Children’s House

Ages 3 – 6

The first Montessori schools in Rome were called “Children’s Houses;” places where children were educated and nurtured, and where the environment was specifically designed with children in mind. One can very much feel this familial, caring effect from the moment of entry into the three 3-6 classrooms at Firelands Montessori Academy.

Included Curricular Areas

These areas include extensions and variations for children three to six years of age.

Practical Life

The activities in these areas are essential in the direct development of order, coordination, concentration, and independence. The indirect aim of Practical Life activities is to prepare the children for academic readiness.

  • Attention Span – all activities of Practical Life

  • Sensory Acuity – sorting by size, color, shape

  • Fine Motor – tying shoelaces, cutting with scissors

  • Social Development – serving snack to self, serving snack to others

Sensorial

The activities in this area develop the child’s sensory acuity.

  • Visual Discrimination

    • Size: Pink Tower

    • Length: Red Rods

    • Width: Broad Stairs

    • Shape: Geometric Solids/Cabinet

  • Tactile – Thermic tablets

  • Auditory – Sound cylinders

  • Gustatory (taste) – testing bottles

  • Olfactory – smelling

Mathematics

In the math area, children develop the concept of quantity and symbol through the use of concrete manipulative materials that are sequential.

  • Number Rods / Sandpaper Numbers

  • Spindle Boxes

  • Counter Games

  • Golden Beads – Decimal System

  • The Short Bead Stair

  • The Teen Boards / The Ten Boards

  • Sequencing Numbers from 1 – 100

  • Introduce static/dynamic addition and subtraction

  • Introduce the application of mathematical concepts – Bank Game

  • Practice measurement of length and width

Language

Although the language is a distinct area, it is an integral part of all the other areas in the advanced preschool classroom. The language area offers children an opportunity to develop reading writing readiness skills with a sequence of materials and progresses to and activities:

Phonics

  • Identify short and long vowel sounds and basic sight words

  • Identify the beginning and ending consonants

  • Identify consonants diagrams

  • Apply skills to sound out words

  • Blend sound to read words

Comprehension

  • State the main idea of the story read

  • Recall information read

  • Draw conclusion from the story

Vocabulary

  • Identify rhyming words, opposites, and compound words

  • Recall the sequencing of events in the story

  • Classify objects

  • Writing

  • Refine skills in the printing of both uppercase and lowercase letters

  • Write simple related sentences using phonetic skill

Cultural Studies

The cultural areas include materials and activities in History, Geography, Science, Art, and Music.

History

  • Sense of time

  • Calendar / Timelines

Geography

  • Landforms

  • Continents

  • Countries of North America

Science

  • Physical

  • Geology/Astronomy

  • Biological

  • Botany

  • Zoology

Art And Music

Children develop an appreciation for art and music and the cultural activities presented throughout the year.

Program Details

The door to the Children’s House Classrooms opens at 8:15. The morning session is from 8:15-11:15. Extended hours are available through our enrichment, before and after school programs.

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Toddler House

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Lower Elementary