PRIMARY COMMUNITY

The Primary classroom is a specially prepared environment for children from three to six years of age. Heartwood Montessori’s Primary environment will have up to 39 children when at full capacity, with a lead guide and two assistant teachers. Each environment has an AMI trained guide , with at least one assistant Spanish fluent speaker. 

This program is an all-day program with the option of children staying for half day. Snack is available daily in the morning and the afternoon, for children in extended care. Children staying for the School Day program bring a lunch from home. For much of the children’s day, they may choose work within the environment. There is also group time for music, stories, movement, and games. Children enrolled in the School Day program have time to play outside at least once a day prior to lunch. 

Children are free to choose work from the beautiful and well-defined areas of the environment. The adults in the environment serve as guides who show the children how to use the concrete materials. Working with the materials not only helps develop coordination, concentration, independence, and a sense of order; it also helps the child become more disciplined and accomplished. Children in a Montessori environment usually have healthy self-esteems because they are helped to do things themselves. The children have ownership of the environment and take good care of it, returning materials with care. 

Instruction occurs one-on-one and in small groups conducted at the child’s pace. Montessori materials are organized in a logical, sequential nature, providing a structure that guides a child’s discovery. A series of presentations, activities, and developmentally appropriate materials are designed to enable the child to master specific skills.