Montessori Time
About
Our Montessori space is for children aged three to six years old. At Highland Hills, our Montessori environment helps the child to develop socially, physically, and intellectually. We provide children with a joyful foundation that includes a positive attitude toward learning, inner security, a sense of order, pride in the environment, curiosity, concentration, self-discipline, and a sense of responsibility.
Children also enjoy our daily time spent learning in our 6.5 acre forest and afternoon art and music enrichment time.
“The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.” — Dr. Maria Montessori
The Environment
The Montessori space is a warm environment carefully designed to inspire the child. Montessori materials are organized in a logical, sequential nature, providing a structure that guides a child's discovery. A series of presentations, activities, and developmentally appropriate materials are designed to enable the child to master specific skills.
Children are free to choose work from the beautiful and well-defined areas of the environment. Working with the materials not only helps develop coordination, concentration, independence, and a sense of order; it also helps the child become more disciplined and accomplished. .
Language
Language beautifully flows throughout our Montessori classroom. From delightful poems and seasonal rhymes to singing songs and reading books together to exploring new vocabulary in the forest, your child will be immersed in rich spoken language experiences throughout the day.
Your child will also develop strong phonemic awareness and phonics skills through our language materials. In the Montessori classroom, children learn to both read and write. However, writing typically occurs first.
Practical Life
These are daily life tasks. For children, these tasks are enjoyable and help them children develop concentration, control of movement, independence, confidence, and a sense of responsibility.
These activities include care of self (such as tying a shoelace frame or washing hands), food preparation (ex. slicing a banana to eat), care of the environment (such as watering plants, arranging flowers, dishwashing or washing a table), and grace and courtesy (dramatizations designed to orient children to the environment, help children develop positive social skills, and build community).
Sensorial
Dr. Montessori designed specific materials to provide children with "keys" to explore the world with more joy and wonder. The sensorial materials also refine the senses, assist in order and classification, and provide a base for further mathematical and scientific abstract learning. There are visual materials (color, size, shape/form), tactile materials (texture, weight, or temperature), auditory materials (volume, tone), olfactory materials (sense of smell), and the stereognostic materials (mixed impressions.
Mathematics
From counting spindles to attractive colorful beads for skip counting to 1000 and a golden cube composed of exactly a thousand beads, children are enticed by the inviting nature of Montessori mathematic materials. Dr. Montessori knew the weight, size, precision, and beauty of the materials would allow children to develop concrete understandings of abstract mathematical concepts.
Beginning with simple counting and quantifying, students expand through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and even division depending on the child's readiness.
Culture & Geography
Geography at Highland Hills nurtures the child's desire to learn about the world and his/her place in it. The hands-on puzzle maps, globes, flags, cards, books, and land & water forms offer children all sorts of exciting opportunities to learn about different continents and countries, cultural and physical similarities of the world and appreciate diversity.
Art
We believe art plays an essential role in developing fine motor skills, hand strength, and coordination. In the Montessori classroom, children have the opportunity to draw (chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencils...), work with clay, paint with many types of mediums and process art tools, cut, create collages, work with beads, and sew. At Highland Hills we also learn about the foundations of art techniques, weave, integrate nature and seasons into art, explore basic photography, and engage in handwork during our forest school time.
Music and Movement
In our group Music lessons, children enjoy exploring music through the Orff method. Orff Music originates from an elemental style of music integrating speech, rhythm, singing, movement, play, and exploring with instruments. In the Montessori classroom, children also explore scales, musical theory, and composition through the bells.
Additionally, children explore dance and movement as a whole school community.
Nature/Forest School
The forest is a blank canvas, full of textures and materials to enrich the senses and stimulate the learning journeys that your child will undertake. During this time of exploration and discovery, our role is to provide your child nurturing as they take risks, build forts, climb and balance, and make new discoveries. Our time is organic, it develops through interacting with one another, individual interests, and leaders introducing new ways of exploring the space and interacting with it. We also explore botany, science concepts, and science experiments outside.
Animals and Gardening
Through engaging with our pets, animals, and tending the garden, children have opportunities to heighten their senses in a natural setting, develop important observation and problem-solving skills, make important connections between classroom learning and nature, develop important practical life skills, and of course, have fun.
