The children entered the Children’s House prepared environment together for a week of learning the Preliminary works which directly prepare them for the presentations of the Montessori materials. The preliminary works are familiar to the child yet they guide the child to a deeper sense of work. These works aide the child in establishing an external order and invite repetition. These activities are viewed below such as: rolling and unrolling mats, transfer works, sorting, bead stringing, matching and pouring.
The lessons in Grace and Courtesy offer those “little ways” in how we work together. The children learn from the adult and returning children through role modeling. In working together the children learn: how to say excuse me, carry a tray, restore a material on a tray, walk around a mat on the floor, push in a chair, stand in a line, close bathroom door, cover your sneeze, keep their personal space, how to observe and so much more. These lessons in Grace and Courtesy are the base and essential for how we work together, These lessons are continually presented and expected throughout the year.
The Montessori materials are introduced by means of an individual presentation. In the slide show you will observe presentations such as: The Pink Tower and The Brown Stair. The children were also presented: how to wash their hands for snack, eat at the snack table either individually or with a friend and how to wash their individual dishes. In the second week of Phase In the returning 4 year olds were excited to role model the snack area to the new children guiding their work without the help of the adult.