I think all Montessori teachers find the beginning of a new year to be an incredibly exciting time. This year was especially exciting because Ms. Claire was building a completely new environment from scratch. Dr. Montessori referred to the Primary Class as a 'Casa' because it is a house for children. It is a place where children belong, where each child is a valued member of the community. It is a beautiful place, carefully prepared for just for the children who dwell in it. Creating a Casa is truly a labor of love completed with attention to detail and a thorough knowledge of the Montessori method.
Child sized tables and chairs allow children to be seated comfortably while working
and framed art as well as beautiful objects surround the children, rather than garish alphabet posters or plastic clutter. After all, would you have a poster with the numbers or letters of the alphabet taped to your living room wall?
Children in a Montessori Casa learn through the use of all their senses - color coded beads aid the child in preforming math operations, sand paper letters introduce the sound and shape of our alphabet, and three dimensional objects like the Brown Stair introduce fundamental concepts of shape, size, order and spatial relationships.
Geography is experienced through globes, flags, cultural stories, songs and photographs of people and cultures near and far.
Pictured here are the Geometric Solids, one of the Sensorial Materials used for introducing Math concepts. Think about the difference between looking at a picture of a sphere or cylinder on a computer screen and holding it in your hand feeling it's smooth curves, experiencing it's weight, and noticing how it rolls so easily in your palm. Montessori understood that children, in fact, all people, learn best when as many of their senses as possible are engaged.
In the AMI Montessori training we learn that objects in the environment should 'call out' to a child, enticing him to work with that material. Imagine the thrill of being able to carefully handle beautiful depression-era glass, open a mailbox to discover a hand written letter from a friend, and balancing a bean bag or carrying a bell so precisely that it does not ring - while walking on the line. The children love participating in these activities and Ms. Claire loves to present these new experiences to children in the Casa. We can't wait to get started! See you Monday!
