Casa Program

Casa Program Overview

(3 TO 6 YEARS OLD – PRESCHOOL, JUNIOR AND SENIOR KINDERGARTEN)

“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement is being formed.” – Maria Montessori

The 3 to 6 year-old child possesses what Dr. Maria Montessori calls an “absorbent mind.” This type of mind has the unique and transitory ability to absorb all aspects (physical, emotional, and mental) of the environment, seemingly without much effort or fatigue. During this period, children are like little sponges, using all their senses to soak up information from their surroundings. This is a time when intelligence is directed inward in an act of self-construction, as well as outward during periods of development toward increasing knowledge, information, and experience in the world.

During this period, children experience their environment through their senses. These experiences become a part of them; they are “absorbed” by the mind – not memorized or consciously learned. Our Montessori Casa Program is specifically designed to nurture this extraordinary capacity for absorption and to meet the needs and interests of children between 3 and 6 years old.

Our Casa classrooms are led by AMI Montessori-trained teachers with specialized qualifications for that age group, and assistants support classroom management. Teachers guide children toward purposeful activities based on their stage of development and learning style. Through repetition and exploration of activities, children acquire concepts and skills while strengthening concentration, joy for learning, motivation, and self-discipline.

The Casa Montessori environment is prepared for multi-age groupings of children, with learning materials appropriate for each age. Younger children observe and are assisted by older classmates when needed. In turn, older students have the opportunity to guide younger classmates and feel proud of their contributions to the classroom community while reinforcing their own learning. This creates a supportive environment where learning can take place naturally.

Casa children are exposed to English in the mornings and French in the afternoons, which is particularly valuable in the National Capital Region. Each day, weather permitting, children spend time outdoors in our equipped playground and garden. Each term, special events are held with guest presenters such as Monkey Rock, Mad Science, and Ottawa firefighters.

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on a three-year cycle. Children engage either individually or in small groups in a variety of activities that help cultivate their natural desire to learn.

Practical Life: 

Practical Life activities reflect tasks that children recognize from their daily routines at home, such as preparing snacks, sweeping, arranging flowers, and washing windows. These meaningful tasks involve caring for themselves, others, and the environment. Through participation in these activities, children develop independence, fine and gross motor skills, muscular and hand-eye coordination, concentration, and the ability to complete a task from beginning to end.

Sensorial: 

Children learn about the world around them by using all their senses, which in turn supports the development of their intellect. Sensorial exercises are designed to help children manipulate, differentiate, order, and classify impressions through touch, hearing, sight, taste, and smell. These materials also assist children in forming clear mental images of concrete objects, laying the foundation for abstract thinking.

Language:

The classroom environment provides rich spoken language through conversations and stories. The use of specific Montessori materials helps children link sounds with letter symbols. As children become familiar with phonetic sounds and learn to blend them together, they progress to reading phonetic words. Children are then introduced to phonograms and sight words. The language program also includes grammatical structure, functions of words, cursive writing, and creative writing.

French:

To follow Montessori principles, French is not taught through formal lessons or circle time. Instead, it is introduced naturally as a second language through everyday activities. Teachers speak French with one another and with the children in an informal, conversational way. Children learn new French vocabulary through classroom activities, classified cards, stories, and songs.

Mathematics: 

Children are introduced to the sensorial concepts of numbers, the decimal system and its purpose, as well as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They first explore quantity, then symbols, and finally the association between quantity and symbols. Addition and subtraction are introduced in a logical, concrete way using Montessori materials. Once these concepts are well understood, multiplication is introduced, followed by division. Later, children explore and memorize addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tables using specialized Montessori tools.

Cultural Studies:

Cultural materials (Geography, Science, Art and Music) are presented as extensions of the sensorial and language activities. These activities are used to broaden children’s experiences and draw their attention to various aspects of the world around them.

Geography:

Geography materials enable children to classify the world into continents, countries, provinces, and states, each with its own shape, name, capital, and flag. These activities also help children build a foundation of global awareness and foster respect for all cultures.

Science:

Science materials give children the opportunity to explore leaf shapes, the parts of leaves and flowers, life cycles, animals and their parts, and other natural phenomena.

Art and Music:

Comprehensive art and music programs engage children in a variety of creative activities, explore the works of great masters, and use Montessori bells that correspond to piano notes from middle C to high C.

Outdoor activities: 

Children have access to a spacious, secure playground designed to encourage social interaction, physical activity, and hands-on exploration of the natural world. They also take part in caring for the outdoor environment through activities such as gardening, raking, weeding, and planting bulbs.

Schedule

Morning
8:30 am	Morning arrival.
8:30 am to 11:30 am	Morning cycle and snack time.
Afternoon
11:30 am to 12:30 pm	Lunch and preparation for outside play.
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm	Outdoor play time.
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm	Afternoon cycle and snack time. For nappers: nap time and snack time.
3:30 pm	Children gather their belongings to go home or to aftercare.

Testimonials

"Our daughter and son have both had the benefit of the caring and nurturing learning environment at Parkdale Montessori School. Our daughter started at 2 and a half years old and has had the consistency of the same teacher for 4 years in the Casa program. There’s no doubt that she’s had a great head start and will be well prepared for Grade one. How wonderful it is to hear our 5 year old girl tell us that math is her favourite subject and that she enjoys subtraction!" - Donna and John

"Parkdale Montessori has provided our son with a warm and caring environment to explore his interests and develop new ones. As parents, we appreciate the efforts his teachers have made to get to know him and work with him to bring out his unique strengths" - Kelley

"My daughter started at Parkdale Montessori when she was 2 and a half years old. She has continued through to her kindergarten year. We have been extremely happy throughout the three years and so has our daughter. The most significant aspect of her stay has been the relationship that she has developed with her head teacher. The teachers and assistants of Parkdale Montessori have provided a caring, safe, happy, and nurturing environment in which to learn. Each September my daughter has been happy to be back at school. My daughter's trust and affection for her teacher has allowed her to develop self confidence, love of reading, and a passion for learning. My daughter has learned conflict /resolution, manners, leadership, care of the environment, and respect for the other children and teachers. When we are away from our child for the day, we are assured that she is in a loving place at Parkdale Montessori." - Maureen

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