OVERVIEW - THE PRIMARY AGED CHILD

Montessori primary education builds on the foundation of the Children's House. There the child's inquiring mind asked WHAT, and was offered the world in response. The primary child's developing ability to reason and imagine asks WHY, and now we offer the entire universe. Names and facts acquired in the Children's House are used by this older child to trace the beginnings of our earth, life on it, and the myriad discoveries and inventions of human beings and their cultures. The ultimate goal is that a child sees the value of each individual contribution to the great story of human life, and his or her place in it.

The primary child's expansive mind is a powerful tool, capable of reasoning and classifying a great quantity of new information. The drive to accomplish "great work" with peers, combined with the increased physical stamina of this age, offers a potential that's limited only by the surrounding environment. The environment prepared for this child provides keys to unlock the innate ability to use reasoning and imagination to draw conclusions about the world we live in.

Cosmic Education is Dr. Montessori's name for the education method used with the 6-12 year-old child. The cosmic vision reflects the unity and interrelatedness of all things, both animate and inanimate, in the universe. Children are presented with the big picture first, and encouraged to learn more about the details through independent work. During this process the child discovers for him or herself: the interdependency of human beings and their environment, and the importance of cooperation in all human efforts. The non-competitive Montessori classroom helps to foster this cooperation each day on a personal level.

At each stage, Montessori education supports a child's intellectual, social, and emotional growth by catering to the developmental needs of the age. In addition to the increased ability to reason and abstract, and the drive to work with peers on big projects, the primary child has a need to go out into the world and explore. This exploration is done with peers and is called Going Out. Like any excursion, Going Out is a way to expand upon classroom studies. But unlike an excursion, children are completely responsible for planning and organising Going Out with a small group. Adult participation is limited to supervising safety. Through this experience primary children develop a high level of responsibility and decision-making.

The prepared classroom environment offers many benefits for the primary child. The integrated studies of Cosmic Education and the opportunities to develop self-motivation and responsible, cooperative relationships support the child's growth toward the challenges of adolescence. A child who has had the benefit of 6 years in a primary classroom arrives at that critical age with well-developed academic skills and a perspective that allows him or her to make intelligent choices about his or her role in the future.