MONTESSORI-BASED PLAYSCHOOL
child directed creative play
WHERE A CHILD CAN SPEND A CHILDHOOD, LEARNING THROUGH PLAY AND DISCOVERY
Our Mission
At Fast Break Sports Playschool, our mission is to foster social-emotional development through a child-led curriculum for ages 3-6, while supporting parents through a co-operative community.
PLAY IS EVERYTHING
We believe that kids need an open environment in which to grow and learn, a place to get their hands dirty with the freedom to do so, while receiving the guidance they need to master social interactions.
The best way children learn is through play. Our teachers consider their most important role to be the facilitation of exploration and child-directed play. The children determine what they want to do and how they want to do it.
At our Playschool, we teach children that their ideas and interests are worth pursuing. We foster creativity, expression, ingenuity, and love of learning through a curriculum that evolves from a child’s interests and expands upon his or her exploration.
What is Montessori Education?
Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the teachers offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in groups and individually to discover and explore knowledge of the world and to develop their maximum potential.
Montessori classrooms are beautifully crafted environments designed to meet the needs of children in a specific age range. Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that experiential learning in this type of classroom led to a deeper understanding of language, mathematics, science, music, social interactions and much more. Most Montessori classrooms are secular in nature, although the Montessori educational method can be integrated successfully into a faith-based program.
Every material in a Montessori classroom supports an aspect of child development, creating a match between the child’s natural interests and the available activities. Children can learn through their own experience and at their own pace. They can respond at any moment to the natural curiosities that exist in all humans and build a solid foundation for life-long learning.
The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) was established by Maria Montessori in 1929 to protect the integrity of her work and to support high standards for both teacher training and schools. Today, AMI continues to uphold Maria Montessori’s vision while collaborating with contemporary research in neuroscience and child development.
{LEARNING HOW TO NAVIGATE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS}
Our low ratios enable the parents and teachers:
To be present in the moment without distraction
To listen to children
To validate children’s feelings
To promote their expression of feelings
To help children develop empathy by taking care of our friends
To respect everyone’s ideas and interests
Helping children learn how to navigate social interactions – especially through successful conflict resolution – is a unique part of the Co-Op experience. Telling a child “Don’t throw sand on your friend,” may prevent that from occuring once but it won’t help a child understand why throwing sand at another child is not okay nor will it prevent it from happening in the future.
PRIMARY (ALSO CALLED THE CASA OR CHILDREN’S HOUSE)
for children ages three to six years
foster the growth of functional independence, task persistence and self-regulation
promote social development through respectful, clear communication and safe, natural consequences
contain a large variety of materials for the refinement of sensory perception and the development of literacy and mathematical understanding
offer opportunities for imaginative exploration leading to confident, creative self-expression
September
- Colors – Color Mixing
- Color Box 2
- Apple Felt Life Cycle
- Apple Unit – Letter A
- Math Introduction Unit – Sensorial Materials, Tot Trays
- Land, Air, Water
- H is for Heaven – Bible Lesson
October
- Leaf Unit – Letter L
- Autumn Sensory Play
- Human Anatomy Unit (Biology)
- November Countdown Thankful Tree
- R is for Rebekah at the Well – Bible Lesson
November
- Snake Unit – Letter S
- Frog Unit
- Turtle Unit – Letter T
- The Calendar & Seasons (History Intro)
- J is for Jesus – Bible Lesson
December
- 20+ Hands On Bible Lessons for Kids
- Montessori Art Appreciation for Toddlers
- 8 Montessori Inspired Christmas Activities
- 6 Firework Art Trays
- 10 Painting Activities
- S is for Star of Bethlehem & Baby Jesus – Bible Lesson
*Bible lesson dependent on parent approval
