Here at Crawford Childcare Creche, Glanmire we use the Montessori method. The Montessori curriculum consists of practical life, sensorial, mathematics, language and culture.
Eva walks to the shelf and picks up the tray carefully and walks to the table where she sits down with her work. She begins to polish the little shoe meticulously and intricately. A practical life activity has begun.
Neave and Michaela walk to the basket to get their mats, they roll them out carefully on the ground. They decide to work with the brown broad stairs and place them gently on the mat. They build a castle first before identifying the difference in the height of the blocks then progress to build a stairs. A sensorial activity has unearthed itself.
Abigail takes the spindle box to the circle and places it gently on the mat. The spindles are counted and placed in the correct department. This is quite difficult and teamwork is essential so we do it together. We count out loud and we finish the activity. The learning of mathematical concepts at an early age develops their confidence in their ability to understand and use mathematics in the future.
Liam loves to work with the sandpaper letters, he feels the texture with his finger to become familiar with the shape of the letter. Together we identify the letter and see if we can find something in the classroom, which begins with that particular letter. This provides so much fun. The art of language provides tools for social understanding and learning about the world.
Rian loves to work with the globe and earth jigsaw. Learning about different cultures, experiences and traditions is a imperative ingredient in our curriculum that provides such a richness to the children’s learning.
Here at Crawford Childcare Creche, Glanmire we want to provide the best experience while also using the Montessori method. Montessori’s main goal is to foster a love of learning in each and every classroom. Allowing children to take a vigorous role in their own learning strengthens their enthusiasm to learn. Putting their hands on the materials and working with each other helps to solidify their knowledge and wisdom, as well as continue to promote their social development.