What should a Good montessori classroom look like?
“In the prepared classroom, children work with specially designed manipulative materials that invite exploration and engage the senses in the process of learning.”
Often parents ask me what they should look for on their hunt for a good Montessori School. I have a list below of materials that should be present on the shelves so that when you are invited for open day or to observe a Montessori classroom you can be prepared and keep your eyes peeled for some of these activities below. We are very happy with Harry’s Montessori School and we hope that this helps you find a good school for your little ones too!
First things first, you should see no plastic toys in the room. It should be a clear and clutter free environment with wooden shelves and glassware with real crockery and no plastic cups or jugs. Everything should be child-sized and within reach of the child. All cleaning equipment should be child-sized too and the children should be working and walking freely around the room working on tables or floor rugs either individually or in small groups. There should be a nice buzz in the room but no chaos or shouting. An example of a scene could be, one child is washing a window while another sweeps or is folding laundry. Another older child could be helping a younger child with his addition of the golden number beads on a floor rug while another child is matching continents using the continent puzzle map. You will most likely see the Montessori teacher on the floor kneeling down giving a presentation on botony or zoology while her assistant is helping a child peel and serve cucumber for morning snack.
Below you will see some of Harry’s favorite Montessori Activities that he is enjoying in his classroom at the moment.
I will leave a description of what each activity is called and what the purpose is. I hope that if you are considering sending your child to a Montessori School that the classroom has all of the appropriate materials. According to AMI and AMS there is a criteria or a set list of materials that a classroom must have in order for it to be a legit Montessori Children’s House/ Casa class. I will leave the list below on the bottom too for you to have so you can check it off on your search!
Hope you enjoy the blog post and can find the beauty in a Montessori Environment!
Harry tracing the letter d with sandpaper letters.
Purpose: To give the child the symbols for the sounds of his own language by means of three senses: touch, vision, and hearing. Preparation for handwriting.
Harry writing the letter H in sand.
Purpose: Sensory exercise for writing preparation.
Binomial Cube: 1 red cube, 3 red and black identical rectangular prisms, 1 blue cube, 3 identical blue and black rectangular prisms. When assembled the eight pieces form the cube of a binomial: (a+b)^3=a^3+3a^2b+3ab^2+b^3
Purpose: Indirect preparation for mathematics: the cube of a binomial (How to create a cube out of two factors) . Preparation for cube root
Introduction to algebra and preparation for the proof of the formula (a+b)^3
Map of the Continents.
Purpose: Preparation for the later study of geography. Learning the names and shapes of the continents of our world.
Red Rods: 10 wooden rods, each rod is 2.4 cm x 2.4 cm. Each rod increases in length by 10 cm, from 10 cm to 100 cm (1 meter). The child builds them into a stair from shortest to longest. Additional lessons may include : exploration of the material and sensorial language – short, shorter, shortest, and long, longer, longest.
Visual discrimination of dimension; length and Indirect preparation for mathematics
Float/ Sink experiment in Science/Culture area.
Purpose: Understanding the concept of how some things float while other things sink.
Geometric Cabinet: Learning his geometric shapes in the form of a puzzle.
Purpose: Develop fine motor/pincer grip through transferring the shapes as well as sensorily tracing the shapes with fingers to learn how to form the shape.
Discrimination of shape (or form)
Enhancement of Visual memory
Preparation for mathematics; Geometry
The child reads the labels and matches them to the appropriate picture. He uses control cards (pictures and words are all on one card) to check his work. He can do this work with any Classified Cards for which he knows all the language.
Polishing silver in Practical life area: Develops concentration, fine motor skills as well as coordination. Also the sense of achievement and job satisfaction rewarded after seeing the results of a shiny clean ornament! Empowering children to care for their environment is very important and teaches them a great sense of responsibility! Note that his apron is not on properly and thats ok. He put it on all by himself! Another step towards independence.
Baking using real materials not plastic.
Lots of light, plants for the children to water, paintings should be low hanging so the child can appreciate. Remember it’s the child’s room, not for pleasing the parents.
According the the American Montessori Society, here are all the things you might want to know and look out for in your Montessori School!
I hope you enjoyed the read and it brought you some insight into the Montessori World!