EVERYTHING education
I N B R E VARD
The Montessori
environment is a place
that “nourishes the
child” by not only
meeting the needs for his
education, but preparing
it so a child is able to
develop at his own pace.
It is an environment
richly developed by
an experienced, finelytrained
observer, whose
purpose it is to provide
what is interesting and
purposeful, and to guide
when needed. She is the
Montessori directress.
It is important to note
that the Montessori
“This self-correction leads the
child to concentrate his attention
upon the differences of dimension,
and to compare the various pieces.”
— Montessori: A Modern Approach
philosophy does not
view the classroom as a
replacement for life, but
as a facilitating means
to reach the potential
life within the child,
who is step-by-step
self-producing the adult
they will become; it’s
happening…now…
In the Montessori
environment, the
children are of mixed
ages, most often 3 to
6, with the children
developing at different
paces. Mixed age
classrooms provide
built-in, peer-to-peer
teaching and role models
for younger children.
Older children take
on the responsibility
of demonstrating to
younger ones their
knowledge. Younger
children aspire to
conquer what the big
kids are able to do, and
the culminating results
are characters who know
and appreciate respect
and empathy, while using
words to set boundaries
and encourage others in
the community.
In the Montessori
classroom, there are
scientifically and
carefully crafted
materials that are
It is a natural occurrence that a
child will develop interest in those
things he or she encounters in
their environment. They learn by
touching and experiencing what is
around them. The “active life” of a
child is solely in his environment; he
doesn’t yet know how to “be active”
outside of what is known to him.
The Montessori environment is carefully planned
and prepared to meet the needs of the child and to
invite or entice the child to touch, smell, see, hear
and taste the many possibilities. It was through
scientific observations and extensive experiments and
conclusions that the Montessori environment was
developed.
aesthetically pleasing
in their simplicity. The
directress is trained
in the order of lessons
and order of placement
and presentation of the
materials on the shelves.
The layout is such that
everything has a place,
and the children learn
quickly and responsibly
to return things to their
places in the designated
areas of practical life,
sensorial, culture
(science/geography),
language and math.
The Montessori materials
most often contain a
“control of error,” the
ability for the child to
self-correct and for the
teacher to stand back
to observe and then to
guide when necessary.
Consider carefully
into what environment
you place your child,
for spending three, six
or even 10 hours a day,
actively engaged in his/her
surroundings. What better
place to gift your child
with than a Montessori
environment which
integrates such a rich and
diverse setting?
Spontaneous
Education
Cynthia Thomas founded her first Montessori
school in Brevard County in 1983. She now
operates five schools throughout Florida. She
discovered Montessori’s unique approach when
her children attended a school in Hawaii. She
received her masters in education specializing in
Montessori from Charminade University in Hawaii. Learn more:
montessorischools.org
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