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If you're considering a private education for your child, you're probably wondering which of the many schools is the right one. There are so many different schools and philosophies out there that finding the right one for your child can seem impossible! In order to find the right school, you need a little bit of information about what kinds of activities they have for your child and what those activities are supposed to accomplish. While play and imagination certainly have their place in childhood, a complete focus on these aspects can lead to trouble learning later on. For this reason, it's always a good idea to compare traditional preschools with a Montessori in Walnut. The Montessori Philosophy When you walk into traditional preschools, what you usually find are videos and toys. Basically, you're paying for your children to waste their day. When you walk into a Montessori preschool, however, you'll instantly notice that all of the "toys" look a lot different. Most of them even look challenging; and, they are! The overarching philosophy of a Montessori classroom is that children have absorbent minds and that all they need is the right environment to develop into fully functional, intelligent adults. For this reason, a Montessori classroom is full of "works" that invite and challenge your children just by being there. The Movable Alphabet For older children, one of the Montessori "works" is the movable alphabet. This box, filled with letters, is used in many different ways. It is used to help them learn their letters and sounds, learn how to spell, and learn how to read. It is the basis for many different games and offers a great way to test children who still lack penmanship skills. One game that they seem to really enjoy is "Find That Phonogram," in which the teacher makes the sound of a letter and waits to see if the children can properly identify it. The Importance of Puzzles Puzzles are another important piece of the Montessori curriculum. While, in the preschool classes, the puzzles take on a very simple form, they become decidedly more complex as the children's abilities increase. Puzzles can be used to teach them geography, bones, muscles, and shapes. Eventually, the children will learn how to make triangles into squares, rhombuses into hexagons, and other shapes into even further shapes. Puzzles are a great way to help children develop their ability to think abstractly as they start to combine and manipulate shapes in a variety of ways. This is the basis of complex math. Shapes and Their Solids How many times have you heard a four year old say, "Ovoid?" How about, "Quatrefoil?" Well, at a Montessori school, it happens all the time. One of the math works to which children are introduced involves the geometric solids. In some schools, children as young as 18 months are taught the names of solids that many of their parents don't even know. Once the children have mastered the names, they begin learning what shapes their bases are and how those shapes create entirely different geometric solids. What is the difference between a square and triangular pyramid? Ask a Montessori student, they'll know! The Spindle Box Another math work that is common to all Montessori schools is the spindle box. This work is used to teach children loose quantities to fixed numerals. It is a box that has several compartments, each of which is labeled with a numeral from 0 through 9. During this exercise, children count out the corresponding number of wooden spindles and place them in the correct compartment (done sequentially). This helps students learn what the numerals represent with a tangible quantity. This prepares them for works that feature loose numerals and loose quantities. For more information on how Montessori in Walnut can unlock your child's potential, schedule a tour.
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