The Prepared Environment

The Montessori classroom is indeed a child's world, geared to the size, the pace and interests of the children between the ages of three to six, and six to nine. Each environment has the full complement of Montessori materials neatly arranged on low shelves within easy reach of the children. The tables and chairs are moveable permitting a flexible arrangement for many activities. The children can also work on small mats on the floor where they are naturally comfortable.

The classroom is ordered and well-planned, with each piece of equipment designed to incorporate a particular difficulty or task, and has a built-in control of error. This enables the children to work independently as they master the concept involved, before moving on to a new challenge.

The children can go and choose their work which they have been presented, either by the directress (the Montessori "teacher") or an older child. When finished, the children return the materials to the shelf ready for the next person. They then are ready for the next activity.

The materials are designed to move from the very concrete exploration of a concept to a more abstract understanding. In this way the children develop a fuller understanding of concepts in the five curriculum areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Culture.