PRIOR LAKE MONTESSORI

Our Preschool and Kindergarten programs utilize specific Montessori materials and are based on the following core Montessori principles:​

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PRESCHOOL

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Practical Life Activities

This area is considered to be the most important in Montessori philosophy. This accounts for the execution of real life activities which include: care of the person and environment, exercises for social relationships, general courtesies, and refinement of movement.

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​Sensorial Activities
This refers to the development of the five basic senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. We cover colors, shapes, scents, tastes, temperatures, textures, and weights as a starting point.

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Language, Reading, and Writing Skills
The first step to reading and writing is sensorial. Children learn letters by tracing sandpaper letters with their fingers. They will also learn the phonetic sound of each letter. From here, they will advance to reading.

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​Math Skills
Children learn to associate numbers with quantities. They become familiar with the sequence of numbers, counting by tens, skip counting, the four operations of mathematics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), and the decimal system.

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​Geography and Culture
Various lessons introduce children to different cultures and customs. They will also become familiar with the continents, maps, flags, and land formations to name a few.

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​Science
We cover animals, plant life, and the planets in our solar system to name a few.

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​Foreign Language
Basic Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) is introduced. The children learn colors, numbers, songs and simple sentences.

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​Music and Dance
We have daily singing and movement activities.

 

​Art
Children learn to express their creativity through a multitude of different mediums.

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KINDERGARTEN

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You will not see a difference in the set-up of the classroom as the children will be mixed with the rest of the class. However, each Kindergartner will benefit from specialized on-on-one instruction. As time progresses, we will ease one-on-one instruction and guide the student to work independently of the teacher. They will also learn to transition from concrete to abstract learning.



A sample of the subjects covered are:

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Math

• ​Introduce addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with the help of Montessori boards.

• Count and write up to 100 and beyond                        

• Recognize numbers up to 100 at random        

• Count and write by 2's, 5's, and 10's

• Learn the decimal system                                                    

• Fractions, Money, Measurements, Time                                                                           -



Language and Writing Skills

• Learn to say the alphabet from A to Z

• Recognize letters by name and learn the phonetic sound of each letter

• Write the alphabet in upper and lower case letters

• Associate upper and lower case letters

• Spelling, nouns and verbs, sentence foundation

• Creative Writing

• Basic Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL)

 

​Reading
The children will be introduced to phonetic reading first and gradually advance to more complex reading. We have had many accomplished readers even while they were in preschool. Children who are already reading at the end of preschool will be offered more advanced reading materials in the Kindergarten program.

 

​Geography

The world, continents, oceans, flags, states, land formations, countries and customs, food, holidays, etc.

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​Science

Planets, weather, nature, plants/botany, dinosaurs and more.

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​Art and Music
Painting, coloring, drawing, modeling, action songs, musical games, and dance.​​

*These are just some (not all) of the subjects that will be presented during the course of the year.