Overview #6.

Montessori Materials: Scientifically Developed to Stimulate and Teach

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Another contributing factor to the studious atmosphere is the fact that the children are engrossed in play. Our classroom is not stocked with the usual commercial toys found in a pre-school setting, many of which have little play or educational value. Our materials were developed by Dr. Montessori through years of research and have stood the test of time. She recognized that children can grasp abstract ideas better when they are represented by physical objects, so she designed materials that allow the child to proceed, in graduated steps, toward abstract thinking. Eventually, the child recognizes that the mind is faster than the hand, and dependency on the material is no longer necessary.

Using tongs Dr. Montessori observed that children go through various sensitive stages, in which they are very receptive to learning specific skills. Children naturally want to use their senses between ages two and six, so she designed materials that enabled children to learn through their senses. A "prepared environment" includes these scientifically developed materials, which build concentration and self-discipline while teaching new skills.

For example, in the preschool, children use tweezers and droppers to convey articles and liquids from one container to another. This exercise, which is always done from left to right, improves their manual dexterity and prepares them for writing. During this tactile phase, children enjoy tracing the letters of the alphabet, made of sandpaper. When they have the strength and dexterity required to begin to write, they remember the alphabet from their sandpaper letters exercises.

Children re-explore the same material at different levels. While preschool students manipulate materials for sensory experience, elementary students are expected to produce something that can be presented, shared and discussed. For example, a group of geometric solid figures can first be sensorially explored, then named, matched to others, duplicated using paper, pencil and scissors, and eventually explored mathematically and geometrically. This repetition aids in true understanding, rather than studying, being tested on and promptly forgetting a subject.

While many public school boards spend over 40 cents on support staff for every dollar spent in the classroom, small, private schools such as ours can put money where it counts, into the hands of the children.

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Next: Additional Materials: Incorporating Today's Technology.