The Kindergarten year in Montessori is a really special time. For many of our children, the Kindergarten year represents a transition from ‘pre-school’ to formal more formal, group-based elementary school. It is a capstone year, in which the children are actively making connections between the materials they have used in practical life, sensorial, language and mathematics. Dr. Montessori used the metaphor of ‘baking a cake’ to describe the impact of the kindergarten year:
In the first year, the three-year old gathers all the ingredients they need to make the cake.
They gather motor, coordination and organizational skills from practical life.
They gather perceptual skills and an understanding of the natural world from the sensory puzzles.
They gather communication skills from language.
They gather problem-solving skills from mathematics.
All of these are part of the recipe for learning.
In the second year, the four-year old expands their knowledge and begins making connections.
They use practical life skills to produce art, food, and to care for themselves.
They learn the language to explain concepts in geography, botany, and geometry.
They learn mathematics skills that enable them to count large quantities
and to solve simple math problems like: how many place settings do we need for lunch?
As they work across the areas, they find connections in the same we we might mix our ingredients together.
In the Kindergarten year, the cake is ready to go into the oven.
The children are introduced to the concepts of geography, science, reading and writing.
They use all of the tools from the language area to express themselves in stories
and to read stories of children and people around the world.
They learn how to learn from reading text.
They use all of the tools from the mathematics area to solve problems with big quantities!
They learn how to learn with friends, in groups.
And they begin to ‘go out’ into the world to learn in new places.
The third year is like the baking process: it crystallizes all the knowledge they have gained.
Being a kindergartener in a Montessori classroom can be tough. As an older child, the teachers hold high expectations for the children to serve as role models for their younger peers. They can struggle with choosing work independently—because there are SO many different materials to choose from. They can struggle with concentration—because the younger children and their blossoming social needs can distract them. And, as they shift into a new plane of development, they desire a bigger learning environment: the WORLD! They need their own time, place and activities.
We are so incredibly excited to ‘kick off’ our Kindergarten cohort this December with a field trip to the San Diego Food Bank. On Thursday, December 19, Ms. Angela, Ms. Heather and Lorena (Emiliano’s mom) will bring the kindergarten children to the Food Bank to drop off all of the donations that we collected. “Going Out” is an important part of the Montessori Elementary experience. Montessori believed it was important to empower the elementary-aged child to be able to learn in a variety of places and from a variety of sources. Children who attend Montessori Elementary programs plan their own field trips, do research to prepare for the visit, and report on their experience after. Early ‘going out experiences’ can be very simple: a trip to the grocery store to purchase items for a meal; a visit to a local museum etc. To prepare for this ‘going out experience’, the Kindergarteners gathered together, last week, to sort and count the donations they had received and to make posters to keep track of the donations. This week, we will extend that learning to talk about weight and how many pounds of food we have raised in terms of donations.
We are excited to welcome the San Diego Fire Department here for a visit with their Fire Truck. We will be discussing fire safety, practicing our fire and earthquake drills, and asking the Kindergarten children to have special ‘safety’ roles during the visit from SDFD.
Below is a list of the “going out” experiences we have planned for this year’s kindergarten cohort beginning in January 2025. The Kindergarten cohort will meet every Tuesday and Thursday to do ‘big work’ with the Spanish and English Guides and to plan for their “Going Out” experiences.
Spring Field Trips
- January: Children’s Museum (art)
- February: CA Section of Natural History Museum
- March: Public Library (books about tidepools)
- April: Visit to La Jolla Tidepools
- May: Birch Aquarium Visit
- June: Kindergarten Graduation & End of Year Celebration
Our primary teachers will be taking turns to lead the preparations for the Kindergarten year children and the visits. This will give our children an opportunity to learn how to learn from different Guides. We will need your support too! Each going-out experience requires drivers and chaperones!