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The Primary / Kindergarten curriculum includes the following areas:
Language – Montessori language materials are phonetically based. Children learn to recognize letters by their sounds which provides a firm basis for reading and spelling. The sounds are broken down into five subsets and the children are able to begin building words and recognizing initial sounds as they master each sound group. Children begin to blend sound and transition into reading effortlessly and enthusiastically.
Sensorial – Montessori sensorial material is designed to stimulate a child’s sense of order with respect to different geometries, colors, sounds and smells. Preliminary sensorial exercises include the brown stair and the pink tower. These activities, through matching and grading, increase the child’s ability to discriminate sensorial impressions.
Mathematics – In Montessori, mathematics are taught using concrete materials presented in a precise order. This allows the child to experience, using his/her senses math in a tangible way. Once the child masters each level of skill, he/she is transitioned from the concrete material to the abstract applications (worksheets) This hands-on approach allows the child to experience math without merely memorizing the answers.
Practical Life – This area of the classroom is crucial to a child’s development in several ways. It is through practical life works that children build fine motor control, increase concentration and attention span, and advance his/her independence.
Geography/Culture – Children are exposed to geography through globes and large puzzle maps. They study the solar system, the earth, the continents and different cultures. These are all part of the annual curriculum.
Science – The study of science is pursued through tangible real-life objects in the classroom. Parts of plants and animals, including their life-cycle are studied using three-part cards, microscopes, and other experiments. Botany, physiology and zoology are all included in classroom works.
MEA has a large outdoor area that is cooled using a commercial mist system. There is a climbing structure, garden, gazebo, grassy area and a zen rock garden. In the cooler months we open our outdoor environment for the children to work on hammering, gardening, raking, shoveling, and other water works (window cleaning, sock washing, tire washing, etc.)
Spanish - The children receive weekly Spanish lessons which include vocabulary development, conversational phrases and songs.
Gymnastics – MEA offers “Kartwheels” gymnastics classes weekly for children 2 ˝ -6.
Karate - Instruction provided by Master McGowan who is a 4th Dan Black Belt in Combat Hap Ki Do and a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do
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