Programs

Each Montessori classroom, from birth through high school, operates on the principle of freedom within limits. Every program has its set of ground rules which differs from age to age, but is always based on core Montessori beliefs - respect for each other and for the environment.

Children are free to work at their own pace with materials they have chosen, either alone or with others. The teacher relies on his or her observations of the children to determine which new activities and materials may be introduced to an individual child or to a small or large group. The aim is to encourage active, self-directed learning and to strike a balance of individual mastery within small group collaboration within the whole group community.

The multi-year span in each class provides a family-like grouping where learning can take place naturally. More experienced children share what they have learned while reinforcing their own learning. Because this peer group learning is intrinsic to Montessori, there is often more conversation - language experience - in the Montessori classroom than in conventional early education settings.

Click on the following programs:
Kindergarten Program
The Primary Program
Elementary Program

Kindergarten Program

Every year parents of children in their second year of Montessori begin to ask questions about continuing their child in the school for the kindergarten year. Published research on some of the questions is limited; however, the experience of schools and parents throughout the country, as reported in surveys and anecdotal accounts, shows the following are the most frequently asked questions and their answers:

Why is it so important for my child to experience the kindergarten year at a Montessori school?
In the Montessori environment, the children are presented with endless opportunities to develop all of their senses and motor skills with the aid of self-correcting materials in a prepared setting. During the third year a child can not only work with these materials in more depth, thus gaining more insights from them, but, using this base, can move into the academic areas.

Next, having learned from older children, shared with peers and helped younger children, the students now have the opportunity to assume leadership within the classroom. And, once the child has established critical learning habits -- concentration, self-discipline, a sense of order, persistence in completing a task, creative self-expression and a love for learning, (invaluable preparations for life) -- these behaviors are reinforced in a supportive, exciting environment. All preparations for later academic work and for social and emotional development, which have been so carefully nurtured in the three and four-year-old child, are reinforced in the kindergarten year.

As one parent said, "everything my child had learned up to then seemed to fall into place, and he was ready to meet other challenges once he had this foundation."

Won't it be easier for my child to make the adjustment to public or private school at the kindergarten level rather than at some later date?
The goals of a Montessori classroom seem to be more closely related to those of a traditional first grade class than those of a traditional kindergarten. In most traditional kindergartens, the primary emphasis is on developing social skills with some preliminary work in cognitive readiness.

In a Montessori environment, the emphasis is on individual growth, which allows for cognitive development based on a firm foundation of sensory and motor skill training, and which makes the transition into academic work so much easier for the child.
This transition occurs naturally during the third year in a Montessori environment and it occurs without stress, pressure, or praise. At this point, a child who is ready will begin reading and working with math materials, in addition to other activities. Few conventional kindergartens are geared to do this or have children who have been prepared for such work, and so it is not introduced until first grade. One father's reason for preferring to stay with a Montessori education was:

"We considered the school years ahead. Children usually do their best if they have good learning habits, a sound basis in numbers and math, and the ability to read. We realized that our child had an excellent two year start in this Montessori school. Transferring now to Kindergarten, the child will go no farther, whereas staying in Montessori ensures reaping the benefits of all past work under the enthusiastic guidance of teachers who share the child's joy of learning."

Will a child have enough experience in working in groups in a Montessori school to later become a successful group member in a traditional school?
A visit to Nature's Classroom Montessori school will show that considerable socializing and grouping takes place naturally in the environment and that the children behave in a socially responsible and orderly manner.

The Montessori approach eliminates many of the discipline problems found in more conventional environments. There are a few well-chosen ground rules which are consistently reinforced. The children learn to help one another and to care for one another, as well as taking care of their environment. Children are free to talk and move around, are treated with respect, and are not controlled by fear or punishment.

The ambiance of the Montessori classroom provides the opportunity for more meaningful talking and social interactions than a more traditional environment. Thus, the young child is well prepared from the Montessori experience to act as a cooperative and skilled group member.

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The Primary Program

Children ages 3 - 6
8:30 am - 11:30 a.m. (Half-day)
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Full-day and Extended-day)

Dr. Maria Montessori characterized the 3 - 6 year-old child as possessing an extraordinary capacity to absorb information from his or her environment - an ability she termed "the absorbent mind." A young child can learn his or her native language without the formal instruction and conscious effort an adult must make to learn a foreign language. They are like little sponges, using all their senses to soak up information from their environment. The Montessori method of education allows children in this sensitive period to learn to read, write and calculate in the same natural way they learn to walk and talk.

A typical three-year primary program begins when a child is about 3 years old and is toileting independently. The mixed-age classroom provides an opportunity for younger children to learn from older peers, while older children learn patience and nurturing as well as gain great satisfaction in teaching a younger child how to complete a "work." Ideally, the child will then remain with the same teacher in the same classroom for the three-year program, which includes completion of the traditional "kindergarten" year. This allows the child to work at his or her own pace, learning from others along the way and to finally become the older child who passes on knowledge to the younger children, thereby reinforcing his or her own knowledge and boosting confidence.

The Primary Classroom
Children enrolled in our primary program spend every weekday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in a beautiful environment prepared especially for this developmental stage. The classroom is beautiful, orderly and stimulating. The materials encourage hands-on exploration. The table, chairs, sinks and shelves are all sized for children so they can easily and comfortably complete their work.

