The child begins to acquire culture from birth. She finds herself in the midst of a close, loving community, the family. The first level of Montessori education applies to the small child from birth to 3 years and from three to six years. Through the power of the unconscious will, the horme and the unconscious memory, the mneme, together with the absorbent mind, she will discover the world around her. The young child will explore her surroundings with her senses and movements. The goal of this developmental period is to make sense of the chaos with seems to overwhelm the young child. Thus, she will discover that everything has a name and a purpose. By the time the child is three years old, she is ready to enter into a somewhat larger community. She now is directed by a growing will to know more about everything. The child is also entering a sensitive period for socialisation. She needs to find out that she has her own identity, her own thoughts, her own power to affect changes around her. In the Montessori setting, the child of three enters into a specially prepared environment, the Children's House.

Children's House

In the Sensorial area we present materials that provide keys to the environment: colour, size, weight, shape. With these keys in hand, a child may then construct abstractions, progressing dramatically in cultural and intellectual knowledge.Cylinder Block

In the Practical Life area, we offer objects used in daily life which have a visible purpose: sweeping, polishing, pouring or spooning. Children understand these activities and feel a strong inner urge to use these materials; they are old friends. For the young child, this area serves as a link between the home environment and the new school environment. These exercises go far beyond their visible purpose and lead the child to concentration. Through concentration he gains perseverance, exactness and care.

The young child is also avid to discover the magic of sounds and letters, opening his mind to language in all its richness: writing, reading, sharing and communicating with words of all kind. The exciting world of mathematics is one to which all children are drawn, and where they love to wander. The everlasting dance of numbers enthrals them. Art, music and cultural materials are all a part of the Children's House as well.