written by Eileen McElrath, Elementary Program Director
What is Montessori Education?
If you are new to Montessori education or would like a refresher of what learning looks like in each of our Lower and Upper Elementary communities, view this 5 minute video accompanied by a short article from the American Montessori Society (AMS) that provides an introduction to Montessori Elementary learning!
We will be opening up our classrooms for observations on Tuesdays from November 5th, 2024 - January 30th, 2025.
We would welcome each of you to come and observe the prepared environment in action in your child’s classroom. You can sign up here: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary. Continue reading below to learn more about the Montessori prepared environment that you can look for while observing.
What is the Prepared Environment?
When you walk into an elementary Montessori classroom, you are drawn to many things. The shelves have interesting materials to explore. The tops of shelves showcase objects to observe that may spark a student’s curiosity. There are a wide variety of plants and sometimes animals. The art on the walls invites you to look closer. The colors are calm, the furniture is wood, the room feels light and uncluttered. It is a wonderful place to spend your day!
We call this a prepared environment. “Prepared for what?”, you might ask. It is prepared for students to explore their world, their past, and their future, and prepared so that students can develop the skills needed in life. Every day, the environment is restored to be ready for the next day. Before the school year begins, guides spend many hours preparing the room to be an optimal learning environment for our children. While each room has its own look and feel, all of our classroom environments are governed by the same principles: freedom, structure and order, beauty, nature and reality, social environment, and intellectual environment.
Each room has many different options for seating, many of which allow for multiple students to sit together to create a collaborative and social environment. Each room has distinct areas for different subjects, and is filled with materials to explore and manipulate. Each room is a community unto itself and also part of the larger Great River community. We welcome you to come and see us in action!
