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Our
Philosophy
Montessori History
How
children learn Behavioral Management
School Policies
Hours of Operation |
ABC's
123's |
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Our
Philosophy
Building
Blocks Montessori and Preschool offers a unique twist in learning
by integrating Early Childhood Teachings with Montessori equipment.
The Montessori philosophy seeks as it's goal, an independant,
self-directed child. By pursuing his/her individual interests
in the Early Childhood/Montessori classroom, he/she gains an early
enthusiasm for learning which is the key to becoming a truly educated
person. Our program integrates specially designed Montessori materials
with other developmentally appropriate activities.
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We
offer an enriched enviornment from where he/she can literally
absorb information. We ensure to provide your child with a total
curriculum. Our program provides the child progressive learning
in all areas of Practical Life, Language, Mathematics, Sensorial
and Cultural, Dramatic and Creative Activities
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Montessori
History
Dr.
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was one of the most influential pioneers
in Early Childhood Education this century. Her ideas have become
known and recognised worldwide and have considerably influenced
education.
Her original interest was medicine. She was the first women to
graduate from the University of Rome Medical School, While working
as a doctor, Montessori became interested in education. She began
working with children with "special needs" She approached
education not as a educator or a philosopher, but as a scientist.
She used her classroom as a laboratory for observing children
and from there, developed ideas to aid in helping to achieve his/her
full potential. Dr. Maria Montessori put her ideas into practice,
as she developed those that worked. She created a method of education
that combined philosophy, with a practical approach based on the
idea of freedom for a child within a carefully planned and structured
enviornment. She validated that all children are instinctively
motivated to learn and that they absorb knowledge without effort
when provided with the right kind of activities at the right time
of thier development, thier 'sensitive' periods.
An observation of Montessori's, is the importance of the sensitive
periods for early childhood learning; this has been reinforced
by modern research. These sensitive periods are periods of intense
fascination for learning a particular characteristic or skill,
for example going up and down steps, reading or putting things
in order. It is easier for the child to learn a particular skill
during the corresponding sensitive periods, than any other time
in his/her life. The Montessori classroom takes advantage of this
fact by allowing the child freedom to select individual activities
which correspond to his own periods of interest.
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How
The Children Learn
The use of the materials
are based on the young child's unique capability, for learning,
identified by Dr. Montessori as the 'absorbent mind' In her
writings she often compared the young mind as a sponge. It literally
absorbs information from the enviornment. This process is evident
in the way in which a two year old learns his native tongue,
without formal instruction and without the conscious effort
,which an adult must make to master a foriegn tongue. Recieving
information in this way is a natural and delightful activity
for a young child who uses all his/her senses to investigate
his/her surroundings.
The child retains this ability to learn by absorbing until almost
seven years of age. Dr. Montessori taught that the child's experience
could be enriched in a classroom where he could handle materials
which would demonstrate basic educational information to him.
Over sixty years of experience has proven her theory, a young
child can learn to read, write and calculate in the same natural
way that he learns to walk and talk. The Montessori equipment
invites the child to do this at his own periods of interest
and readiness.
In 'The Absorbent Mind', Dr. Montessori wrote,"The most
important period of life is not the age of university studies,
but rather the first one, the period of birth to the age of
six. For that is the time when man's intelligence itself, his
greatest implement is being formed. Not only his intelligence,
but the full body of his psychic powers. At no other age has
the child greater need of an intelligent help, and any obstacle
that restricts his creative work will lessen the chance he has
of achieving perfection."
Recent psychological studies based on controlled research have
confirmed these theories of Dr. Montessori's. After analizing
thousands of such studies, Dr. Benjamin S. Bloom of the University
of Chicago, wrote in 'Stability and Change in Human Characteristics,
"From conception to age four, the individual develops 50%
of his mature intelligence; from ages four to eight he developes
another 30%..." This suggests the very rapid growth of
intelligence in the early years and the great influence of the
enviornment in early development.Through Montessori's experience,
she found that the young child's absorbant mind usually lasts
about six years, a period she observed to be split into two
three-year phases.
First phase of activity- birth
to 3 years, is the most formative in childhood. The child absorbs
all available impressions in full detail, each impression is
instantly manifested into and superimposed on all previous ones.
The absorbant mind acquires nearly any impression, simple or
complex, with ease and accuracy. It responds to human stimuli,
within the full range of human activity; It uses every sense
to percieve the child's entire emotional as well as behavioural
and cultural enviornment. By absorbing surrounding enviornment,
the young mind creates his/her human abilities, in about three
years.. These creations do not appear gradually, but seem to
be formed by an inner development that is only occasionally
in vast leaps of ability.