Children in a Montessori classroom have great freedom; however, respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment forms the basis for all classroom rules. Children may have a snack when they are hungry, go to the bathroom when they determine the need, work independently to complete a task, or work quietly with another child. A child may choose to watch birds or other wildlife from the window, have some quiet time with a book or paint a picture. They may also choose to complete a work from any of the main areas of the classroom:

• Practical Life: This area enhances development of task organization and cognitive order through care of self; care of the environment; exercises of grace and courtesy; and coordination of physical movement. Activities in this area may include preparing and serving a snack for the other children, arranging a vase of flowers, watering plants, scrubbing a table clean or polishing their shoes.
• Sensorial: This area enables children to order, classify and describe impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass, color and other characteristics. Activities in this area may include stacking cubes to make a tower, comparing wooden rods and arranging them according to length, or arranging cylinders of varying diameter.
• Language: Language arts include oral language development, written expression, reading, grammar, and children's literature. Reading and writing skills are developed through the use of sandpaper letters, alphabet cut-outs and various presentations allowing children to link sounds and letter symbols effortlessly and to express their thoughts in writing.
• Mathematics: The Montessori math program makes use of manipulative materials that allow children to better internalize concepts of number, symbol, sequence and operations. Activities in this area may begin with many materials to introduce and solidify the concept of 1 - 10 and the meaning of zero.
• Social Sciences: This area of the classroom exposes the child to basics in geography, history, culture and life sciences. Activities in this area may include making a map of the continents, working with land and water models to create a lake or playing bells. Music, art and movement education are part of the integrated cultural curriculum.

Extended-day Program
Children who are 5 - 6 years old and academically ready may take part in the Extended-day program. This program offers your child instruction within a whole group experience as well as the opportunity for the sustained independent work that is the core of the Montessori Method. This program prepares your child for the transition into the Elementary Program.

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Elementary Program

Children ages 6 - 12
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Parents who have made an investment in the Montessori Primary Program may choose to continue the experience with the Elementary Program. Elementary-age children who have been home schooled or who have attended a public, private or parochial school also may make the transition to the Montessori Elementary Program.

In the Elementary classroom, children use hands-on materials to continue to explore math and language concepts. At this level, research into sciences, the arts and the universe intensifies as children follow their natural interests and abilities to make associations between themselves and the world around them. The certified Montessori instructor provides individualized instruction and facilitates the exploration of the classroom materials. The environment -- with its spatial timelines, zoology displays, collections of natural specimens, maps, and movable alphabets -- maximizes independent learning. Children may spend several years in this classroom, and the regular order of the room allows it to maintain its history, thereby allowing the child to easily relate new information with previously introduced concepts.

In this mixed-age classroom, the children have freedom of movement and verbalization within boundaries of respect, which enhances not only their social development but also facilitates the free exchange of academic facts and discoveries. Younger children often learn from older children. The older children benefit by reinforcing their knowledge and gaining self-confidence. The children learn to work cooperatively with others in the classroom. Teamwork, conflict-resolution, and social skills, in addition to academic subjects such as mathematics, science and history, are all integral parts of the class curriculum.

School begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. Children are expected to arrive on time before classes start to maximize opportunities for learning. Tardiness and irregular attendance creates a disruption to the class as well as limits your child's opportunities to develop social and academic skills. missing even a half-hour of school a day deprives a child of several days of work a month. Children who have missed excessive amounts of school may not be eligible to move to the next level. As a private school, we are required by law to provide a sufficient number of annual hours of classroom time as set forth by State of Wisconsin mandates. Elementary students are not to be absent in excess of 10 days per school year.

The Teacher
The teacher in the Montessori Elementary classroom is an enlightened generalist in that she teaches all subjects. Unlike an elementary program in which the student learns science from a science teacher, math from a math teacher, and so on, in a Montessori program one teacher facilitates learning of every subject and therefore can integrate math lessons into science discussions, cultural themes into language lessons, and so forth. This integrated curriculum ensures concepts are reinforced in several areas of study, rather than repeated by drill. In this way, children become more aware of relationships and the interconnectedness of our universe.

The Integrated Curriculum
The Montessori Elementary curriculum begins with the evocative story of the Universe. From this story, the interrelationship of all science evolves. Each aspect of the story -- from the earth's formation and the Age of Volcanoes to the origin of the solar system to the origin of life itself -- initiates study of the sciences of detail such as geology, astronomy and biology.

The cosmic view is emphasized through the use of timelines that introduce geological time, human time, civilizations, American History and more. "This curriculum helps the child find meaning in knowledge and to transcend the narrow confines of a self-centered existence," according to the North American Montessori Teacher's Association.

Art is integrated into the curriculum in a variety of ways. For example, a child may choose to produce a drawing, make a mask, construct a model or paint a picture that reflects an academic theme introduced in a discussion of science or culture. Computers are also used to enhance learning.

Music, movement and language are also part of the Elementary curriculum. A Spanish instructor provides language lessons. Movement includes outdoor play time and team activities in the school's spacious gymnasium.

Social awareness and environmental stewardship are important aspects of the curriculum as well. Community service projects allow the students to make meaningful connections with members of their local and global communities. Hands-on environmental studies are conducted weekly on the school's 400 acres of woods, prairie and wetlands. A week-long residential outdoor education experience at the Nature's Classroom Institute facility is also included as part of the Elementary curriculum.

Before school care from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. is available for the convenience of working parents.

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