Visitors to HMS marvel at the varied activities going on at the same time. This morning we noticed these two age-appropriate activities happening at the same time. To the untrained eye, these may seem two different activities, but what is going on is simply that children of different ages have different abilities.
It is well-known that Montessori classrooms are multi-age. HMS is different in that we include two-year olds into the pre-school mix–no toddler classrooms here. So, while this 5-year-old (right) is sculpting a birds’ nest, a 2-year-old–32 months younger–is simultaneously fitting together nesting dolls (below). These are similar age-appropriate activities for both of these children. The younger child who masters the skill of matching objects with two hands is on his way to creating detailed sculptures.
The best part? When the 2-year-old returns the nesting dolls to the shelf, it is probable that he stopped and to watch the birds’ nest construction, and will want to learn to do that himself!
