Primary Program
Curriculum Goals
The Nia House primary includes the traditional Montessori three year primary plan.
At age three, the child starts to be introduced to the environment (the outside play yard and the inside classrooms). The child learns care of self, and appropriate language skills to use with peers.
At age four, the child expands from care of self, to care of environment, and knowledge of many classroom materials.
Around ages five and six, the children start to care for peers and to master the materials in the environment. The Kindergarteners become leaders in our school community and teachers for their peers. They thrive in their leadership roles.
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, the four main goals of all Montessori materials are:
Concentration
Order
Coordination
Independence
With these four skills, children can have great success in learning about Math, Art, Language, Culture, Botony, Zoology, Sensorial education, and Practical Life.
A Primary Day at Nia House
8-9am Arrival and Indoor Work Period
Primary children walk into Nia House carrying their lunch. They greet their lead teacher at the front door with a formal hello, put their lunch in their cubby, and begin their morning work period.
9-11am Work Period Example Work Period Video
The morning work period is a time when children can freely choose their own work and learn to set goals. Children bring their works to a table or a rug on the floor. The teacher’s role is to observe, offer support and presentation with new or challenging materials, to support social interactions when needed, and follow each child’s unique development through the curriculum.
Materials are beautifully displayed on the shelves and are changed regularly to keep the classroom interesting. Primary works include Montessori materials in the following area:
Self serving snack
Art
Practical life
Sensorial materials
Math
Language
Science
Gardening
11-11:30am Mealtime Example video of a Primary mealtime
Practice- Every time a child sets a table or eats, they are practicing SO MANY skills- recall, motor skills- fork, spoon, holding a cup, sipping without spilling, getting the food to the mouth, naming foods, learning likes and dislikes, opening and closing containers, and more.
Participation- Children are engaged members at meal-time. They ask questions, talk about food, discuss likes and dislikes, and more. Mealtime is a time for community building.
Responsibility- Lunch time, especially in the Primary years, would not be possible without the responsibility of the children. They set tables, host for their friends, and clean by scrubbing and sweeping the lunch area.
Repetition - Children learn through repetition, thus routine guides mealtime at Nia House.
Ritual- We hope to instill a thoughtfulness surrounding food, nourishment, and community.
