Preschool & Child Care Center Serving Hartsville, SC

Subject areas are seamlessly interwoven in an authentic Montessori classroom. Hands-on materials are used across various subject areas, and often the same materials can be used for lessons that span a variety of classroom subjects. For example, early childhood dexterity work might involve pouring water from one vessel to another. These same vessels (and water) may be used to explore the differences between states of matter in a science experiment in the same classroom. Throughout the levels of Montessori education, many of the materials will resemble those of the previous levels. Developing comfort, mastery, and a self-guided routine are hallmarks of learning in the Montessori environment. Having familiar but increasingly complex materials helps students move from the concrete to the abstract without fear.

For example, students work with maps, learning the composition and cultures of the world. In early childhood, students start identifying land and water masses and tracing or coloring maps of the continents. As the student progresses, they move on to identify continents, oceans, and countries using new map materials such as puzzle maps. Later, students can locate countries and capital cities on specially made maps, identify geographic features, and eventually create maps in the abstract.

Not only does the complexity of the work grow with the student, but the materials also grow over time. In this way, students can rely on the routines they have established before without hampering their progress toward mastering new skills. Children begin by interacting with the Practical Life materials at the earliest stages. These materials help develop the foundational skills needed to effectively utilize the Math, Language, and Sensorial materials later.