The
Curriculum

Wild Rose Montessori Child Care provides a challenging program of activities carefully planned to promote the development of fine and gross motor skills; socialization; language; perception; and basic math and science concepts. Activities are structured in each developmental area to enable the children to learn through problem solving, experimentation and observation.

A variety of creative arts, language and concept development, and sensory-motor activities are presented.

Physical Development

Large muscle development is encouraged through running, jumping, crawling, and balancing activities available every day, both indoors and outdoors. While using small and large motor activities the children are also learning to perceive spatial relationships and judge distances.

Intellectual Development

We provide numerous opportunities for learning. The children are encouraged to develop expressive (speaking) and receptive (listening) language skills. Articulation is developed through singing songs, sharing life stories and reciting poems together. To enhance the development of mathematical concepts, the children are offered activities that teach the concepts of numbers, size and weight. They are given experiences handling money, measuring, recognizing and naming geometric shapes and telling time. Science and nature activities involve an awareness and appreciation of our natural world. We encourage the children to develop their powers of observation. We follow the interest of the children, providing answers to their questions.

To aide their natural curiosity for language development, we offer the alphabet in phonetics. We first present our language scheme as phonetic; when the phonetic scheme is mastered we then introduce words that are not phonetic. We teach the phonetic alphabet using our sandpaper letters, Children are encouraged to write what letter they are learning, you will see the papers with the letters as they come home. Using very simple activities all the children are introduced to grammar.

Art, Music, Creativity and Play

A changing array of art materials and activities are always available to the children. These activities are provided to allow the child an outlet of his/her creativity to help the child learn to make independent decisions and increase their attention spans as well as sensory perception. We also hope these creative activities will develop in the children a sense of confidence and familiarity in working with creative materials that will give them life-long satisfaction.

Music is also a part of our daily program. The children experience the joy if making music together, of creating songs and rhythms, of responding to music through movement, and of listening to many kinds of music. The children will be introduced to structured music classes this year.

During the day time is spent in the outside play area. Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. We do go outside if it is raining lightly, snowing of course.

Social Development

It is important that the children feel secure and nurtured at the Centre, so that they may learn with confidence. Limits are carefully defined, with opportunity for decision- making. We help the children learn to cooperate with large and small groups of their peers, and accept guidance from their teachers. We build their feelings of self-esteem by providing tasks at which they can succeed. We help them become aware of the wider community beyond their homes and school, through cultural studies and community visitors of all kinds.

Emotional Development

We encourage the children to develop a positive self-concept about themselves. Therefore our goal is to show a genuine interest in your child, listening to and reflecting his/her concerns or accomplishments.

We encourage the children to express their emotions in socially acceptable ways, such as talking to their peers about their problems or feelings rather than using physical means.

We promote the development of independence by teaching self-help skills and taking care of the environment around them.

Main Areas of a Montessori Classroom

Practical Life

Activities such as spooning, pouring, sponging, polishing, washing, food preparation, sweeping, etc., are designed to develop the child’s sense of order, focus, concentration, sequential memory, and an eye for detail. These are fundamental disciplines for further academic learning. The Practical life activities are designed to connect the classroom to the home.

Sensorial Training

The senses play an important role in the child’s development at this early stage. The sensorial exercises and material are designed to develop an awareness and refinement of these senses: visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory senses. Sensory education helps the child acquire details and accurate knowledge leading towards a reasoning mind. It is a basis for future cognitive learning.

Language

We teach the alphabet in phonetics with sandpaper letters. In this way, the children simultaneously learn to read and write.

Mathematics

Mathematics is taught using a base of ten. We explore the hierarchies of numbers counting and manipulating numbers into the thousands using concrete materials promoting a deep understanding and love for numbers.

Cultural Studies

Cultural subjects include art, music, history, geography, science and nature. These are taught in conjunction with other interests in order to give the child an appreciation of how the arts, sciences, and humanities affect everyday life.

Grace and Courtesy

Coordination, manners, and respect for self and others increase the child’s social sense of awareness. Moral education and virtues are also taught to the children.

Group Time

At the beginning of the school year, most centers lengthen and utilize Group Time to go over rules and regulations. At Wild Rose Montessori we also use Group Time as training time, so that the new children learn how to use the material within the prepared environment correctly. This is crucial for the well being of the environment. Group Time will be used to discuss themes, current events, calendar, drama, singing, dancing, role-playing, music, and story-telling. It’s a time to reflect on the day and have a group discussion to resolve any concerns that may arise. We ask parents to be patient through the first months and allow the faculty to train the children on how to get the most out of this very unique environment. By doing this, it will limit the amount of disruptive behaviour that may otherwise occur.