What is your child into right now?
Maria Montessori described “sensitive periods” when a child’s enthusiasm for a given subject is at its fullest.
Golden Materials
Counting one to ten thousand.
Montessori’s structured environment makes the most of sensitive periods by creating a fun, safe place for children to explore specific subjects with as few distractions as possible.
Montessori materials take the no-distraction idea one step further. Their design isolates skills the children need to master so they are only solving only one problem at-a-time.
When your child is “in to” learning the alphabet, we follow the child with instruction and materials carefully crafted to help her succeed.
The same goes for math, reading, the sciences, social skills, and much more.
What’s different about a Montessori primary education?
By the time they reach Ms. Yvonne’s class, students are usually (but not always) already familiar with the Montessori learning environment and Montessori materials. Before they even line up to go inside, the children know that they are responsible for learning self control and playing and working well with their peers. Montessori students are not free to do whatever they want; the children are free to choose from the Montessori materials they are developmentally ready for and most importantly to use them properly.
What does a typical day look like?
Children have time to talk and play before lining up to go inside at 8:30. Children start the class day with a few minutes of group time.
With subjects ranging from countries of the world, seasonal topics, the sciences and more, group time changes every day. The class may read books together or review and discuss concrete examples of the day’s subject. What carries on from day-to-day is an atmosphere of active listening, an adherence to the code of civility, and an overall expectation of enjoying the day at school!
After this brief group time, the students spend the majority of their time in individual uninterrupted work periods, where they can expand on the day’s lesson with follow-up activities, or explore other learning opportunities that best fire their current personal interests.
Later, the students have a morning snack and go back outside for recess. Maintaining blood sugar levels and breaking up the academic day with physical activities helps the children stay happy and healthy for their mental explorations.
Back inside, children pursue their individual interests with work they select. The teachers observe each child for the developing core competencies they will need to master before advancing to Ms. Kathi’s and Ms. Cindy’s class.
Weather permitting, the students go back outside for a brownbag lunch at noon. After lunch, the students may work on special programs like Spanish and singing before spending the rest of the afternoon on individual studies.
What else does the class do that is different?
Every year, the class tries to attend a Rodeo Day at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and almost every year a petting zoo visits. The school has also enjoyed visits from Dinosaur George, Last Chance Forever (saving endangered birds of prey), Chicken Dog, the Trinity Players, and more. And of course, we have a great time with every holiday from Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza to Valentine’s and the Fourth of July. Near Summer, parents are invited to join students for lunchtime music and recitals at Brown Bag Day.
Ready to learn more? Please arrange with Mr. Andreas to visit the Ms. Yvonne’s primary class. We look forward to meeting you.
Ms. Yvonne, Teacher
- Primary Students Aged: 3 – 6
- Team Member Since: 1987
- Montessori Training Completed: 1989
- Quote: “The child can develop fully by means of experience in his environment. We call such experiences ‘work’.” – Maria Montessori
Ms. Patsy Garcia Davison, Assistant
- Students Aged: 3 – 6
- Team Member Since: 2009
- Quote: “The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self.” – Maria Montessori