eastroyalemontessori

East Royale Montessori welcomes all New and Continuing Students back to school. We are excited to have you back. Enjoy a successful term.

East Royale Montessori provides an integrated, highly personalised, educational enviconment for children from 3 months to 8 years old. Enroll with us!!!

We live for this kind of feedbacks from our parents. Thank you mama, we appreciate you.

Why Montessori?

Reality Based!!

It turns out that fantasy-ideas that have no basis in reality (such as fairies, talking animals or talking trains) has no place in education and is not what strengthens imagination and creativity. Children develop their imagination and creative powers through hands-on experiences in the real world.

Enroll with us Today!
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Call: 0242804905 to book a facility tour.

Education of the Senses

Did you know that we do all of our learning through our senses?

Today we are going to explore the OLFACTORY sense and see how we can help its development.

Did you know that in humans the olfactory sense plays an important role in our social and emotional experiences and how we remember them? Scientists have found that certain odours can trigger very powerful memories and can create within us both a sense of yearning and nostalgia.

* WHAT IS THAT SMELL? *

Let’s look an activity today that allows us to stimulate the child’s olfactory sense in a fun way.

YOU WILL NEED

A number of small containers with lids
Cotton wool
Blindfold or scarf (optional)*
A variety of liquids or solids with distinguishing smells. For example:
- vanilla/almond/peppermint essence
- vinegar
- lemon / orange juice
- perfume
- orange/lemon peel
- coffee / hot chocolate

* Some children really enjoy the fun of using a blindfold, and others are not comfortable with their eyes being covered and would prefer to just close their eyes. Go with what suits your child best.

METHOD

1. If you are using a liquid, place a cotton wool ball into each container and add a few drops of the liquid on the cotton wool. Solids can be placed directly into the containers.

2. Close the lid and leave overnight for the liquid to really soak into the cotton wool or for the smell of the solid to fill the container.

3. Invite the child to do the smelling activity with you.

4. Explain that you need the child's OLFACTORY help! This gives you a perfect opportunity to introduce a new (long) word and to bring the child's attention to the purpose of having a nose!

5. Show the child the containers and explain that each of these containers has a mystery scent. The objective of this game is to use only their sense of smell to figure out what is in the container.
6. Invite to put on the blindfold or simply close his/her eyes.
7. Open the container and lift it to the child’s nose.

BENEFITS
This activity stimulates the child’s sense of smell and heightens his/her awareness this aspect of previously known foods which were probably initially linked to the taste experience.

Cc.MCSA

Numeracy and Arithmetic

The secret to unlocking the door to being 'able' to do Maths lies in the development of a solid foundation of mathematical skill sets that the brain can later build upon to do equations, algebra, geometry, calculus etc.

One core skill set required is sorting and patterning. This involves understanding relationships amongst sets, how sets are represented and how these can be analysed. This skill set allows children to understand the nature of maths as maths is all about rules and systems!

* SORTING AND PATTERNING *

Sorting and patterning skills are generally developed in a sequential manner. The brain builds one skill onto the next. It is important that these skills are introduced in a concrete manner (using manipulatives) before the child is moved to paper tasks.

COMPARING AND MATCHING

The young child particularly is gifted by nature with an innate need for order. Children start to build this skill set by comparing objects and matching like items.

This can be done with any household object. The children's playrooms are a good place to start! There is so much that can be compared and matched.

* Tip out the contents of the toy box and match objects by colour, shape, or type.

CLASSIFYING

Classification requires children to initially name attributes that allow items to fit within a group and then to move on to identifying attributes that exclude them from a group.

* You can, for example, classify your child's Lego pieces with her/him. They are all Lego pieces. These can even be matched by colour (as above). What makes them different and allows them to be classified, is that some are 1x1 bricks, 1x2 bricks, 1x6 plates etc.

* Cars can also be classified in the same manner. Once they have been matched by colour, they can further be classified by type - sports car, truck etc.

PATTERNING

Once the child has a foundation of comparing, matching, sorting and classifying, you can move on to the skill set of recognising and creating patterns. Patterning is very important in Maths - think about the patterns in addition, multiplication, division just to start!

Patterning can be done anywhere in the house.

Cc.MCSA

Education of the Senses

One of the important, yet lesser spoken about, senses is the STEREOGNOSTIC SENSE. This sense (sometimes called tactile gnosis) is the person's ability to identify an object without looking at it, smelling it, tasting it or hearing its sounds.

We use our stereognostic senses every day without really thinking about them. Have you ever considered how you manage to find your car keys in the bottom of your handbag? That's your stereognostic sense at work!

* THE MYSTERY BAG GAME*

This is a fun game that can be played in every environment, indoors and outdoors. The only limit to the activity is the size of the objects as they will need to be able to fit into a small pillowcase!

MATERIALS

A small pillow bag
A variety of everyday objects (one of each) which the child can identify and name. We would suggest that this is initially limited to 6-10objects.

