A Montessori Musing Place

     Every three years or so, our school sends home a survey asking parents various questions about their family's experience at our school. These surveys can be signed or returned anonymously in order to receive some constructive criticism. For the most part, comments on this year's returned surveys were extremely positive. There was however, one survey, which posed some very good questions, and I'd like to dedicate the next few posts to those questions in case there are other families wondering the same things.


The first comment was on the lack of physical activity in the classrooms.

     This questions always throws me because we believe that movement is vital to children's learning.  However, there is more involved in movement than just simple exercising or running around the playground. Children must also be given activities that appeal to their inner commands (sensitive periods).

In this picture, a girl stretches as far as she can to cut off a spent bloom.



It is no secret that children are constantly moving. They are, in fact, seeking to hone those movements required to achieve the mundane occupations of daily life: occupations such as dressing and undressing, setting the table for meals, or taking care of a pet. Dr. Montessori believed that adults need to keep this in mind instead of pleading with children to keep still and that we should give some order to their movement.

In this picture, two children use many different muscle groups while washing the dishes.  In this shot, the girl is pouring the rinse water out of the tub without spilling it onto the counter - lots of concentration and honing of movement required to do this.





A love of beautiful images is not enough to paint beautiful pictures. A will to paint and many hours of practise and study are also required. However, and this is where man is greatly different from animals; learning to paint is a choice we can make. Therefore, it is not enough to simply have children do simple exercises just to strengthen their muscles. It is equally important that movement be coordinated with the will.











Balancing a bean bag and a metal bowl while walking on the line.




to shaking out mats, …


to washing the windows, …. the children are constantly moving.




And let's not forget about yoga in the classroom. It starts with lessons from the teacher and, when the moves are mastered, is done independently but under observation.