Walnut Farm Montessori School

The Montessori curriculum includes reading, mathematics, science, geography, art, music, movement, grace and courtesy, Spanish and parent education.

Curriculum Structure
Our curriculum is developed around 3-4 age increments.
Toddler - Ages 18 Months-3 years
Primary - Ages 3-6
Elementary - Ages 6-9
Upper Elementary - Ages 9-12

Success will be evaluated using the following criteria at each age interval:

Toddler Community
The Walnut Farm Toddler Community is a safe, secure, orderly environment. A Montessori toddler community is more than just a classroom; it is a home away from home for children ages 18 to 36 months. Our Toddler Community is an authentic Montessori environment that includes a nurturing social community where very young children can learn and grow as individuals or participate in cooperative groups with other children. The pervasive feeling of joy in the Toddler Community, as in all our Montessori environments, has its roots in “Freedom with limits”, that is appropriate to a child’s developmental abilities.

The Primary Classroom (3-6 years)
The environment for the children ages 3-6 years has been designated to give the children the "keys to the world." The children learn to care for themselves and their environment in the activities of practical life. Their senses are refined by the work in the sensorial area. Language materials introduce them to the sounds of the alphabet and word building, so they "burst" into reading on their own. Math materials introduce the decimal system to children by familiarizing them with counting, concrete materials for units, tens, hundreds and thousands and the four basic arithmetic operations. Geography and peoples of the world are introduced through puzzle maps, flag work, picture cards and cultural items.

Children remain in the same classroom for three years, playing a different yet vital role each year.

Addition to Primary Classrooms
Our Primary classrooms offer half day and full day programs. The half day program is available to children three and four years of age. Usually between the ages of 41/2 and 5 the child will ask for a longer work cycle. The classroom teacher will notice an increase in concentration and a need for more challenging work. At this time we will conference with the parents to discus the child’s progress and make a plan to begin transitioning the child from a half day work cycle to a full day work cycle, which includes a sit down, family style lunch.

As a service to our families in need of a full day program we offer aftercare to children that are not ready to transition to the full day classroom. This is a supplemental program that includes a sit down, family style lunch as well as a rest period. Aftercare is also available until 6:00 p.m. for any child needing a loving after school environment outside the home.

Half day primary: 7:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Full day primary: 7:45 a.m. -- 3:00 p.m.
Elementary: 7:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Aftercare: 11:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The Elementary Classroom (6-9 years and 9-12 years)
The elementary program offers a continuation of the primary experience. The environment reflects a new stage of development and offers the following:

Integration of the arts, sciences, geography, history, mathematics, and language that evokes the imagination and intelligence of the "whole child".
Presentations of knowledge as part of a large-scale narrative that unfolds the origins of the earth, life, human communities, and modern history, always in context of the wholeness of life.
Presentation of the formal scientific language of zoology, botany, mathematics, anthropology, geography, and geology, thereby exposing the child to accurate, organized information and respecting the child’s intelligence and interests.
Concrete mathematics materials that simultaneously reveal arithmetic, geometric, and algebraic correlations.
Montessori credentialed adults who are “enlightened generalists” (teachers who are able to integrate the teaching of all subjects, not as isolated disciplines, but as part of a whole intellectual tradition).
Emphasis on open-ended research and in-depth study resulting in presentations which help to teach the class as a whole.
“Going out” activities make use of community resources to extend the four walls of the classroom.

The Outdoor Classroom
As part of our classroom experience we offer an outdoor classroom. The outdoor classroom provides a space for learning about nature and the practical life work of gardening, raking, weed pulling, and other outdoor tasks. With the direction of a credentialed Montessori guide, the outdoor classroom is rich in Science lessons such as bird watching and naming,insect and leaf investigations

as well as rock classification. This outdoor prepared environment is available to our primary and elementary students. Each primary classroom has a back door which allows the children to flow in and out, making this a free choice throughout the morning work cycle. The elementary children have designated days and various responsibilities in the outdoor environment. In addition to their student roles, the elementary children serve as leaders of the school community and caretakers of the various gardens. The outdoor classroom is an exciting extension of our classroom environments.