Kids from 6-12 Years old
Elementary School
One day in our
elementary school
When the first children arrive between 7:30-8:30, the free work begins, whereby all news is exchanged, the children get an overview of the daily structure, animals are fed or petted and, if necessary, leaves are swept.
As soon as all the children have arrived, a busy but quiet hustle and bustle takes place. The children organize all the materials they need for their work, choose their work partners and their individual workplace, get instructions and presentations from their teachers and start their free work as naturally as is usual in Montessori Classes.
Some children are brought to a presentation by their teacher and return afterwards with an idea of how they could continue to work or research with what they have just learned. This work phase is at some point interrupted by a growling stomach and the children have the opportunity to use their individual break time to snack, get some fresh air, socialize, but also exercise in the garden.
The gymnastics lessons in the garden are very important for the active primary school children. In addition to group dynamic games, there are many opportunities to develop their own coordination and motor skills.
The school garden not only offers the opportunity to observe nature, but also regularly requires many hands for weeding, sweeping, planting and watering. A good opportunity not only to put in some cognitive effort outdoors, but also to get some physical activity while working in the garden together.
Visits to museums or libraries are always on the agenda, as well as, of course, short hikes at the beach and the forest. Celebrating birthdays together, presenting small projects as part of lectures or even cooking together complement the primary children’s school days.
At the end of the day there is a lot of movement in the group and all the children are busy getting things organized. The materials are arranged back on the shelves, animals are cared for, plants are watered, clothes that have been left lying around are hung up neatly, so that everything is ready for the children’s work for the next day.
In a short final group circle, any outstanding questions are discussed and any discrepancies are clarified and then the majority of the children go to lunch together. Afterwards, many children like to take advantage of the primary extra activities, normal afternoon care in order to have time for social exchange with friends, to use the garden again, or to paint in the studio or languages classes.
At 3:30 p.m the school building finally closes its doors.
Our learning and development for our 6-12 years old
Six to twelve year old children go to together, mixed ages.
Primary school children want to understand “why something is like that” and “how it works”. Their intellectual conquest knows no boundaries of time or space and affects entire universes, and so everything inaccessible to the senses is explored with the imagination.
The great stories by Maria Montessori about the “origin of the universe”, the “development of life on earth”, the “appearance of man”, the “origin of writing” and the “development of numbers”, as well as numerous “key stories”, arouse deep interest and stimulate children’s imagination.
The children’s interest in science is enormous and teachers continually encourage them to ask questions and get to the bottom of things on their own, rather than presenting them with all the answers ready-made. This phase of real greed for knowledge and understanding of connections holds a potential in this age that will never again be lived so clearly and passionately. They now want to understand things that they have previously only experienced with their senses with their own minds, to pursue and explore phenomena. Areas of knowledge such as the universe, molecules or heroes from antiquity are researched with tremendous persistence. The principles of “free choice of work” and “choice of work partners”, “choice of work place” and also “choice of time” enable children to deal with the topics they want in small teams or alone.
The 6 to 12 year olds are characterized by a great, often stubborn enthusiasm for work. If they are enthusiastic about an activity, they are able to deal intensively with it and tackle it with concentration.
The secure acquisition of reading, writing and arithmetic skills is an important prerequisite for being able to deal with all the exciting questions, and for this Montessori education not only offers wonderful materials that the educators “present” to the students at the right moment (presentations), but also creates the framework for day-to-day research.
Great attention is paid to accompanying social processes, because the primary school children, who often passionately develop their understanding of good and evil, show great interest in the moral code in the group. Rules and prohibitions are questioned, because children at this age have a strong sense of justice. They can empathize instinctively and learn to empathize from others as well. A primary school child learns to deal with criticism and, over time, acquires a real ability to self-reflect. The sense of responsibility of 6 to 12 year olds for themselves and the group is increasing, not only within the family and the learning group, but also in everyday life, on the street – in society.
A good culture of conversation in which mutual appreciation and constructive feedback are the standard that creates the special atmosphere of a Montessori class. The 6 to 12 year olds are consciously interested in becoming a part of society, experiencing and understanding social criteria. That’s why they like to be out in groups so much, start to compare themselves and thus initiate a healthy independence and the slow separation from the family. That is why parents must take the three areas of life: home, school and going out into the world, seriously.