Practical Life materials and exercises respond to

the young child's natural interests to develop physical

coordination, fine motor skills, care of self and the

environment. This area encourages independence and

prepares the child for reading and writing concurrently.

The Sensorial materials provide a range of activities

and exercises for children to experience the natural order

of the physical environment, including such attributes as

size, colour, shape and dimension. This area prepares the

child indirectly for mathematics.

The Montessori Mathematics materials are provided

to show such basic concepts as numeration, place value,

addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

The Montessori Language materials provide

experiences to develop use of a writing instrument and

the basic skills of reading a written language.

The Cultural subjects include History, Geography,

Science, Zoology and Botany.

Established since 1978

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5 Montessori Curriculum Areas

The main gist of Montessori education is the holistic development of the child. By engaging in all that Maria Montessori has outlined for the child along with our special theme-based learning, the child is ready for the challenges of primary

school. All classrooms cover the 5 areas of the Montesssori programme -

Practical Life, Sensoria l, Maths, Language and Culture.

woodlandgroupofpreschools WoodlandPreHk woodlandpreschool

Established since 1978

www.woodlandschools.com

When parents visit a potential Montessori school what should they be looking out for? What questions should they ask of the institution and the teachers?

Maria Montessori had never trademarked the name ‘Montessori’, therefore

any school can use this name. Parents should ask if the school is accredited

as this means that the school offers a genuine, quality Montessori education

and follows the Montessori philosophy and beliefs. Woodland Pre-Schools

are accredited by the Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board (UK).

MEAB’s mission is to acknowledge and support good Montessori practice

while providing the parents with a reassurance that the school is committed

to on-going self appraisal and quality improvement.

When visiting a Montessori school a parent should also look out for the

following:

■ Mixed-age groups (children between the ages of 2.5 years and 6 years)

■ Long work cycles

■ Good quality Montessori materials that are orderly displayed on shelves

■ Montessori qualified teachers

I’ve noticed that traditional Montessori begins at 3. Yet schools in HK are offering Montessori education from very early ages. Are the children mature enough to benefit from this?

Woodland Pre-Schools introduce the children to the Montessori philosophy

from 18 months in the Playgroup classes. The children start to familiarize

themselves with the Montessori education and philosophy by offering them

a ‘prepared environment’. Practical Life exercises, such as care of self, are

introduced at this very young age. Woodland Pre-Schools provide many

opportunities for them to develop their independence by offering an ideal

environment to explore and grow.