Planet Learning Group, Babyplanet Montessori & Planet Montessori, is a quality infant and child care These schools were founded by Mrs Mah for her own children.
Planet Learning Group serves as the arm for the 2 pre-schools Babyplanet (since 2004) and Planet Montessori (since 2007). Babyplanet came along in 2004 when Mrs Mah’s children were infants. 3 years later, Mrs Mah decided to start another pre-school Planet Montessori to nurture older children. Planet is set up on a 6000 sq feet landed property with huge gardens. The luxury of space allows us to hav
e numerous fun outdoor activities, including sand play, physical activities involving slides, tunnels, climbing structures toys and blocks. There is also a large grassy area for sports, and child-sized picnic tables for outdoor meals (weather permitting). There is also space for the children to ride their little cars on. Montessori Practical Life water activities are available during outdoor playtime. Children will feel the cosy warmth of home in a learning environment with caring teachers. Within an Infant/Toddler Montessori environment, the child feels empowered to develop. The Montessori Program is based on the philosophies of Maria Montessori. Children work in the areas of Sensorial, Practical Life, Math & Language. The Montessori Method of education focuses on allowing a child to learn in a hands-on environment. All furniture and material are custom-made to the child's educational level. The children work with materials that are placed on low shelves for easy accessability. A small rug is provided to define a child's personal space; one in which they can feel independence of others in their selection of materials. All aspects of the environment are inspected to ensure safety and security of a child being able to fully explore at his / her own developmental level. The children eat meals and snacks on low tables with cube chairs so that they can engage in family-style meals with their friends.
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➢ Pre- Nursery (18 months to 2 years old) - It is the children’s beginning of formal Montessori training. The environment we provide is specially prepared for them with materials aimed at refining their hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills and working towards independence in their work and daily activities.
➢ Nursery 1 (2.5 to 3 years old) - At this age, they are tactile and visual learners. They should be able to able to recognize all the 26 sounds of the alphabets and numbers 1-10. They will be using materials such as number rods, spindle box, cards and counters, which aids them in their rote counting.
➢ Nursery 2 (3 to 4 years old) - This group of children will be introduced to word building activity (Pink Level). They will be taught to decode and blend 3-letter words using the LMA. They will also be taught to recognize numbers 11-19 and 10-90 using the board and beads. On top of that, their fine motor skills will be further enhanced through Practical Life Exercises such as using the tweezers, chopsticks to transfer objects.
➢ Kindegarten 1 (4 to 5 years old) - At this stage, children will be learning at a progressive pace. They will be moving on to learning four or more letter words (Blue Level). They will also be further introduced to high frequency words and blending of words. They will be moving on to learning numbers 11-99 and place values such as units, tens and hundreds.
➢ Kidergarten 2 (5 to 6 years old) - By now, the children should be able to blend and read fluently. They will be learning Phonograms (Green Level) and vowel Diagraphs, etc. They will also be introduced to Primary School learning such as Grammar, Vocabulary, Creative Writing, Logical Sequencing, Spelling etc. The focus now will be more on abstract learning. For Math, they will be learning Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division. They will also be introduced to topics such as Graphs, Length, Weight, Time and Money.
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➢ 5 Domain of Montessori
◊ Language materials for learning basic skills in writing and reading are developed through the use of sandpaper letters, alphabet cut-outs, and various pictorial presentations allowing children to link sounds and letter symbols effortlessly. These language activities help the children learn the alphabets through phonetic sounds. Children’s interests are stimulated through songs, rhymes and stories. These activities also aid in developing vocabulary and proper sentence structures that helps to build an important foundation for writing and developing good communication skills which promotes interest in reading.
◊ Math in Montessori are sequenced with concrete experiences leading to more abstract discoveries through manipulation of varied materials. The children gain the satisfaction of learning by discovery rather than by being told. These activities internalize the mathematical concepts and patterns through ‘hands-on’ approach.
◊ Practical life skills involves activities that increase the children’s concentration span, trains the children to be independent, improves hand-eye coordination, refine fine and gross motor skills, improves self –image and confidence. It also involves care of people, environment, grace and courtesy thus creating a positive self-image of them.
◊ Sensorial materials help develop the children’s ability to discriminate through all their 5 senses. Our beautiful Montessori materials help the children to distinguish, order, classify and describe sensory impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass, color, pitch etc. The children can also categorize and acquire new information. The sensorial materials lay a solid foundation for Mathematics, Geometry, Geography, Botany, Art and Music.
◊ Montessori Cultural topics :
Zoology - The Children are exposed to the study of animals and will be taught to classify into simple categories. Botany - The children are exposed to the study of plants and will also be taught to classify into simple categories. Botany includes the study of nature, which will give them the opportunity to understand their environment. Geography - It enhances the children’s exploration and interest of the world such as continents, land and water forms the solar system. History - The children are taught to understand the distinction between past and present and how the past events had led to the present situation.
➢ Enrichment
◊ Gym activities builds a strong foundation for all types of sports, it improves the children’s flexibility, balance and strength. It also develops determination, courage and confidence in the child.
◊ Physical Education (P.E) helps to develop the child’s locomotors skills and coordination. Our children learn social skills such as teamwork and cooperation with their peers.
◊ Music and Movement - Our children will learn to take part in all musical activities, sing simple songs, recite rhymes, dance with a sense of rhythm, respond to elements of music (e.g. rhythm, melody, tempo, dynamics - loud-soft) and show interest in the usage of a variety of instruments.
◊ Show and Tell benefits the children through early language experiences by helping to build effective communication and listening skills. It also helps in their oratorical skills and self-confidence in future.
◊ Art for N2, K1 & K2 - Children work towards displaying creativity and originality in working with art materials and ability to use tools independently.
◊ Speech and Drama for N2, K1 & K2 - Through Speech and Drama, the children are empowered to develop self confidence, creative imagination, maturity and empathy in interpersonal skills. All Year Activities :
➢ Picasso at work – Our children work towards displaying creativity and originality in working with art materials and ability to use tools independently.
➢ Mozart at work – Our co-curricular KinderMusik program encourages your baby to explore, express and discover music through singing, listening, dancing and instrument play.
➢ Future gymnasts at work- Our gym program develops your child’s motor skills, body balance, strength as well as hand-eye coordination through object exploration and equipment play. Our children will develop of fine and gross motor coordination to enable them to balance, go up and down the stairs, walk on tiptoes, run, jump, climb and cycle.