During the Primary years, MSOSV brings the fieldtrip to the school. Safety is the biggest concern for young children. When the students reach the 3rd year, the kindergarten year, they are ready to venture out and go on monthly field trips. Real-World Experiences Field trips are a great way to reinforce the lessons learned in the Montessori classroom. Talking and reading about concepts is one thing, but having the opportunity to experience them firsthand is quite another altogether. By attending a field trip, the kindergarten student is able to solidify their understanding

In kindergarten, children begin to learn the value of physical activity. They should practice fitness while learning new movements and working to develop key social skills, including good sportsmanship. MSOSV Physical Education In addition to free play twice per day, the kindergarten students participate in: Twice per week PE class Daily Yoga Weekly Nutrition PE Class During the twice per week PE class, the kindergarten students learn new activities. As they are approaching the 2nd plane of development, the students begin to organize games with rules and outcomes. They learn to take turns, to get up when

The Cosmic Curriculum and Biome work starts as early as 3 years. The primary students have an introduction to plants animals, water, soil, air, and the sun. The primary students also work with continent geography with political boundaries. They learn about the countries, culture, food, and flags. Once the primary child becomes an MSOSV kindergarten student, the curriculum switches from geography with political boundaries to the Biomes. Working with Waseca (in connection with the Waseca reading program used in the MSOSV classroom), the transition to the Waseca Biomes is easy for the kindergarten

MSOSV Kindergarten Homework At the beginning of the school year, each kindergarten student receives a personal journal and book bag. On Monday, students will choose a book from the MSOSV kindergarten library, they bring the book home with their journal in the book bag. Parents are asked to work with their kindergarten student each night, reading the book together and helping the student to write in the journal. At the beginning of the year, based on the ability of the kindergarten student, the parent is instructed to assist the student with writing in

Let’s begin with the absolute genius of Dr. Maria Montessori and her son Mario who developed the Montessori math materials. Over the years, there has been a consistent message from adults, either parents or educators taking the Montessori math component of the Montessori Teacher Education formal training. “I wish I had Montessori Math when I was a student” How is Montessori math different from traditional math? Traditional schools offer mathematics in an abstract format with the, group of children moving through the prescribed curriculum together. The MSOSV Montessori Guides present math with concrete, manipulative

The Montessori Language Program is so rich and comprehensive that it is difficult to explain in depth in this short blog. Please see the various photos with short explanations of each work the students complete as they move through the reading, writing and grammar Montessori Language Program. The 3- and 4-year-olds begin working with phonetic word building once they know the sounds. This leads to the blending of words. By the time the students enter the MSOSV kindergarten program the K students are building sentences. At the same time the 3-

Purpose: To practice writing skills as well as critical thinking skills. The kindergarten students develop good academic habits by starting their day with the Daily Journal. Skills Taught: Keeping this daily journal is one way to boost critical thinking skills in the kindergarten classroom. This is the beginning of teaching students to write in a structured way. By starting with personal daily journals, students can practice different types of writing, such as “narrative storytelling, opinion writing and informative writing”. The students practice word and letter spacing, the use of punctuation and

Purpose: To instill a sense of personal responsibility and accountability. Skills Taught: Using a Daily Work Plan, the Kindergarten students begin to take personal responsibility for their education. The students choose work that fits with their own academic growth and development. The Montessori Guide checks the Work Plan to ensure the students are not either moving too quickly through the work – or choosing work that is too easy. In the Montessori philosophy, we would call the above “The Direct Aim” for learning. The “Indirect Aim” includes continued practice with writing,

Please bookmark our Blog Page to follow the in depth look at MSOSV’s Kindergarten Year. Each week, we will take a deeper look at each aspect of the Montessori Kindergarten Program. This will include academic as well as social and emotional development. A peek into the first day of kindergarten:   The students have spent the previous two years preparing for this day. They now have the maturity, development and academic readiness to begin to work as a team as well as follow their individual plans. They now begin meeting together in the

Join us This Friday, October 27th! It’s that time of year again, time for our Annual Cantera Trunk or Treat! We hope you will be able to join us!