The Montessori Classroom

Since a considerable amount of learning in a Montessori classroom is acquired through the environment, great care goes in to preparing and arranging the Montessori classroom. The Montessori classroom and materials are organized into five main areas.

Practical

In this area the child learns to care for the self and his/her environment, thus developing self-sufficiency and independence. Many of the exercises also cultivate fine motor control through the practice of everyday-life activities. Practical life activities also promote kindness, courteous communication, and conflict resolution, which are critical everyday life skills that promote a peaceful and caring community.

Sensorial

The child interacts with and connects to the world through the senses. The sensorial activities refine the senses so as to enhance the child’s appreciation and to foster a deeper awareness of his/her experiences.

Language

Language skills are taught through a specific progression of phonological lessons, with a well-rounded program that includes active listening, public speaking, singing, rhyming, reading, and writing. The Montessori approach to language development is unique in that writing is taught before reading. The cognitive process required for reading is more complex; it is easier to encode rather than to decode. It is easier for a child to take a known word apart than to put sounds together to make a new word.

Mathematics

Math is taught with the use of hands-on materials that make abstract concepts clear and concrete. Numbers and number operations are taught with concrete representations thus giving the child a solid foundation in understanding mathematical concepts.

Culture & Science

Children learn that they are part of an interconnected system (i.e. the world and the universe). Culture and Science activities help develop a global perspective through the study of history and world cultures.

Art

At Bloom Montessori, these five major areas of curricula are supplemented with art, music, French, and outdoor physical activity and exploration.