‘Our preschool encourages independence and freedom of choice and provides an environment where children develop responsibility for their learning. We acknowledge the important role of physical activity and provide an extensive outdoor environment’.
The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum Te Whāriki is woven into our everyday practice. We provide an environment where
- The health and wellbeing of the child is protected and nurtured
- Children and their families feel a sense of belonging
- opportunities for learning and equitable and each child contribution is valued
- The languages and symbols of children’s own and other cultures are promoted and protected
- The child leans through active exploration of the environment
(Ministry of Education, 2017, Te Whāriki Early Childhood Curriculum)
Dr Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle Italy in 1870. She studied hard and became the first female doctor in Italy graduating from Rome University. Thus began her life-long interest in the welfare and education of children not only in Italy but worldwide.
January the 6th 1907 saw the opening of the first ‘Casa dei Bambini’ or Children’s House. Here she focused on teaching the student’s ways to develop their own skills at their own pace using a wide variety of special equipment of increasing complexity. This was the inception of the Montessori Method of education.
The Montessori Method has grown to encompass many countries and cultures over the past century always keeping the same basic principle. “The education of even a very small child does not aim at preparing him for school but for life” – Maria Montessori.
Dr Montessori died in Holland in 1957 and has left us all with a wonderful legacy that we continue to pass on to future generations.
© 2017 Waikanae Montessori Preschool