Happy Valley Montessori

The Primary classroom is a generally quiet, harmonious environment where concentration and independence can deepen and grow. The activities center around five focus areas as described below. A constant thread is an ambiance where children can be spontaneous and learn through activities, which interest them, thereby awakening their spirit and imagination.

The exercises of Practical Life satisfy the childs need for purposeful activity while supporting the goal of independence. These activities, which center around care of self and care of the environment, give purpose and sequence to movement, while assisting the child in gaining confidence, concentration, and task orientation.

The Sensorial Area allows the young explorer to encounter materials that assist in refining, classifying, matching and grading sensory experiences. The materials isolate qualities such as color, weight, length, etc., to aid the child in identifying and integrating these abstract concepts that exist in the world around him/her.

Young children experience math in their play; they love to explore shapes, patterns and designs. Montessori math materials provide students with a sensorial base for understanding mathematical concepts. In a Montessori environment, the children work with materials that show abstract concepts in a more concrete form. The idea is to help a child learn how to explore independently, moving from concrete to abstract thinking.

The Language Area is rich in opportunities for exploration and expansion of the childs written and spoken language, the freedom of movement in a Montessori classroom ensures that a child will have plenty of practice using spoken language while interacting with his/her peers. Individual games and lessons in language lead the child to reading, early grammar work, and the written expression of language.

The Cultural subjects include history, geography, art, physical science, cosmology, music and physical movement. The aim of studying culture is to allow the child to experience their place in the universe. The children learn how all beings are fundamentally related and discover ways to feel they are significant beings in this world. Lessons and experiences with nature inspire a reverence for all life.