elementary science exploration

Life Sciences

Children get to experience things, exploring not only through 2 dimensional items such as books, and identification cards but also by understanding the actual object from nature. Being able to watch, touch, and take care of the object of study and interest allows the child to concretely expand his knowledge, and make a connection that would be lost without the actual concrete experience.

In contrast to the traditional classroom, where the learning is top-down, mostly from the teacher to the students, in Montessori classrooms, and more in line with what developmental psychologists know about children.

Earth Sciences

The earth sciences are introduced at age 6 and explored in depth throughout the Montessori elementary experience.

As in all areas of the elementary curriculum, Earth Sciences: physics, chemistry, etc., begin with the overview and progress to details. The child learns the functioning of the galaxies, the universe, then solar systems, the formation of Earth, seasons, natural wonders, the weather, rocks and minerals, etc.

Older children often come to lessons given to the younger children, and younger children are welcome at lessons given to their elders. Each year the child sees more interrelatedness between these areas because lessons and experiments are going on all the time at all levels. This annual repetition leads to deeper understanding as the child incorporates his own experience of another year of life.