MONTESSORI AND FOREST SCHOOL
Lower and Upper Elementary
Join our community!

Lower Elementary/Forest Runners
​6-9 years

In the lower elementary classroom (first through third grade, or ages six to nine), the initial expectations are that the child will be able to accept direction, will listen attentively in small and large group presentations and will be able to work in a cooperative learning atmosphere. In most cases, the children who make the smoothest transition have been in a Montessori preschool learning environment; however, many children who have not had the benefit of a preschool Montessori education are able to make a smooth transition when guided effectively by the teacher.
Each child is provided with clear expectations in the form of a workplan or contract. Most teachers give each child his own individual plan on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. The plan provides a direction for the child and allows the teacher to guide him in the concepts he needs to review or learn. This also allows the classroom to follow the Montessori curriculum while continuing to meet (and often exceed) the standards set by the Ontario c urriculum. The workplan and environment may be altered based on each child’s ability to accept direction, his independence and other special needs.
The children run the classroom. From the first day of school, the children meet and discuss guidelines for class rules. Children who were in the class the previous year often remember situations that upset them, and these experiences may help drive the rules the children create together. Children in the classroom have work responsibilities, help each other and allow the class to run efficiently. The teacher acts as a role model, mentor and guide. She interferes with the children’s work as little as possible while providing lessons that capture the children’s imagination and interest. She also helps the children when conflicts arise, calls meetings to discuss problems with the class in an open forum and communicates the children’s progress to their families.
.
The teacher gives the children freedom and choice as they exhibit that they are ready for them. Privileges are earned independently, although all children start out with the same rights. If a particular child is unable to handle certain freedoms or responsibilities, the teacher maintains the right to help the child to be successful and safe by taking those away until the child is able to handle himself.
Each child keeps his work in his own record books, which usually are notebooks in which each subject’s work is recorded. The child’s record books and papers are stored neatly in a storage space or cubby. Although children do not have their own assigned work spots, they do have assigned areas in which to keep their things. Materials in the class (such as supplies) are for everyone to use and share. This allows the children the opportunity to learn how to be patient and cooperate with others.
As in preschool, the lower elementary teacher presents the work through concrete, hands-on materials that engage the child. It is also the teacher’s role to help children develop their academic potential to the highest level possible. The prepared environment fosters peace, tolerance for others and independence in a highly motivating atmosphere. This is an extremely successful combination that prepares the child for the upper elementary classroom or any other learning situation.
​

Upper Elementary/Forest Rangers
​9-12 years

Montessori Upper Elementary Curriculum (Fourth–Sixth Grade)
The goal of Montessori education is to cultivate the child’s own desire to learn. Maria Montessori believed that no human being is educated by another person. Rather, the child experiences intense periods of learning based on the prepared environment and the child’s interest combined with a capacity to learn. “The hand is the chief teacher of the child,” and so learning is driven by hands-on, conceptual activity. Further, concepts are presented from the “whole to part” perspective, working with natural order.
In the upper elementary classroom (fourth through sixth grade, or ages nine to 12), content is not presented in “course subject” form; instead, ideas and concepts are explored across the breadth and to the depth demanded by the child. For example, flowers are not just observed in books or through the window. The flower (possibly cultivated by the child) is brought into the environment, touched, named, identified by parts, compared and contrasted with other plants (temporally and historically), reviewed within its life cycle, located in the world, etc. Thus, education is more about experiencing and relationships than dissemination of isolated facts from a pre-selected course of study. The senses are engaged whenever possible, aiding in the child’s natural capacity to learn.
In the natural order of development, the child is now more capable of understanding the abstract and visionary elements of life. Thus, in the upper elementary, the child is further transitioning from concrete to abstract appreciation of life. The educational process continues to follow the child through its inherent flexibility and adaptability. The teacher remains the facilitator or guide, assessing and then challenging the child’s natural curiosity.
Social development takes on a more prominent development at this age. Individual morals and values are further established, particularly within the framework of peers. The sense of self is expanded beyond personal experience. Abstract experiencing through literature, arts, etc. further develops and can modify the child’s sense of self. Decision-making skills and problem-solving skills are self-tested, and success is qualified as learning from both the positive and negative experiences of life.

SPANISH IMMERSION
​ELEMENTARY AGES 6-12 YEARS

​" All our montessori programs are infused with the Spanish Language and nature curriculum. The Spanish language is taught through creative daily circles, storytelling, songs, music, art and more.....
​

Children don't have to know Spanish to be in our program!

LEARN MORE

FOREST SCHOOL
​ ELEMENTARY  AGES 6-12 YEARS

 OUR COMBINED MONTESSORI AND FOREST PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS TO STUDY THE MONTESSORI CURRICULUM OUTDOORS !

LEARN MORE

​YEAR ROUND MONTESSORI AND FOREST SCHOOL
​
​LOWER AND UPPER ELEMENTARY
​6-12 YEARS

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS SPEND TIME OUTDOORS IN THE FOREST DURING THE FALL AND SPRING SEASON.
​WINTER SEASON STUDENTS COME BACK TO SCHOOL TO LEARN THE MONTESSORI MATH, LANGUAGE AND SENSORIAL CURRICULUM
 Montessori/forest school is packed with mornings in the forest, cooking lessons, sports, music and drama programs!