Primary

The Absorbent Mind

Between the ages of three and six, children readily absorb all aspects of their environment in a quest to become part of their culture. The Primary Level, also referred to as the Children’s House, provides an educational setting rich in factual and beautiful materials, where the children construct their own intelligence with meaningful and purposeful work.

Community and Choices

At Forest Bluff School, the Primary Level introduces children to a larger classroom community where they learn the fundamental academic concepts that are the foundation for their later learning. As each child is ready and shows interest, the teachers present a broad range of concepts and activities in individual and small group lessons, using hands-on materials. Through continued use of the materials, children develop a concrete understanding of abstract concepts, such as mathematics, providing a solid foundation for learning into the future.

Children choose their own work with the guidance of the teacher when necessary, and work independently or in small groups. Deep learning happens through exploring, repeating, and mastering each self-chosen activity. This freedom to make choices is important to the development of responsibility and self-mastery for which Montessori students are known.

Group Activities and Play

While most of the day is spent in self-directed work, there are also times for group activity and play. The teacher may gather a group for songs or to tell stories about a cultural, scientific or historical theme of interest. Ample time is also given to run, explore and play with friends outdoors.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Instead of a top-down curriculum based upon age, the teacher is trained to respect your child’s unique potential and connects them with the lesson best suited at that precise moment of development. Your child will be challenged according to their ability, not to a generic standard.

The Goals of the Curriculum

By the end of our Montessori Primary Level, most children at Forest Bluff School are writing in cursive with ease and are able to read simple stories of their own creation that they enjoy illustrating with a drawing or watercolor painting. They understand mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and know many math facts, as well as the names of continents, countries, animals, and plants.

Reading With Your Child

For children under age six, we recommend books that reflect reality and are written either poetically or with proper sentence structure. By reading to your children every day and often, you are instrumental in their thinking, speaking and future reading development.