Programs & Tuition
Learn more about Mary’s Montessori programming and principles!
Our program
A mixed age classroom is a fundamental part of the Montessori Method. Our children have the opportunity to interact and socialize with other children of different ages, as well as their peers. We operate as a ten-month academic program.
The Five Areas of the Montessori Classroom
The Practical Life Area
Have you noticed your 2-year-old wanting to help you unload the dishwasher? This is part of practical life, and instrumental to your child’s healthy development. At Mary’s Montessori, we focus on a few key areas of practical life:
- Care of self (food preparation, dressing, washing)
- Care of environment (cleaning, gardening, care of pets)
- Grace and Courtesy (greetings, manners, social interactions)
- Control of Movement (refining movements, walking the line, moving quietly)
- The main purpose of the work is not to master these tasks for their own sake, but rather to assist the child’s inner development through concentration on a precise and completed cycle of activity.
The Sensorial Area
Does your baby want to touch everything? She is exploring her environment, and does so best through her five senses. Both inside and outside of the classroom, we facilitate the child’s exploration and manipulation of specific materials designed to enhance her senses:
- Sight (visual)
- Touch (tactile)
- Smell (olfactory)
- Taste (gustatory)
- Sound (auditory)
- Stereognostic (kinesthetic)
The Language Area
Language runs through every part of life, and therefore, every part of Mary’s Montessori curriculum. Children work with tactile materials such as sandpaper letters to prepare them to work with sounds. Each child is given easy access to age-appropriate books and reading materials. Through the spoken language, we are preparing the child for both writing and reading.
The Math Area
Following the Montessori Method, children are presented with tangible learning materials to help them work with the world around them. Children first learn concrete mathematics principles through materials like the red rods and number beads, which then allow them to better understand abstract mathematics principles in the future.
The Cultural Studies Area
The child is eager to understand the world around him and his place in it! The Cultural Studies Area gives him the tools to explore his natural world and understand his environment through:
- Geography (continents, landforms, earth layers, solar system)
- Zoology (classification, physiology of animals)
- Botany (ecology, classification, physiology of plants)
- History (time lines, using a calendar)
- Science
The Good Shepherd Area
Mary’s Montessori incorporates Catechesis of the Good Shepherd into its environment, as a way to honor the nature of the child and foster the child’s relationship with God. Through a specially prepared environment called the “Atrium,” the child can actually live the spiritual life.
