At Chives we take the very best Montessori activities and give children time and freedom to work with these inside and outside for at least two hours each morning.
The afternoon work cycle is slightly shorter and there is still a choice of activities. Visiting professionals come to teach ballet, art and cooking and children have a choice in participating.
Staff ensure the environment is appropriately prepared for the children’s learning in the six different areas of the classroom.
These are:
The most crucial area of development – as staff carefully encourage children to gently start to work and concentrate independently. From the first day staff encourage and support children to care and show respect for themselves, for others and for the natural environment by introducing simple routines they can manage by themselves.
They are then encouraged towards self discipline by mutual respect and by staff setting and modelling good example.
These activities provide an opportunity for children to develop confidence, independence and concentration as well as increasing fine and gross motor skills.
Children work on real tasks which involve the hand and the brain preparing the intellectual and fine motor skills used in writing and all further creative work.
The Montessori Language Activities such as sandpaper letters, insets and the pink and blue boxes, talking at circle time and using positive language skills such as open questioning and reflective listening ensure our approach to language is very strong and consistent across the school.
Staff ensure there is an excellent supply of books, CD’s and songs providing a strong phonetic approach in preparation for writing and reading.
Sensorial activities were specially designed to encourage the development of each of the senses.
Each piece is used to stimulate and refine one of the senses by separating one concept at a time. These activities help to prepare the child for the language and order that is used in mathematics.
The Montessori Mathematics activities provide a beautifully structured approach for the child to become familiar with the concrete object before the abstract idea of numbers. Quantity and size is understood prior to the written numeral. Children gain a physical impression of size and quantity before they begin to manipulate numbers.
At Montessori children learn how everything in the world is related and the interdependence of all living things. They are assisted in exploring and understanding both in the class and in the natural outdoor environment.
In the global environment children start to recognise differences, similarities, patterns, and sharing and recording findings.