METHOD

* Invite the child to play the Mystery Bag game with you.

* Ask the child to remove all of the objects from the pillow bag. Ask the child to name the objects so that you both have the same names in mind.

* Replace all the objects into the pillow bag.

* Explain to the child that you are going to ask her/him to find a specific object just by using her/his hands.

* As an example, tell the child that you will be looking for the (peg). Demonstrate how to place one hand into the pillow bag without looking inside and feel around the objects. When you locate the peg, pull this out of the pillow bag and place it in front of you.

* Now pass the pillow bag to the child and name an object for the child to find.

* When you get to the last object, ask the child to first explain to you what the object feels like and then see if s/he can identify which the object is that remains.

***

This activity can be extended in many ways.

The development of the stereognostic is important for the child’s emerging ability to name and perceive the environment, for building the child’s understanding of dimension and for supporting the development of the cognitive pathways that will be used for later mathematical and spatial reasoning and language development.

But most of all...it is FUN

Cc. MCSA

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

One of the characteristics of the Montessori philosophy is to immerse children in reality and nature. This not only allows them to adapt to their time, place and culture but also introduces the children to what Montessori called their 'cosmic task'. By giving the children the opportunity to understand nature, we open their eyes to their impact on the world and give them an appreciation of nature's gifts to humans.

* GROWING SPROUTS *

Let’s get our fingers green(ish) today! Watching plants grow is always fascinating and provides children with a sense of awe and wonder. Today’s activity is a blend of a botany and a science lesson. Is it not amazing that the tiny seed has everything inside it to become a plant? All it needs is water!

YOU WILL NEED

* A handful of beans/seeds to sprout

and either

* A glass jar, wax paper poked with holes or cling film poked with holes (use a toothpick) and an elastic band.

or

* A 2-litre plastic bottle poked with holes (use a knitting needle or skewer).

Whilst the sprouting process occurs just as well in both the jar and the plastic bottle, we like the use of the bottle. There is a sense of wonder in the slow 'filling' of the bottle as the beans/seeds sprout. It is also slightly less messy and there is then the added 'challenge' of figuring out how to get to the sprouts once the process is complete!


METHOD

* Help the child to wash the beans/seeds. Place the washed beans/seeds into a bowl and cover them with warm water. Allow them to soak in the warm water overnight.

* In the morning, assist the child in draining the water.

* If you are using a jar, ask the child to spoon the beans/seeds into the jar.

* If you are using the plastic bottle, you may need to make a paper funnel to spoon the beans/seeds into to direct them through the narrow opening.

There’s abundance of new vocabulary to introduce in a lesson like this:
Radicle-the first shoot to appear that will become a root.
Plumule- the first shoot to appear that will become a stem.

Please see our FB or IG Story highlights for full lesson plan.

Cc.MCSA

Numeracy and Arithmetic⠀

* ESTIMATING AND COUNTING *⠀
⠀
Today, let's focus on building some more foundations for numeracy. Many children can rote count from 1 to 10, 20, 50 or even to 100. Parents are generally quite proud of their children's achievements in this regard. However - just because a child can remember these words, it does not mean that s/he has understood what these words mean, and how they fit together!⠀
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So - start simple. ⠀
⠀
* COUNTING⠀
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* Collect ten of the same object. This could be natural objects from the garden (pebbles, leaves etc) or pantry items (beans, popcorn kernels, pasta). We will use pebbles as an example here.⠀
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* Start by laying the pebbles out in a straight line, counting each one as you place it down. If the child can already do this, extend the challenge by asking the child to now take the pebbles back by counting down from 10 to 1.⠀
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* Once you have established that there are 10 pebbles, play a game of estimation.⠀
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ESTIMATION⠀
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Estimation is a crucial higher-level thinking skill that requires the conceptualisation and mental manipulation of numbers. We use estimation in our everyday living experiences- when shopping, we estimate the cost of our purchases to make sure we stay within budget, when eating out in a group of friends, we estimate each person’s contribution to the bill.
⠀
*The child knows that there are 10 pebbles in your game
*Take a handful of these pebbles and move them aside in a heap. Ask the child to estimate (no counting) how many pebbles you have moved aside. Once the child has given the answer, invite the child to count the pebbles to determine the accuracy of the estimation.
*Now ask the child to estimate how many pebbles were left in the original pile and repeat the above.
Incidental Learning Opportunities:
*Counting forward is addition by 1
*Counting backwards is subtracting by 1
*Conservation of Number is being explored in the estimation game. The amount in each pile will always add up to 10!
***
Cc. MCSA

