SEASIDE MONTESSORI
"I ask the dear all powerful children to unite with me for the building of peace in man and in the world."            Maria Montessori

The Seaside Classroom


Seaside follows a Montessori philosophy approach to the curriculum.  The Montessori curriculum is broken into six learning areas.  These have natural overlaps and provide building blocks for the next area aimed to meet the sensitive periods as your child progresses.  The six learning areas are: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Cultural (Geography & Science/Technology), Language, Creativity.

Practical Life:

Practical Life activities provide the child an opportunity to master the skills they witness in their daily life. The 2 � to 4 year old child is typically drawn to this area.  Activities such as scooping, sweeping, cleaning, spooning, pouring, and other daily tasks witnessed in their family lives capture the sensitivities of the child in this stage of learning.  In this area the child is empowered with the opportunity to independently explore and master these skills to allow the child to become a contributor to the activities occurring in his or her dail

 
Practical Life:
Practical Life activities provide the child an opportunity to master the skills they witness in their daily life. The 2¾ to 4 year old child is typically drawn to this area. Activities such as scooping, sweeping, cleaning, spooning, pouring, and other daily tasks witnessed in their family lives capture the sensitivities of the child in this stage of learning. In this area the child is empowered with the opportunity to independently explore and master these skills to allow the child to become a contributor to the activities occurring in his or her daily life.

Sensorial:

The Sensorial area offers the child opportunities to explore touch, smell, taste, sound, and sight. Activities in this area of learning provide experiences with length, width, broadness, as well as color grading and geometrical shapes. The Sensorial activities introduce concrete activities related to more abstract later mathematical concepts. These activities encourage the child to explore the world around them and draw connections within their everyday environment.

Mathematics:

In the Mathematics curriculum the child will be introduced to number recognition and writing through a multitude of activities. Through use of the sandpaper numbers the child may simultaneously be introduced to the name, visual shape, and written form through tracing the sandpaper cutout of the number while repeating the name. This practice of integrating the senses within the Montessori lessons aids in fostering the mastery of the task. 


Additionally in the Mathematics area children will be introduced to addition, subtraction, the decimal system, and even concrete activities aimed to build the base for later algebraic learning. Each of these activities is introduced at a time when the child is ready for the task. Activities are designed in a building pattern to allow the child to continue to explore this sensitivity to a more advanced level once mastery of the previous level has been met.

Language:

Language activities within the Montessori classroom aim to integrate both the reading and writing of the letters within each activity to accomplish the simultaneous learning of word recognition and creation. Like the sandpaper numbers found within the Mathematics curriculum the Language curriculum introduces letters through sandpaper forms to merge the senses in the learning activity. 


Other activities such as the metal insets focus the writing skills required in forming the shapes of the alphabet through tracing. Moveable alphabets allow the child who has not yet developed the motor skills of writing the letters to be able to explore spelling through use of the individual letter shapes. Reading is taught through a series of color coded levels first exploring phonetic words of the pink series, then moving onto blends within the blue series, and finally the more complex words of the green series.

Cultural:

In the Cultural curriculum children will explore the many cultures of the world, geography and their place in the world, the importance of nature and preserving our natural surroundings.  Science areas such as botany and zoology as well as early physics concepts are explored, and technology concepts of simple machines and basic engineering concepts are presented. 


Landforms are explored through insets that allow the child to fill the tray with water in order to gain concrete understandings of what an island versus a lake is or a penninsula, like Hull, versus a gulf. Maps of the world and each continent are designed with each piece representing the individual continent or country where children not only learn the geographical location but the names of these areas. 


Parts of plants and animals are explored through puzzles and cards designed to teach classifications and names of different parts. Children explore tools such as pulleys, levers, inclined planes, to discover their uses through hands on experience.  


Most importantly an understanding of the world we live in, the diversity within it, and an appreciation for nature is fostered through the Montessori Cultural curriculum.

Creativity:

Creativity within the Montessori classroom provides the child the opportunity to explore their imagination and fine motor skills. Children are provided with activities in art, music, dramatic play, and other areas to explore their creative talents and foster an appreciation for the arts.