MONTESSORI EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
| Montessori Early Learning Centre
c/ Stonnington Primary School The Avenue Windsor Vic 3181 Ph: 03 9521 3711 The Montessori Early Learning Centre will commence operations as of the third term of the 2006 school year. Why Choose Montessori for Preschoolers: • To nourish and extend your child’s innate curiosity and love of learning • To promote confidence, persistence and initiative • To develop and refine sensory motor skills • To stimulate creative intelligence and imagination • To enable your child to expand socially through respect for self, others and environment • To foster within your child fundamental attitudes and skills essential for creative learning We provide a Montessori based program for preschoolers from 2 years of age, delivered in a warm and nurturing environment. Our program aims to promote your child’s confidence, persistence and initiative through activities and equipment designed to refine sensory motor skills, stimulate the imagination and to enable your child to expand socially through respect for self, others and the environment. The Montessori philosophy encourages your child’s natural yearning to learn and make sense of their world and their place in it. The specialised equipment is designed for self-education and self-correction to enhance your child’s eagerness to master his/her environment by “Helping Me to do it by Myself”, within the context of free play. Our play group is intended for children who are taking their first steps away from home and is a wonderful stepping stone for children embarking on preschool education. Parents are encouraged to participate and share the program with their child however we understand that this may not be possible at all times. The three key elements in our Montessori based programs: A. THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Maria Montessori believed children are basically good. Generally, when children are perceived as bad or misbehaving, it is because the environment is not meeting their needs. The learning environment plays a crucial role in our programs. Our room has a special atmosphere of cheerful orderliness, calmness and purposeful work. The specially prepared environment invites the young child to investigate his/her community and culture – to satisfy his/her natural curiosity. Equipment is child-sized where possible. B. THE MATERIALS The Montessori materials are designed with a specific purpose to provide a unique learning experience for the child. Many of the materials also have a control of error, so the child can see whether the task has been completed correctly without being told. This self-correction protects the child’s self esteem and encourages independence as the child feels that he/she has “taught” himself/herself. Materials correspond with and are appropriate for each sensitive period of development e.g., a child's desire for order, attention to detail, developing manipulative and coordination skills. As children manipulate the sensorial, language and mathematical materials, the link between hand and mind is further reinforced. Hence, abstract thought develops while building self-confidence in the process. C. THE EDUCATOR “To stimulate life – leaving it then free to develop, to unfold, – herein lies the first task of the educator” – Maria Montessori The role of our educator is to be a link between the child, the specially prepared environment and the materials – to show the child how to use the various objects and then leave them free to explore and experiment. The child is free to repeat and explore independently, solving his/her problems along the way. Mistakes are seen as learning experiences. Our educator will demonstrate the exercise again to the child rather than criticising. The child is then free to try again or explore the materials in his/her own time. The child will master the activity by repeating it again on other occasions. The Montessori method believes in “the joy of self-discovery” which also builds confidence and self-esteem. The Montessori Early Learning Centre is a non-competitive environment. Each child relates only to his/her own previous work, and his/her progress is not compared to the achievements of others. We strive for a vibrant, interactive learning environment that encourages each child to explore, experience, reason, cooperate and collaborate. We emphasise the importance of respect for oneself, others and the environment. The goal of the Montessori preschool is the development of an independent individual who is capable in all areas of life. Our Playgroup program encourages: Language Enrichment: Through extending the child’s growing vocabulary during this sensitive period for language. This is achieved through joining conversations, listening to stories and poems and classifying objects. Practical Life Activities: To develop your child’s concentration, manual coordination and dexterity, sense of order and independence through activities reflecting daily life utilising tools and materials specifically selected to suit the developmental age of your child. Sensorial Activities: Enables your child to understand his/her sensorial perceptions (visual, auditory, tactile, smell, taste) and to develop their abilities to identify, differentiate and remember sensorial information – supporting the beginning of conscious knowledge. We offer within each session • Music and Movement • Story telling and poetry • Usage of Montessori equipment • Art and craft • Coordination and Balance Our Location The Playgroup is operated on site of the Stonnington Primary School in a separate facility and is accessed from The Avenue, Windsor. |
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Montessori Early Learning Centre
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