Exploring our World!

Lower Elementary and Land & Waterforms

"At a given moment a child becomes interested in a piece of work, showing it by the expression of his face, by his intense attention, by his perseverance in the same exercise. That child has set foot upon the road leading to discipline".

Having grasped the concept of continents and oceans using our globes, Lower El is now learning about land and waterforms.  

The more we look at the globe and maps, the more questions the children have about the details they see.  

Identifying land and waterforms draws a keener eye to maps and encourages looking at details and drawing connections as well as teaches basic geography facts.

The Great Lessons

The Third Year Students With the Timeline of Life

“The beauty of the elementary years in a Montessori school is that the curriculum is geared to the sensitivities of the children, rather than to the demands of the adults.”*

At Montessori Academy Edison Lakes, our Elementary program provides learning experiences and activation that nurture the older child’s sense of wonder, appealing to his expanding interests, and support the sensitive periods of the elementary child so often ignored.

If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest; it will create in him admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying.

Elementary Montessori is different in many ways from the experience of the early childhood program. It is designed to meet the changing intellect and personality of children of ages six to twelve. While different, elementary Montessori is built upon the foundation of the earlier years. This is the time when we see Montessori children begin to blossom into “joyful scholars.”

“It is self-evident that the possession of and contact with real things brings, above all, a real quantity of knowledge. Instruction becomes a living thing. Instead of being illustrated, it is brought to life. Experience is a key for the instruction given inside the school.

There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all of the life to be found around them in a real forest.”*
– Dr. Maria Montessori 

The Beginning of the Year in Room 106

Room 106!

Gabe and Owen working on the subtraction chart

The students in Room 106 have been settling into the new school year. They are busy with their work while also enjoying reuniting with classmates and making new friends.  

The first year students have older buddies who help them locate materials and supplies in the classroom and answer their questions.  All of the students have been very interested in the lessons presented at the beginning of the year.  They are always eager to do the follow-up work.