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. Over 100 years ago, Maria Montessori observed that “children learn from one another and throw themselves into the work with enthusiasm and delight. This atmosphere of quiet activity develops a fellow-feeling, an attitude of mutual aid and, most wonderful of all, an intelligent interest on the part of the older children in the progress of their little companions.” That is, children are happier learning from each other, learning from doing, rather than learning from an adult. Our classrooms are set up to facilitate just this type of interaction–a young child is able to observe an older child and will want to emulate them.
HMS is different from other Montessori preschool in that we include two-year olds into the pre-school mix–no separate toddler classrooms here. So, while this 5-year-old (above) was sculpting a birds’ nest, a 2-year-old–32 months younger–was 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! But, maybe not quite yet… while those fingers are great for the nesting dolls, they have some practicing to do before we’ll attempt to sculpt clay!