What to expect from our private Montessori Preschool in Bergen County, NJ:
A focus on the whole child
Attention to academic, social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth
A wholesome learning experience where each individual child is respected
A place that nurtures self-motivation and independence
An environment where each child feels successful and enthusiastic
A curriculum that appropriately challenges each child
A multi-age class mimics home life, allows older peers to act as mentors.
Up to 3 years with same teachers.
The Primary Program has an average student to teacher ratio of 10 to 1.
Kindergarten (5-6 years old)
What to expect from our private Montessori Kindergarten in Bergen County, NJ:
Full-day academic program
Bridge to elementary
Access to advanced Montessori materials
Individualized teacher-created work plans
Important life skills such as time management and independence.
Expand research abilities
Build public speaking skills
Serve as leaders and mentors
Sustained independent work (a core component of the Montessori Method)
Half day in their primary multi-age class and half day in a class with same age peers.
A bridge to elementary years.
The Kindergarten Program has an average student to teacher ratio of 12 to 1.
The Primary & Kindergarten Curriculum
Practical life activities include objects and materials normally encountered in everyday living experiences. These activities help students develop independence, a sense of order, the ability to focus, concentrate, build coordination, and organizational skills.
Practical Life activities:
are often the first lessons the child is invited to experience and explore
are made of beautiful and enticing materials
create the foundation for future academics
help children learn to control their movements
allow students to master the care of themselves and care for their environment
train the eye for reading and the strengthen the hand and pincer grip for writing
develop patience and understanding
Grade and Courtesy lessons: Shaking hands, acting as hosts, using polite manners, cleaning up, serve peers first, food preparation.
Examples: Cleaning, sweeping, pouring, dressing, learning to tie, and caring for class plants and animals.
Maria Montessori said that a primary purpose of the sensorial exercises is that “the child train himself to observe, that he be led to make comparisons between objects to form judgments, to reason and to decide; and it is in the indefinite repetition of this exercise of attention that a real development ensues.”
Between the ages of three and six, the child is drawn to things that stimulate their senses.
Sensorial activities:
enable the child to gain information through the exploration of their senses
encourage children to develop classification and discrimination skills
enhance and refine the child’s sensory awareness
develop the foundation for:
math skills
spatial relations
reading and writing
visual discrimination of length, height, width and volume
colors and shapes
Examples:
Knobless cylinders, knobbed cylinders, brown stairs, red and blue rods, color tablets, constructive triangles, binomial and trinomial cubes and of course the iconic pink tower.
Language is an intricate part of The Village School Montessori classroom. Maria Montessori said, “Language is an instrument of collective thought.” It is the thing that separates us from other forms of life.
Early childhood is the sensitive period when language is formed. It is during this time that children take pleasure in listening to and then repeating the spoken language.
Language activities:
build vocabulary with big books, poetry, and daily reading aloud
create the foundation of writing and reading
introduce the sounds of the letters first
help students encode (spell) and decode (read) words by linking these sounds together
teach students to recognize letters visually before reading whole words
involve tracing letters with different textures before learn to write
challenge reading and writing abilities at the appropriate level for each child
Examples:
Sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet.
Maria Montessori believed that children could absorb mathematical concepts naturally. She deduced via observations that there were periods in children’s development where they absorb mathematical concepts and ideas naturally through the environment, as well as through the manipulation of concrete materials. The Practical Life, Sensorial and other areas in our Montessori classrooms help lay the foundation for math. These areas provide the children with opportunities to order, sequence, measure, and grade.
The Montessori math materials at The Village School are perhaps some of the most attractive and alluring materials in our classrooms.
Mathematics activities:
are worked through in a sequential order
use concrete materials to help children obtain a clear vision of what they are learning
begin with teaching basics such as numeral recognition
develop concepts of addition, multiplication, subtraction and division
help to internalize the concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations fractions, etc.
It is not uncommon in our primary classrooms to see young children adding together four digit numbers using Montessori math materials.
Examples:
Bead cabinet, spindle boxes, number rods, sandpaper numerals, golden bead materials, tens and teens boards, place value cards/ mats.
Science
The Primary science curriculum aims to cultivate a lifelong interest in observing nature and discovering more about the world in which we live.
Science topics include:
exploring magnetism
growing plants
learning about the lifecycles of plants and animals
animal classification
the solar system
the human body
dinosaurs
simple physics & chemistry experiments
Geography
The Geography curriculum creates opportunities to explore and develop concrete foundations for understanding the world.
Geography topics include:
the seven continents (over the three-year cycle in Primary)
concrete examples of each continent’s countries, people, language, literature, dress, and wildlife
exploration and research through use of maps, puzzles, booklets, and artifacts introduce the child to the planet’s great diversity of land and people.
Art
integrated with the classroom environment
a designated area in the classroom
explore and express themselves through various art implements
Music
circle time songs and games
formal music classes
different instruments are introduced
learn tone and rhythm
Spanish
keep young students excited about Spanish
communicate in Spanish using common phrases
pronunciation learned through rhythm and songs
vocabulary learned through senses and concrete objects
lessons focus on greetings, colors, animals, numbers, days of the week and body parts, weather, foods and family
Movement
incorporated into each day
walking on a line
balance exercises
carrying materials to and from shelves in the classroom
work on large motor skills
practice cooperation
learn about different ways to move
go outside for recess in the morning and afternoon
Library
visit the school library each week
select a book to take home
parents sign up to read
Art
study natural phenomenon
study art forms from peoples and cultures around the world
create art inspired by these works
Examples of projects:
collages of layered triangles and stripes in the spirit of the Navajo rug designs
scale drawings with oil pastels inspired by nature such as storms, sun flares, solar eclipses
action drawings of hurricanes, tornados, and lightening
Van Gogh inspired sunflower drawings with close up seed patterns found at the center of flowers
All art projects are designed to be open-ended so that students may express themselves through their art work
Music
songs, rhythmic exercises, listening to classical music and singing stories
music vocabulary and concepts (like dynamics, tempo, rhythm) introduced
preparation for reading writing and playing instruments
introduced to orchestra instruments and sounds
Physical Education
basic gross motor and manipulative skills:
running, jumping, throwing, catching, bouncing, hopping, landing and kicking
balance and body control
key movement concepts for variety of games and activities
learn how their bodies react to vigorous physical activity - increased heart rate and breathing
develop a positive attitude towards leading a healthy, active lifestyle
Technology
computer fundamentals
basic knowledge such as the function of the 5 basic parts of the computer - monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse or trackpad, and CPU(central processing unit)
computer rules
how to create with technology: selecting tools to draw, write, select, take pictures and videos
Spanish
Our primary playground offers a large green space for running and playing. Primary classes go outside every day in both morning and afternoon classes weather permitting - we even love to play in the snow! A sandbox, age appropriate climber and other engaging equipment are provided. In the winter, you might even see some of our students using the hill for sledding!
Our Kindergarten students have the opportunity to spend some time each day playing on the K-8 playground which features a larger climber, basketball hoops, four square and hopscotch as well as plenty of space to run and play with friends.
Health and gardening classes focus on learning the names of our body parts and how we use them. Time is spent discussing how to stay healthy, food choices, hygiene and general wellness. In the garden children learn about the parts of the plant, different types of seeds, basic planting and garden care.
