The Method

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The Montessori approach evolved over many years as the result Dr. Maria Montessori’s work. The Montessori Method is used now with children of all ages. At LHM we focus on the preschool and kindergarten aged child. The preschool aged child displays an inherent tendency towards discovery, cooperation, kindness, and nonviolence. It is our challenge to promote all of these characteristics to extend them into later childhood and adulthood.

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Teachers are trained to challenge each child to extend fully his/her unique style of learning. Our classrooms are characterized by calm, orderly, focused and respectful learning behaviors. We believe that respect breeds respect and creates an atmosphere within which learning is facilitated.

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Current brain research suggests that learning environments that are stimulating and relaxed; intriguing and safe for exploration facilitate learning in children. In our classrooms children manipulate everything in their environment and therefore learn by doing. Through movement and touch, children explore, manipulate, and build storehouses of impressions about the physical world around them and move these learning experiences into concrete thoughts.

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Many exercises, especially at the early childhood level, are designed to draw children’s attention to the sensory properties of objects within their environment: size, shape, color, texture, weight, smell, sound, etc. Children begin to observe and appreciate their environment, which is key in helping children discover how to learn.

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We try to help children fall in love with the process of focusing their complete attention on something and mastering its challenge with enthusiasm. The environment of the Montessori class is a learning laboratory in which children are allowed to explore, and discover.