The truly educated individual continues learning long after the hours and years he or she spends in the classroom because that person is motivated from within by a natural curiosity and love for knowledge. The goal of early childhood education is to cultivate the child's own natural desire to learn. The Montessori materials have a long-range purpose in addition to their immediate purpose of giving specific information to the child. The areas of study are: Practical Life, Sensory Motor, Mathematics, Language, Geography, History, Cultural Awareness, Cooking and Nutrition, Art, Music and Creative Movement, Science and nature.

Specialties Offered:

Music/Piano, French, Yoga

Practical Life Exercises

In this area of the classroom, children perfect their coordination and become absorbed in an activity. They gradually lengthen their span of concentration. They also learn to pay attention to details as they follow a regular sequence of actions. Finally, they learn good working habits as they finish each task and put away all the materials before beginning another activity.

Sensorial Exercises

The Sensorial Materials in the Montessori classroom help children to distinguish, to categorize, and to relate new information to what they already know. Dr. Montessori believed that this process is the beginning of conscious knowledge. It is brought about by the intelligence working in a concentrated way on the impressions given by the senses.

Mathematics

Dr. Montessori demonstrated that when children have access to mathematical equipment in their early years they can easily and joyfully assimilate many facts and skills or arithmetic. Dr. Montessori designed concrete materials to represent all types of quantities, after she observed that children who become interested in counting like to touch or move the items as they enumerate them. By combining this equipment, separating it, sharing it, counting it and comparing it, they can demonstrate to themselves the basic operations of mathematics.

Language

In a Montessori classroom children learn the phonetic sounds of the letters before they learn the alphabetical names in a sequence. The phonetic sounds are given first because these are the sounds they hear in words that they need to be able to read. The children first become aware of these phonetic sounds when the teacher introduces the consonants with the Sandpaper Letters.

Reading instruction begins on the day when the child wants to know what a word says or when they show an interest in using the Sandpaper Letters. Writing or the construction of words with the movable letters nearly always precedes reading in a Montessori environment.

Physical Geography (Primary Level)

The large wooden puzzle maps are among the most popular activities in the classroom. At first, the children use the maps simply as puzzles. Gradually they learn the names of many of the countries as well as information about climate and products.

History (Primary Level)

Montessori offers the children a concrete presentation of history.

Cultural Awareness Program

The children gain an awareness of the world around them by exploring other countries, their customs, food, music, climate, language, and animals.

Cooking and Nutrition

The children study the four basic food groups and learn what heir bodies need in order to be healthy. They help to cook nutritious meals that revolve around their studies of other countries.

Arts and Crafts

The children have the freedom to explore their imaginations in a variety of mediums used for expression.

Music and Creative Movement

The creative music, movement, and dramatics program is an on-going flexible processes that integrates itself into the academic program of New Day Montessori. The musical element of primary appeal to young children is rhythm and natural response to rhythm is physical: therefore, the body is the child's first instrument through which the movement in music is reflected and interpreted.

Science and Nature (Primary Level)

In science, the children's natural curiosity is stimulated through discovery projects and experiments, helping the children draw their own conclusions.

Outdoor Environment

Because love of the environment can not happen in the abstract, nor empathy for the environment given simply through words, it is important that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it. Children love to touch and care for animals, to smell and pick flowers, to listen to the sound of the birds and ducks, to take refuge in small places such as trees and snow forts. By forging a connection with plants, animals and land, children can gain a sense of worth. Early contact with the natural world is irreplaceable. Many activities will be done outside, such as gardening, animal care, play and science studies.