The Absorbent Minds by Maria Montessori

Each teacher will present many science activities to the children throughout the year. Most of the science activities for the younger children revolve around plants and animals. Additionally, two favorite activities involve magnetism and objects that sink or float.
The children study such topics as “Living or Non-Living,” “Plant or Animal,” “Vertebrate or Invertebrate,” “Fish, Amphibian, Reptile, Bird, or Mammal,” “Parts of the Plant” and even “Photosynthesis. ”  Simple machines are presented, simple experiments are carried out, and human anatomy is a popular study.The study of Geography begins with a set of land and water forms into which children pour water. The pairs of forms include lake-island, cape-bay, strait-isthmus, for example. Another lesson contains two globes: one with only land and water; the other with each continent colored a different color. The globes are followed up with a flat Map of the Hemispheres on which the color of the continents corresponds to the color of the continents on the globe. The children use this map as a puzzle, removing and replacing the continents.
The children learn the names of the continents and the oceans. The elementary program in geography begins with a study of the basic land and water forms, presentations of globes and maps, and a basic overview of the seven continents from both the physical and cultural perspectives. Lessons are also given on the formation of the universe, stars, the solar system and our earth. These are supported with experiments illustrating such natural processes as volcanism, stratification, erosion, gravity, velocity, inertia, etc.As mentioned in the overview of the history curriculum, the study of Earth’s development, its physical processes and its history are so closely related that these areas of the curriculum support one another and are taught simultaneously. In our endeavor to educate children to be responsible world citizens, we continue to provide opportunities to study the seven continents in detail, to explore their landforms, bodies of water, regions and ecosystems and to learn about the cultures which inhabit them. These studies continue throughout the 6 to 12 program.

Children also study the effects of solar energy on Earth and its atmosphere, the consequences of rotation and revolution, Earth’s atmosphere and the phenomena of climate and weather, and the hydrosphere and its influence on Earth’s atmosphere, landforms and bodies of water. These studies are supplemented by experiments and are related to history and biology studies, as the effects of these phenomena on Earth’s ecosystems and life forms are presented and researched. Building upon this strong foundation in physical and cultural geography, older students explore economic geography.They are able to understand how climate, weather patterns and other natural forces affect ecological regions, govern lifestyle there and influence what is produced and what must be imported to sustain life. Students also focus on current events during this time. Their broader understanding of the geography of the world allows them to put these events into perspective. •  Geography: To launch the child’s exploration of the world’s physical environment, children are introduced to various continents, countries, states, land and water form and the solar system.
Globe of Land and WaterWith this globe, the child gets a sensorial impression of land and water. The globe has a sand surface representing land and a smooth s Puzzle Map of the World Parts & Puzzle Map of Asia Through sensorial activities with the Puzzle maps, children begin to build their knowledge of world geography surface representing water. Since the beginning of humankind, the study of geography has captured the imagination of the people. In ancient times, geography books extolled tales of distant lands and dreamed of treasures. The ancient Greeks created the word “geography” from the roots “ge” for earth and “grapho” for “to write. These people experienced many adventures and needed a way to explain and communicate the differences between various lands. Today, researchers in the field of geography still focus on people and cultures (cultural geography), and the planet earth (physical geography).
The features of the earth are the domain of physical geographers and their work includes research about climates, the formation of landforms, and plant and animal distribution. Working in closely related areas, the research of physical geographers and geologists often overlaps.Religion, languages, and cities are a few of the specialties of cultural (also known as human) geographers. Their research into the intricacies of human existence is fundamental to our understanding of cultures. Cultural geographers want to know why various groups practice certain rituals, speak in different dialects, or organize their cities in a particular way. Geographers plan new communities, decide where new highways should be placed, and establish evacuation plans. Computerized mapping and data analysis is known as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a new frontier in geography.
