Child in nature
“There must be provision for the child to have contact with Nature, to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in Nature …. so the child may better understand and participate in the marvellous things which civilisation creates” – Maria Montessori
A best-practice Montessori setting provides a rich outdoor prepared environment/classroom where the child is free to work and explore in nature.
Children’s House has been reintroducing native plants and grasses, providing sensory walks and a working kitchen garden (Little Sprouts), and creating varied topography for gross motor stimulation.
With the aim to encourage bird life, mini beasts and amphibians back to the area, children will be able to appreciate the wonder of nature through their play, exploration and learning.
Our sustainability objectives:
1. To repair and rejuvenate land for the outdoor Montessori environment by re-establishing and nurturing native flora and fauna.
2. To provide a seamless extension and transition between the internal and outdoor environments/classrooms where a child can use their own volition to engage in open-ended, multi-aged play and sensorial exploration by smelling, touching, tasting, hearing and seeing what the natural world has to offer.
3. To rehabilitate a natural and native area where children – through continual movement – learn and develop skill and competence in the areas of:
a) fine motor (picking and preparing fruits/vegetables, balancing rocks, collecting native treasures)
b) gross motor (balancing, climbing trees, running up and down mounds, digging and transferring soil)
c) collaborative play (socialisation and togetherness)
d) cognition (thinking, planning, attention/concentration, problem solving)
e) creativity
f) independence
4. To provide children with an active understanding of sustainability, not just by talking about how to preserve the earth’s resources, but through venturing outside and experiencing, wondering and learning about nature’s delicate balance first hand.