Montessori Moment: Cultural Curriculum

In addition to Practical Life, Sensorial, Math and Language, there are also lessons in the classroom devoted to Cultural lessons which, among other things, include geography and botany.

Geography materials include both puzzle maps as well as globes, flags and land and water forms. Children also have access to Geography Folders divided by continent that are full of beautiful pictures that are representative of those continents. Learning about other cultures is imperative to cultivating empathy- one of the core values of the Montessori curriculum.

Children learn about names of different leaf shapes using the botany cabinet. Each classroom also makes sure to have a variety of plants for plant care, gardening in the spring outside, and food preparation of fruits and vegetables. Lessons also include learning about the life cycles of plants, naming the parts of flowers, and the cycles of the moon.

“We must study the correlation between life and its environment. In nature everything correlates. This is the method of nature. Nature is not concerned with the conservation of individual life: it is a harmony, a plan of construction. Everything fits into the plan: winds, rocks, earth, water, plants, man, etc.”

– Maria Montessori, Citizen of the World