12 months – 3 years
A prepared environment that satisfies the needs of children to express and channel their vital energies, thus responding to their needs for sensory, motor, perceptive, emotional and communicative development.
If placed in a suitable environment, scientifically organized and prepared, each child, following his own internal development plan and his guiding instincts, naturally ignites his interest in learning, working, building, completing the activities he has started, experimenting with his own strengths, measuring and controlling them” M. Montessori
It is with this spirit that, through educational and formative experiences that respect individual rhythms and abilities, we assist each child on his journey towards autonomy. Daily activities are focused on strengthening movement, motor coordination, manual ability and perfecting language.
It is of considerable importance for our school to offer support to parents during this delicate phase of their children’s development. For this reason, information and training meetings conducted by educators and expert pedagogists are proposed throughout the year.
Time Schedule
Monday to Friday
Entry until 9:30 AM
Exit from 4:15 PM
Entry until 9:30 Am
Exit after lunch at 12:30 PM
From 7:30 AM
From 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Location
What is done in a Montessori nursery
THE CHILD FROM 12 TO 24 MONTHS
Prefers very simple activities, as if they were an alphabet of human work, for example: putting on and taking off; opening and closing; filling and emptying; pushing and pulling; climbing up and down; sitting down and getting up; throwing and picking up; lifting and dropping; putting and taking away.
This is a first approach to practical life, a response to the child’s needs to help him educate and coordinate his movements. The objects that the child loves to use are very simple, natural objects.
In our nursery we avoid already structured educational games, which condition, slow down or even prevent exploratory experiences.
Activities with water, at the sink, have a central place. Water with its ductility and neutrality offers a reassuring primordial experience, in which the child concentrates and calms down. Games and outdoor activities are proposed daily.
FROM 2 TO 3 YEARS
The jobs that children enjoy most involve taking care of the environment and taking care of themselves, actions related to the life they see happening around them, within their environment. The activities that we propose to children, called Practical Life Activities, offer children unique opportunities to strengthen, coordinate and make their movements more precise by planning them in an orderly manner.
Dust, fold, cut, pour and decant, thread, set and clear the table, wash their hands, button up buttons, get dressed and undressed are basic activities that have the direct purpose of coordinating and refining movements, but indirectly prepare the hand for the movement of writing.
Practical life activities also have an internal purpose: they are a reason for observation, reflection, self-control, useful for a concrete exercise of thought and the development of a sense of responsibility.
Montessori Activities in the Nursery
Experimenting with water
At the Montessori nursery, water invites exploration and discovery, stimulating children’s natural curiosity and desire to learn freely with a familiar element.
Montessori Activities in the Nursery
Taking care of yourself
Hands-on activities such as dressing, washing hands, and combing hair help develop fine and gross motor skills. These everyday movements require coordination and dexterity, which are crucial to children’s physical development.
Montessori Activities in the Nursery
To insert, to fit, to pour
At the Montessori nursery, threading, nesting, and pouring activities promote the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, while encouraging concentration and patience, as well as sequencing and order.
“The development of language is part of the human personality itself. Words are the natural means of expressing thought, and consequently of establishing understanding between men. If once it was enough to know a single language, today it has become indispensable to teach several.”
Maria Montessori
Intercultural English
At the nursery, a bilingual teacher present every day supports the class teachers as a guide in the use of materials and practical life activities in English, organizes games, prepares role-play situations, sings mimed songs together with the children.
Lunch time
During lunch at the nursery, older children are actively involved in setting and serving the meal, an activity that begins in the second half of the year. At the end of the meal, all children collaborate in clearing and cleaning, a moment that not only promotes individual autonomy but also a sense of collective responsibility within the group.
The environments
The Nido environment is composed of an external changing room and a space set up for parents in the delicate moment of settling in of their child. The internal spaces include a large atrium to welcome children and carry out activities such as approaching music, motor activity, creative artistic activity, English.
Four classrooms overlook the atrium, all with access to the garden, to accommodate 4 groups of children with a reference educator for each group. Finally, the Nido environment also includes a classroom dedicated to bedtime, an equipped garden divided into two distinct areas and the gym space available after lunch.
Miriam Corti
Educator and Contact Person for the Montessori Nursery Como
Miriam Corti is an educator and sector representative at the Nido, with a long experience of 16 years. Specialized in the Montessori Method for the age group 0-3 years, she is known for her warm and welcoming approach.
As an internship tutor for university students and first aid manager, Miriam offers her professional experience, previously acquired as a pediatric nurse in a renowned pediatric hospital in Milan. She loves playing the guitar and entertaining children with songs and dances, creating a serene and peaceful environment. Her affectionate presence helps children feel loved, esteemed and respected, facilitating their learning and growth, in harmony with the Montessori philosophy.
According to Montessori, “What is called encouragement, comfort, love, respect are the levers of the human soul: and the more one does this, the more one renews and invigorates life around oneself” . (The Discovery of the Child, chap. 2, p. 29).
These principles guide her empathetic and caring approach, helping to create a calm and stimulating environment that supports children’s well-being and learning.
Faq
Do children attending the Children's House need to follow a Montessori path?
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What does Montessori freedom entail?
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Do children attending the Children's House need to follow a Montessori path?
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.