Rooms

NURSERY ROOM

Our Montessori Nursery room caters for 6 weeks to 24 months old , during the first three years of life; a child’s brain absorbs more information from the environment than at any other part of his lifetime. Every sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell is taken in and processed. It is an amazing, wondrous period in a tiny, complete human being’s life. Our room and activities are beautifully designed to create a range of stimulating experiences to foster the development of each child. We provide opportunities for the children to learn through play, both planned and spontaneous, catering to the child's individual interests. The Nursery room aims to provide a nurturing, caring and safe environment for children to learn, grow and develop with a flexible curriculum, allowing for the changes to children's routine, catering to their individual needs.

For children 6 weeks to 6 months children have the opportunity to experience tummy time and mirror time as well as activites that promote motor and sensory development extending on their sense of touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. Movements is the focus of our curriculum as this teaches the children control of their body and gives them the exciting task of learning to move efficiently in their world.

For children 6 Months to 12 Months is when the children start to develop self identies and by providing them with social and language experiences, they are developing and expanding vocabulary through a vast array of experiences with music, stories and sounds. Social experiences allow children the opportunity to be independent and work within groups alongside others, share emotions and being able to recognize and express feelings.

For children 12 Months to 18 Months is where the children focus on their cognitive development, this is where the child focuses on using a higher brain function which can be seen in experiences that relate to problem solving, matching skills, becoming familiar with geometric shapes, sequencing events or identifying objects.

For children 18 Months to 24 Months this is the transition phase as we prepare the children to the Toddler Room. In doing so, the children focus on Practical Life experiences as these activities support the children’s independence as they develop skills to successfully deal with day to day experiences. These activities allow the children to engage in meaningful tasks such as caring for animals, food preparation, cleaning, setting the table, pouring their water, drinking from a cup , toileting, dressing, using kitchen utensils, and builds skills that will allow children to contribute to the society in an independent and responsible manner. We also provide a separate eating area and a separate art area where the children explore their independent creating self-identities whether this is with paint, playdough, scissors, glue or our recycled materials from REIMDA.

Our outdoor prepared environment provides many opportunities with balance beams, bikes, swings, imaginative play areas, sandpit, vegetable garden and sensory table. All children are encouraged to participate in circle time, brain gym and music and movement as this provides a routine gross motor movement and helps children transition smoothly.

During the day the children have four opportunities to freely choice a Montessori experience that appeals to their interests as this provides independence and confidence.

TODDLERS ROOM

The Montessori Toddler environment provides a safe, calm, carefully designed setting for optimal learning that nurtures the physical and spiritual being. Sensory, cognitive, language, social, and cultural activities address the natural tendencies of the child’s developmental process. Even at this early stage, a child is soon able to make choices for his/her own independence.

In this room we strive to encourage and support the children’s independence by assisting in our day to day routines from helping prepare beds to maintaining their own personal hygiene when preparing for meals and toileting.

Throughout the day the children engage and participate in circle time, which includes music / dance, story sessions, information and research sessions. We include a vast array of sessions as this group time develops children’s language, social and emotional development as they dramatically express their selves and their thoughts and ideas. Meal times offer children to independently serve their own meals and pour their own drinks, washing hands and collecting necessary cutlery needed and setting the table. Our outside space uses a range of natural and man-made material to offer children a range of equipment to develop their social, teamwork, imaginative, motor and problem solving skills as they manoeuvre through the obstacles course.

Each day after transitioning from morning outdoor play the children participate in Brain Gym which are a series of body movements that engage and connect the left and right sides of the brain, and prepares the children for learning as they follow the rhythm and instructions of the music.

After brain gym the children choose individual tasks which develop their motor, social, cognitive and practical life development while also teaching the importance of caring for and maintaining their equipment and environment. We offer a rest time where the children choose to have a rest or participate in activities during rest / quiet time.

Our Room also offers many exciting art and sensory activities that involve the children using their creativity, fine motor to express ideas and also plan the activities as children are always active participants in our programming.

The educators in the Toddlers room embrace a child-centered philosophy that demands a respect for the child and support for all his incredible potential. Within the safety of the prepared environment and under the watchful observation and guidance of the Montessori caregiver, the child is free to explore his / her new world.

KINDY ROOM

Our Montessori Kindy program is for children from 3 to 6 years. We combine the philosophies and teaching methods of Maria Montessori alongside the Early Years Learning Frame Work. Montessori believes that from (birth–6 years), is the time of the absorbent mind, the joy of learning is more evident and effortless than perhaps at any other stage of life. Through curiosity, the child absorbs information, assimilates it with his senses, and constructs his own knowledge.

The Montessori Method allows children ages 3–6 the unique opportunity to learn more thoroughly, quickly and efficiently through experience, guidance, and practice.

In this mixed-age environment, children spend three years in the same classroom getting to know each other and their educators as well. We are also passionate in how we continuously build on strong relationships and working with families, as its essential in each child’s being, belonging and becoming, making our environments a strong classroom community, for children, parents and educators collaborating together.

We have 7 learning areas within our Montessori program curriculum: Outdoor, Literacy, Numeracy, Culture, Sensorial, Practical Life and Social and emotional.

At meal times the children independently set the table and serve their own food as this develops confidence and practical life skills such as pouring and using kitchen utensils. The children have their own sunscreen station to actively take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. Outdoor creates free choice play with natural and man-made resources where children are able to voice their opinion of what activities they would like to experience. The children water and care for our garden and animals. Once transitioned indoors the children participate in Brain Gym as this provides all children to be engaged; follow and demonstrate body movements to music as this prepares and allows the children’s absorbent mind to focus for learning.

During Montessori all children are free to select their own tasks of interest in the categories of; Practical Life, Sensorial, Numeracy, Literacy and Cultural. Before lunch the children are invited to join in on circle time which gives ample opportunity for group discussion time, music and songs and also cultural investigations. After Lunch the children are given the opportunity for creative art expression which allows each child to follow their interests: using a range of media such as playdoh, clay, glues, scissors, painting, oil pastels, fabrics and items from REMIDA, to use imaginations and express one’s self creatively. Montessori is a benefit to all children and provides many opportunities in developing skills and extending knowledge for the children to become independent, confident and responsible citizens within their community.