Activités extrascolaires
06 67 86 82 12
Children house
The children house is a kindergarten, welcoming kids from 3 to 6 years old.
"Apprends-moi à faire par moi-même"
Montessori in kindergarten
Dr. Montessori called it the children house (3 to 6 years old).
According to her, school is before anything else a place of living, adapting itself to the needs of each child, reuniting all the necessary conditions for his development, in order to help him to find his true self.
She perceives the child as an "absorbent mind". She often compares the young spirit to a sponge, completely absorbing all the information in his environment.
Acquiring information this way is a natural motivating activity for the kid, using all his senses, including through the use of science materials.
The importance of the first years
In her book "The absorbent mind", Dr. Montessori wrote "the most important time of life is comprised between the birth and six years old, not in higher education. Thus, it's the moment where man's greatest tool, intelligence, is developed. Not just intelligence, but all the physical abilities... There's no other time but this one when the children requires a clever help, and any obstacle impeding his creative work will reduce his chances to reach perfection".
Montessori materials
Many of the pedagogical materials were created by Maria Montessori, in order to allow the child, through manipulating, to develop all his potential in all the areas.
This material is definitely one of the main strenghts of the Montessori pedagogy.
Most of this material allows the child to correct himself on his own, thus developing his self-correction ability.
The material is located on children sized shelves in order to attract the child's interest and to fulfill his deepest desire and will of learning.
The child is free to choose what he wants to study, and completes it right to the end. He becomes the organiser of his own path, thus developing his independence in studying.
In each environment there is an area dedicated to a specific kind of materials:
Mathematics
Sensorial
Practical life
Language
Science
History-Geography
Music/Sports
To each child his own pace
Mixing ages is crucial in this cycle. Indeed, the child is attracted by the activities of the older children, and can benefit from them and be taught. It's a good stimulation and teaches respect towards different ages.
Maria Montessori observed that the child goes through sensitive times, during which he's especially interested in specific matters. During this time, he's particularly likely to learn.
For instance, during the crucial time of reading, the child is fascinated by sounds, letters, and if the educator knows how to introducethe materials to him, he can acquire the reading skills easily, with more pleasure.
Afterwards, this crucial time is done and the child will go through a new one, which the educator will have to notice.
Children do not go through the sensitive times at the same moment, which is why they require an individual pedagogy.
Each child improves at his own pace, while developing as much as possible his potential.
Educators
All educators were trained in the Montessori pedagogy and aim the child's well-being and development.
The relationship between the child and his educator must be based on trust and mutual respect. The educator is the lead of the environment and it's his responsibility to conceive an environment always conducive to the children's will to learn.
The student follow-up
At the end of each trimester, educators write a detailed balance on the child's work. In his mother tongue, the student is evaluated through his work in practical life, sensory, mathematics, language but also a general observation of his conduct. For the english class, a general observation is produced.
The educators rely on the app "Je valide" to state in written the follow-up of the child's improvement.