Spatial data is gathered on a variety of subjects and input onto a computer. GIS users can create an infinite number of maps by requesting portions of the data to plot. There’s always something new to research in geography: new nation-states are created, natural disasters strike populated areas, the world’s climate changes, and the Internet brings millions of people closer together. Knowing where countries and oceans are on a map is important but geography is much more than the answers to trivia questions. Having the ability to geographically analyze allows us to understand the world in which we live.Social question: The Young Child Dr. Montessori referred to the young child (from birth to six) as having an absorbent mind, in that children literally absorb information of all kinds from their environment effortlessly, much like a sponge.
Montessori believed that, to develop the full potential of a young child, one must appeal to his instinctive love of and need for purposeful activity. She determined that the role of the adult is to carefully prepare a beautiful, rich environment that would allow children to meet their natural needs for movement, language development, independence, order, security and discipline.Her uniquely designed materials enable children to reinforce impressions through hands-on experience and employ all of their senses to investigate their surroundings. Her method is designed to help children with their task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity. It succeeds because it draws its principles from the natural development of the child. The goal of early childhood education should be to cultivate the child’s own desire to learn. Maria Montessori The Primary Montessori Classroom In the primary Montessori program, children from 3-6 years of age all share the same classroom.
While the younger children benefit from their older classmates who act as role models, the older children benefit from the opportunity to help their younger friends. Each child usually has the same teacher for three years. The children’s innate passion for learning is encouraged by giving them opportunities to engage in spontaneous, purposeful activities with the guidance of a trained adult. Children are free to choose any material to which they have been introduced, learning at their own pace and rhythm according to their individual capabilities in a non-competitive atmosphere.As children achieve success, they experience the pleasure of learning and develop concentration along with self-discipline. The study of Geography begins with a set of land and water forms into which children pour water. The pairs of forms include lake-island, cape-bay, strait-isthmus, for example.
Another lesson contains two globes: one with only land and water; the other with each continent colored a different color. The globes are followed up with a flat Map of the Hemispheres on which the color of the continents corresponds to the color of the continents on the globe.The children use this map as a puzzle, removing and replacing the continents. The children learn the names of the continents and the oceans. The elementary program in geography begins with a study of the basic land and water forms, presentations of globes and maps, and a basic overview of the seven continents from both the physical and cultural perspectives. Lessons are also given on the formation of the universe, stars, the solar system and our earth. These are supported with experiments illustrating such natural processes as volcanism, stratification, erosion, gravity, velocity, inertia, etc.
As mentioned in the overview of the history curriculum, the study of Earth’s development, its physical processes and its history are so closely related that these areas of the curriculum support one another and are taught simultaneously. In our endeavor to educate children to be responsible world citizens, we continue to provide opportunities to study the seven continents in detail, to explore their landforms, bodies of water, regions and ecosystems and to learn about the cultures which inhabit them.These studies continue throughout the 6 to 12 program. Children also study the effects of solar energy on Earth and its atmosphere, the consequences of rotation and revolution, Earth’s atmosphere and the phenomena of climate and weather, and the hydrosphere and its influence on Earth’s atmosphere, landforms and bodies of water. These studies are supplemented by experiments and are related to history and biology studies, as the effects of these phenomena on Earth’s ecosystems and life forms are presented and researched.Building upon this strong foundation in physical and cultural geography, older students explore economic geography. They are able to understand how climate, weather patterns and other natural forces affect ecological regions, govern lifestyle there and influence what is produced and what must be imported to sustain life.
Students also focus on current events during this time. Their broader understanding of the geography of the world allows them to put these events into perspective.   Geography: To launch the child’s exploration of the world’s physical environment, children are introduced to various continents, countries, states, land and water form and the solar system. Globe of Land and Water With this globe, the child gets a sensorial impression of land and water. The globe has a sand surface representing land and a smooth s Puzzle Map of the World Parts & Puzzle Map of Asia Through sensorial activities with the Puzzle maps, children begin to build their knowledge of world geography surface representing water.