Second phase- 3 to 6,
the absorbant mind continues to function , yet now appears more
scientifically focused on specific impressions gained through
interaction with the material as well as human enviorment. These
new experiences come together, further develop, and then, integrate
the abilities earlier created. During the first phase, the mind
consisted mostly of an inner development that surfaced occasionally
in surprising gains, the second phase appears busy, and the
development of skills are open and continuous. Previous activity
in the enviornment had been largely unconscious and spontanious,
the 3-6 year old interacts with the enviornment consciously
and intentionally, he/she strongly prefers certain experiences
to others. All these experiences continue to be acquired by
the 'absorbant mind' without effort or strain, no matter how
complex they appear to us adults. Child recieves impressions,
processes, categorises and interprets them; filtering bits of
impressions through and fitting them into, an inherited structure.
The structure gradually changes and unfolds as the child grows.
What makes each child's intellectual development different ,
are the different experiences that the child has been exposed
to at each stage of the structure's unfolding. Although the
first stage is unconscious, it is not undirected. At any one
time, the child's unfolding intellectual structure makes use
of certain aspects of the impressions it absorbs. It is the
effect of absorbed experience on the underlying structure that
creates the child's intellectual abilities. By the second phase,
*around 3, the structure's developmental work has progressed
sufficientally enough to give the child enough mental faculties
to express interest consciously...
Thirdly , 3-6 child feels
and shows preferences for the types of stimuli needed to refine
and integrate the basic abilities from 0-3.
The following activities provide the child 5 subjects with stimuli
and experiences that, in terms of our theory discussions 'nourish
the absorbant minds' , fulfill needs of the sensitive periods
and the child's inner unfolding intellectual structure, and
also, follows the process of three stage learning:
Practical Activities-develop
personal and social skills used in daily living ie/dressing
oneself, cleaning, being polite)
Sensorial Activities-serve
to enhance and enlarge the child's sense perceptions of the
world
Language-start child reading and writing
Mathematics-introduce counting and arithmetic
Cultural-exposes child
to fields of inquiry as physical science, history, geography,
anthropology and biology.
Each activity, in itself provides some such experience to aid
some particular stage of development. Together the activities
build on another to create an inter-related web of experience
that helps integrate the individual abilities developed along
the way.
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Behavioral
Management
Reasonable
limits should be clearly set and enforced consistently through
positive example, empathy, and affection. You can shape and manage
a child’s behavior through positive teaching methods, such
as, example, explanation, encouragement and rewards.
Children learn best when given reasonable limits and freedom to
make choices. Discipline is planned to assist the child to become
self-disciplined through the use of choices and logical consequences.
This centre will not permit the following methods of disciplinary
methods
Corporal punishment
Derogatory Comments
Confinement
Deprivation
Techniques
Behavioral Management
techniques provide reassurance and structure through daily routine.
Children gain a sense of security when routines occur regularly.
When a child knows what to expect, anxiety and uncertainty diminish.
Stimulating activities to keep a child interested and engaged;
also provide notice for transitions from one activity to the next.
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School
Policies
ARRIVAL
AND DEPARTURE SAFETY
When dropping or picking up your child, please ensure that a staff
member is aware of your arrival and departure.
In the event that a parent or guardian is unable to pick up your
child, please notify the school with name and relation of adult
picking up the child. At time of pick-up, picture identification
is mandatory
PARENT COMMUNICATIONS
Opportunities for daily communication verbally, written and or
through email are welcomed and encouraged. We guarantee parent
satisfaction and strive to provide systems of communications.
Also, we offer yearly parent/teacher meetings, to provide an evaluation
of your child's progress.
Our office door is always open, please feel free to voice opinions
and suggestions at any time.
HEALTH AND MEDICATION
Upon admission to our centre, a documented medical form must be
filled out, in order for us to be made aware of any health or
food restrictions. Parent's are required to bring in an updated
immunization record. Any prolonged or communicable illness must
be reported immediately to our office. A physicians note may be
necessary, to state that your child is clear of infection in order
for your child to return to school.
If your child should become ill during the school day, you or
your emergency contacts will be notified in order to arrange for
pickup of the child.
Children who show signs of, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and or excessive
tiredness must remain home for the well-being of your child as
well as their peers at school. While children are in our centre,
they are expected to follow the daily schedule and routine.
Our centre will administer current prescription medication when
a parent provides daily written authorization. However the Day
Nurseries Act requires that the medication arrive in the original
container, is not an over the counter drug and is only to be administered
with the instruction on the label
CLOTHING
Please ensure that you send an extra set clothes, labeled with
your child's name, in the event that your child should require
them.
We suggest that you send your child to school in comfortable play
clothes, as they will be busy all day at school and may become
a little messy.
FIELD TRIPS
Everybody needs a break once in a while. Throughout our year,
we will be planning fun, educational field trips for all to enjoy.
A notice will be sent home well in advance and a permission slip
will be sent home, that must be signed and returned to school.
Parent volunteers are always welcome to join in and assist the
group.
HOLIDAYS
Our centre is open Monday through Friday, 12 months a year, with
the exception of statutory holidays such as:
Good Friday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
Labour Day
Civic Holidays
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve
Boxing Day
New Years Day
We will notify you in writing of any school closings. Our centre
may also close due to severe weather conditions
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Hours
of Operation
Our centre is open
from 7:00a.m. – 6:00 p.m
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