Education of the Senses⠀
⠀
What a delightful coincidence that we are looking at education through the senses today on World Creativity and Innovation Day! This day is seen as a placeholder in time to give people a reason and opportunity to use their imaginations productively and to release new thinking.⠀
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Montessori also viewed this curriculum area as one that allowed for the development of creativity and the imagination. She spoke about the Sensorial materials being 'materialised abstractions' - abstract (imaginative) concepts in a material form.⠀
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Children need concrete and manipulative experiences, taken in through the senses, to lay a foundation of knowledge that they can later think about creatively in their imaginations to innovate new thoughts, ideas, and creations.⠀
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* EXPLORING THE TACTILE SENSE *⠀
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One of our main senses is the tactile sense - our sense of touch. Sense impressions are taken in mostly by the hand, which Montessori viewed as 'the instrument of the mind'.⠀
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Consider how you would explain the meaning of 'rough', 'smooth', 'coarse', 'bumpy' etc to someone who has never had this experience before. It is almost impossible!⠀
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Let's spend some time today exploring the tactile sense in the environment around us. Lots of opportunity for language (and adjective) development!⠀
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Below, you will find a list of tactile adjectives to start you off. You may wish to write them down and create a checklist, or a 'Bingo' board to check off the experiences once you have found these in your environment!⠀
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bumpy / chilly / coarse / cold / cool / cuddly / damp / dry / dusty / firm / fleshy / fluffy / furry / fuzzy / gritty / hairy / hard / lumpy / prickly / rough / rubbery / sandy / silky / slippery / smooth / soft / solid / spiky / spongy / sticky / stiff / warm / wet / wooly⠀
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What other words can you come up with? ⠀
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*****

Cc. MCSA

With schools still Shutdown, We continue with our ‘Lockdown series’
DAY 22. Activities of Everyday Living

Healthy development is all about learning to develop one's body physically, cognitively, linguistically, emotionally and socially. During the child's very early years, this possibility for development rests on the support and opportunities that the child receives from the adults in her/his environment.

Food preparation is an important part of healthy development that has many far-reaching benefits.

* PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Gross and fine motor skills are engaged in all food preparation activities. We balance, locomote, and manipulate objects. We use hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and we cross our midlines. All crucial developmental skills.

* COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Where do we even start? There are shape lessons, colour lessons, size lessons, weight lessons, texture lessons, olfactory (smell) lessons, gustatory (taste) lessons... all just waiting to happen here!

* LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
As above - the kitchen is a wonderful place for the development of vocabulary, language, and grammar skills. Think of all the nouns (naming words), the verbs (action words), adjectives (words describing nouns) and adverbs (words describing actions) that the child can be introduced to.

* EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Food binds people together - in preparation and in eating. How often do you have the time to enjoy preparing a meal together? The emotional ties and attachments created during these times cannot be replaced with any academic learning.

* SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Mealtimes are a time for social learning, conversation and togetherness. We learn many social conventions, traditions and cultural considerations over food.

So - now that we know why we are doing this, let's get on with...

* MAKING A FRUIT SALAD *

One way of getting the child engaged in food preparation is by having an assortment of interesting 'gadgets' and 'tools'.

PREPARATION

* Invite the child to help you make the fruit salad for the next meal.
There are no fixed rules here other than just gently guiding the child to do it all by him/herself with assistance only where required.
BON APETIT

Lockdown Day 19- Knowledge and Understanding of the World

This is the perfect time of year to observe our gardens and the changes that are occurring with the turn of the season. Dr. Maria Montessori was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Her work in Peace Education was ground-breaking at the time and continues to inspire us today. She charged us as the adults with helping the child to realise and understand her/his COSMIC TASK. Simply put, we need to provide the child with opportunities to understand her/his importance in the world and the contribution s/he can make to caring for our planet. Once the child realises that s/he has a relationship with the Earth and all living things on the Earth, s/he will be more in tune with her/his cosmic task of preserving our planet for future generations. Let us start this journey by investigating one of our planets most important life forms.

THE TREE

You will need:
- A tree

1. LOOK
Ideally go outside and observe the tree. What do you see? Discuss the leaves, branches, trunk and even the roots. Use this as an opportunity to emphasise the correct terminology.
Observe closely – do you see any living creature in or around the tree? (Birds, ants, butterflies etc.)

2. TOUCH
Feel the leaves – what do you notice? If the tree is losing its leaves, feel the difference between the different colours of leaves – the greenish-yellow leaves may still be soft, while the brown leaves just about to fall may be brittle and hard.

Feel the bark – is it rough or smooth?

3. DISCUSS
Talk about the fact that trees give us oxygen. They take in or absorb the air we breathe out, which is called carbon dioxide and have the ability to change that into oxygen which we need to breathe in. (You will need to tailor this explanation for the children depending on their age and stage. This is how s/he begins to realise her/his relationship to the tree.

This interaction will develop your child’s:
-Power of observation
- Vocabulary extension
- understanding of his/her cosmic task
- Conversation skills
- Imagination

Most of all...this activity will allow you to spend time in nature with your child!

Cc. MCSA