| Overview | Curriculum | Phase-In | Little Children's House | Kindergarten | 

One of the important aspects of any Montessori classroom is the three-year cycle. Including children of a range of ages in the classroom gives each child the opportunity to be the learner and the teacher, seeing where they started and who they’ve become. The 3 year old looks up to the 5 year old in awe. The 5 year old becomes a leader in the classroom and has the opportunity to show other children what s/he has learned. The third year is a pivotal time in a Montessori classroom. It is a year where all that a child has learned and done comes together and solidifies, the year when the child truly becomes a leader. They also take the materials to a much deeper level, taking time to work on long projects, exploring more advanced materials and beginning to understand their world as it is broadening outside the family and the classroom.

In Children’s House, the three-year cycle culminates with the Kindergarten year. It is exciting to see the kindergarten children reading a book with their teacher, laying out a long chain in the hallway, coloring in a map of Africa, writing a story. These children feel comfortable and confident within their environment and really believe that the school is theirs.

All the kindergartners come together daily for Kindergarten Meeting. During this time, they engage in a variety of kindergarten-specific activities: listening to and analyzing chapter books as a group, stretching their bodies in yoga, and exploring Spanish, music and art. The culmination of their year is the Kindergarten puppet show where the different parts of their curriculum come together as they stage a performance for schoolmates, families and friends.

Children leaving Children’s House and moving on to Lower Elementary are children who are beginning to understand how they themselves approach learning.