes and mathematical vocabulary through discussion and interaction.
Overall, Montessori math creates a rich, engaging environment that nurtures a lifelong appreciation for mathematics while laying a solid foundation for future learning.
Language Area :
The Montessori classroom for children aged 3 to 6 years is thoughtfully designed to ensure that all activities contribute to the development of essential skills for both oral and written language.
The language curriculum begins with teaching children initial alphabet sounds (phonics) using sandpaper letters and matching objects. As they master these sounds, they progress to blending exercises with the moveable alphabets encouraging them to create words and sentences. Phonetic awareness is also cultivated through sound games and rhyming activities that enhance listening skills.
Metal insets help them refine pencil control and improve writing skills.
Storytelling sessions and group discussions during circle time encourage speaking and listening, while peer collaboration reinforces language skills in social contexts. A reading corner is created and filled with diverse books that promote independent reading and a love for literature.
Cultural Subjects (Geography, History, Science, Botany & Zoology):
Children are keen observers of the Nature. Montessori education provides the framework for children to classify the natural features around them. The Cultural areas include Natural Science, Botany, Zoology, History and Geography. The cultural area of the Montessori curriculum is linked to and is an extension of the Language curriculum motivating and requiring children to read.
The materials are ready on the shelves for children to pick and learn at their own pace. The children learn about maps, globes, and flags that encourage exploration of different countries and their unique characteristics. In the science component, children engage with simple experiments and observations.
The botany section includes activities like planting seeds, caring for plants, and studying the parts of a flower, allowing children to explore the life cycles and importance of plants in our ecosystem. Similarly, the zoology aspect introduces children to various animal species through sorting activities, animal models and life cycles.
In addition to these scientific explorations, the culture area incorporates history by presenting stories and timelines.
Art, Music & Movement:
Children engage with various art techniques through both individual and group activities. Across various art domains such as painting, drawing, and crafting, Montessori art curriculum introduces different elements like line, shape, form, and texture.
Another crucial skill children gain from Montessori art activities in their curriculum is the ability to use their imagination, plan, and problem-solve. These activities nurture a child’s imagination and problem-solving abilities. Incorporating Montessori art activities cultivates independent, creative thinkers.
The role of music and movement is to encourage cognitive development and develop fine and gross motor skills while strengthening social and language skills. Movement to the music is an important aspect of health and expression. Young children have a natural sense of rhythm. Music and movement help children develop a whole-body coordination.
Swimming & Physical Education (PE):
At Casa Bambino, physical education and swimming classes are essential components of the curriculum, promoting health, fitness, and coordination among children.
Swimming classes are a vital part of the physical education program, focusing on water safety and skill development in a fun and supportive environment. Children learn essential water safety practices, ensuring they feel confident and secure in the water. Instructors emphasize fun and engagement, helping children build stamina and comfort in the water.
As they progress, instructors guide them in mastering various swimming strokes. Each lesson is tailored to the individual skill levels of the children, allowing for personalized instruction and gradual improvement.
The physical education program includes a variety of activities designed to develop motor skills, teamwork, and confidence through games, obstacle courses, and movement exercises.
