Children's House

The Children’s House environment is designed for children ages 2 ½ to 6 years old. The children in the Primary Program possess what Dr. Montessori called the absorbent mind, the ability to absorb all aspects of one’s culture and environment without effort or fatigue. As an aid to this period of the child’s construction, individual work is encouraged. Practical life lessons instill care for self, others and for the environment. Sensorial materials serve as tools to build cognitive skills and learn to order and classify impressions by touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, listening and exploring the physical properties of the environment. The environment is also rich in oral language opportunities as well as lessons that promote the link between sound and symbol, encourage written expression and reading skills, and expose children to the study of grammar. All of these activities are supported with work in geography, biology, botany, zoology, art and music. Mathematics activities help children learn and understand the abstract concepts of math by manipulating concrete materials. The Extended Primary and Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten programs are integrated into the Children’s House environment.