Maria Montessori (1870-1952), was an anthropologist and a doctor in Italy. She dedicated her whole life to educating children - creating schools throughout the world: Italy, Spain, India, Holland....From the observation of children, she developed a very elaborate set of pedagogic materials and created the base for a new approach to education. Several times a Nobel Prize nominee and elected “citizen of the world”, she was, and remains one of the great pioneers in the field of education. Today, centres using her method are found globally including the U.S.A, Japan, Northern Europe...

The Montessori method is based on a profound knowledge of the child.The method is one of observation, research and reflection.

“The educator must observe the child, not with the intent to educate him but rather with the goal of learning from him how to educate him”
(Maria Montessori)

The method:

• aims at allowing each child to blossom, with emphasis on social integration
• develops autonomy, intrinsic motivation and a sense of responsibility
• stimulates an awareness of his responsibilities for our planet
• uses didactic materials that allow the acquisition of in-depth knowledge
• respects the child’s needs, individual rhythm, personality and dignity
• develops confidence and competence

What we invest in children today will enrich society tomorrow.

It is our challenge to transmit to our children our belief in the human spirit. It is vital that they understand that although they are young, they have not only a role to play, but a message to carry forth to the rest of the world.

We want to meet this challenge for the future in partnership – teacher, parent, child – to create a new vision of education for a new quality of life.

« Let us not raise our children for today’s world. This world will no longer exist when they are grown up. Thus we must, with the highest priority,help the child cultivate His skills for creativity and adaptation. »
(Maria Montessori)

How can we help the child find his/her place the world?

• A rich social environment, with a mix of children of different ages in the same classroom, creates the right climate for developing social awareness based on mutual help and respect, and the joy of giving and receiving. This enables the children to “teach” each other.
• Pedagogic materials allow the child to build and acquire knowledge through experimentation. Like a scientist, the child proceeds by searching, through trial and error, before discovering the “law”, “rule” or “theorem” . Experiments lead to the integration of intellectual knowledge.
• Expanding horizons beyond the family, through visits to companies and craftsmen allows children to experience first hand the working world of adults.
• By providing a safe environment in which to take risks and assume added responsibilities, children gain a sense of freedom and self confidence.

A Montessori education is not only a teaching method but an intelligent response to education, incorporating the natural stages of physical, biological, psychological, mental and spiritual development of the child and adolescent.

The basic needs of the child from 2 to 6 years are:

• to be loved
• to love
• to be allowed to be himself and follow his own rhythm
• to be autonomous
• to feel secure
• to enjoy spontaneous and creative activities
• to live harmoniously among other human beings

How does Les Pouces Verts respond to these needs?

Our establishment is not a nursery, but gives the child the possibility:

• to grow in his(/her) overall development
• to learn to respect himself and others
• to develop his language
• to discover and develop his 5 senses
• to develop manual dexterity and the coordination of his movements, the hand being the starting point for the development of intelligence
• to achieve various intellectual objectives: writing, reading, mathematics, geography, sciences, botany, zoology…
• to be self-assured and self-confident

All these are achieved through:

• practical learning materials
• sensorial materials
• language and reading materials
• arithmetic and mathematics materials
• an atmosphere that embraces « space »culture, music, painting and art
• an atmosphere of clear and honest communication, both with the teacher and with the other children

All the above enrich the child allowing him or her to accept the differences that bring riches to the soul, leading to the respect and acceptance of others just the way they are.

At this stage of growth, the child undergoes enormous physical and psychological changes and develops a great intellectual curiosity. The needs of the previous stage are still present however new ones emerge:

• a need for privacy
• a need to be considered seriously
• a need to be respected and treated as a responsible person
• a need to be listened to in order to express himself freely
• a need to be esteemed in order to be able to develop self-esteem
• a need to be responsible, to enable him/her to discover for himself/herself the consequences of his/her actions

In short, the child’s fundamental need is to construct his moral self.

The child of 6-12 years has a need to integrate the manners and customs of society and to understand social relationships. He/she has a need to feel at home with his/her fellow man. This is achieved by positioning himself/herself :

• in the universe
• on earth
• in history
• in the history of his/her family
• in his personal history
• in present time
• in the present world
• in nature
• in man’s labours on earth

All these discoveries must be made through personal observation and experience by the child himself rather than by theoretical teaching based on the explanations and experiences of adults.