DISCOVER OUR CHILDREN'S HOUSE PROGRAM
Ages 3 - 6 years Old
The LCM “Children’s House” is a unique environment which is carefully prepared to include much more than just "class work". It is, in fact, a small version of the world, scaled down to the children's age and ability level.
Work in the Children’s House includes everything from multiplication to dishwashing to buttoning a coat and understanding the meaning of the word “verb.”
LCM's Children’s House is full of scientifically thought-out and hands-on materials made especially for each curriculum area. Lessons are carefully and thoughtfully administered to guide children in the use of the materials.
At LCM our teachers don't just teach children to learn what is in a lessons, they encourage them to explore subjects widely, pursue the work deeply and in the areas that catch their interest.
~ HOW WE TEACH ~
Some of the most common questions parents have when looking for an early childhood program focus on the DIFFERENCE between Montessori and traditional preschools. Parents want to understand how Montessori differs from other programs, why those differences matter, and which is the right fit for their child(ren).
MULTI-AGE, FAMILY LIKE COMMUNITY
Most play-based programs segregate children by age into the 3’s, 4’s, Pre-K and so on. Montessori preschools group 3- to 6-year-olds into one class. A child stays with the same teacher for three years. This builds a strong, family-like community, with lasting relationships between child and teacher, and friendships between children of different ages. Young children look up to and learn from older ones; while the 5- and 6-year-olds gain confidence as they become classroom leaders and mentors for their younger peers.
UNINTERRUPTED 3-HOUR "WORK PERIODS"
Traditional preschools follow tight, adult-led schedules, with a new group activity every 30-45 minutes. Authentic Montessori preschools offer long, 3 hour uninterrupted work periods that allow children to fully engage in tasks that they have chosen for themselves, under the careful, individual guidance of their teacher. Montessori children thus have repeated opportunities to get really engrossed in their activities, and experience regular states of concentrated focus.
CAREFULLY SEQUENCED, ACTVITY-BASED CURRICULUM
Most play-based traditional preschools have the same type of toys you already have at home — think Legos, dress-up corners, coloring pages, trains and blocks.
Montessori preschools offer something different! Displayed beautifully on low shelves, you’ll find dozens of scientifically designed learning materials:
* A Pink Tower
* Color Tablets
* Pouring activities
* Movable Alphabet
* Math materials teaching the decimal system and arithmetic into the thousands, and so much more.
Each activity has been selected because hundreds of children of Montessori preschools chose it freely and repeatedly. Each one teaches multiple skills and enables preschool children to problem solve, to use their hands and all their senses to repeat an activity and achieve mastery.
By progressing at their own pace through these activities, a Montessori preschool child joyfully refines their gross and fine motor skills, and, ultimately, progresses to reading, writing and arithmetic into the thousands, all while in preschool.
~ WHAT WE TEACH ~
Visit a true Montessori preschool, and you will see a 3-year-old spending 30 minutes carefully arranging color tablets in a rainbow pattern, or a 4-year-old tracing, coloring and labeling a map of the world. As adults, we can’t focus when we know we’ll be interrupted soon; neither can children. Unstructured, child-led time is key in building concentration skills at the foundation of all learning!
INDEPENDENCE, SELF CONFIDENCE & A GROWTH MINDSET
Montessori children acquire a level of physical and intellectual independence rarely seen in other preschool environments. From day one they learn to take care of their own needs (dressing themselves, preparing snack) and their environment (cleaning up after lunch, taking care of classroom plants and animals.)
This daily experience of being trusted with real responsibility for meaningful tasks—and rising to the occasion by successfully meeting that responsibility—results in children who have the earned self confidence that comes from actual mastery (against shaky self-esteem based on empty praise by others.) And because we acknowledge that mistakes are necessary for learning, because we greet spilled water or a broken glass with a calm, constructive attitude, children discover that it’s ok to make mistakes, and that we can and should learn from them.
At LCM our preschoolers acquire a growth mindset, a fundament attitude about the world that is invaluable to a joyful, successful life.
JOYFUL ACQUISITION OF READING, WRITING & ARITHMETIC
While traditional preschools pride themselves in their “pre-reading” or “pre-math” curriculum, Montessori preschool children actually learn to write, read and do arithmetic into the thousands.
And they do so joyfully! Through the activities they choose, such as drawing pictures and writing stories about them, or participating in a small group addition exercise with the Golden Bead materials the work Montessori 3 to 6-year-olds do is astounding!
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS, FROM ATTENTION SPAN TO GRACEFUL SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
Recent research shows that executive function skills such as self control, organization and time management are more highly correlated with school and life success than even IQ. Montessori preschool purposefully develops these skills.
When a child has to wait for a material another child is working with, or when they stand calmly to observe a friend at work, they practice impulse control. By executing multi-step processes, such as table washing, and by always completing a full cycle of work—from taking a material from a shelf, to doing the activity and replacing it in its proper spot—the preschooler learns organization and problem solving.
Grace and courtesy lessons and a daily emphasis on respecting the rights of friends and teachers foster a benevolent environment where pro-social skills emerge naturally.