Monkstown Grove Montessori School offers a safe, well structured and child centered environment, which allows the children to develop a love of learning. Our School offers a wide range of subjects which cater in an age appropriate way for the needs of each individual child.
It is the aim of our School to follow Maria Montessori’s principles and to allow the children:
- To have fun.
- To develop a love of learning.
- To build confidence.
- To encourage independence.
- To learn to work at their own pace and in harmony with others.
- To give a good grounding necessary for the child’s further education.
Curriculum:
Our Montessori School recognises that the establishment of daily routines is essential for all young children in our care. The School offers a stimulating range of subjects:
- Practical Life exercises instill care for self, for others, and for the environment. Activities include many of the tasks children see as part of the daily routine in their home, such as preparing food and washing dishes, along with the exercises of grace and courtesy. Through these simple tasks, children develop muscular coordination, enabling refined movement and the exploration of their surroundings. They learn to work at a task from beginning to end, and develop their powers of control and concentration.
- Sensorial materials serve as tools for development. Children build cognitive skills, and learn to order and classify impressions by touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, listening, and exploring the physical properties of their environment.
- Language development is vital to human development. The Montessori environment is rich in oral language opportunities, allowing the child to experience conversations, stories and poetry. The sandpaper letters help children link sound and symbol effortlessly, encouraging the development of written expression and reading skills. To further reading development, children are exposed to the study of grammar.
- Mathematics activities help children learn and understand the concepts of maths by manipulating concrete materials. This work gives children a solid understanding of basic mathematical principles, prepares them for later abstract reasoning, and helps to develop problem-solving capabilities.
- Culture activities are presented as extensions of the sensorial and language activities. Children learn about the geography of our world, its land and water forms, continents, people and cultures in other countries with an attitude of respect and admiration. Lessons and experiences with nature inspire a reverence for all life. Simple science experiments stimulate an interest in our natural world and a hands-on experience.
- P.E. our school uses the Buntús programme which was developed for children aged 3-6 years by the Irish Sports Council. Its primary aim is to promote physical development through games and the learning of sports skills. The activities focus on spatial awareness, basic motor skills and co-ordination activities. The games encourage team building and skills. The programme provides challenging physical games for both boys and girls.
In addition the School offers the Outdoor Play, Arts and Craft Activities, Drama, Religion, Irish, Stories, Poetry and Songs.