Setting up The Prepared Environment in a โpack-awayโ #Montessori nursery ๐ ๐๐ปโโ๏ธโฆ #unitymontessori #preparedenviroment #earlymorningworkout
One of the core principles of the Montessori ethos is The Prepared Environment, that is everything that children come to interact with is thought through and carefully placed to draw their attention and stimulate independent learning and exploration. Meticulous planning goes into dividing available space in different learning areas (Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, and Cultural).
Learning materials are accesible to all children at all times, for ultimately they are the ones deciding which activities to engage with. Children also decide whether they want to work individually, with one another, or join an already formed group. This ability to chose freely encourages free flow between areas, which is another key Montessori principle.
Unity is a pack-away nursery, meaning The Prepared Environment must be set up and then packed away every day. We thought it would be helpful to record this activity so that parents gain a better understanding of the work that goes into it.
“When we say that the children are free in our schools, organization is necessary, an organization more detailed than in other schools, so that the children may be free to work. The child, by carrying out experiments in a prepared environment, perfects himself, but a certain amount of apparatus is then necessary and space is necessary. Once the child has achieved concentration, he continues to be concentrated through many activities, and as he becomes more and more active, the teacher becomes less and less so…”Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
The workshop aim was to explore ways to expose young children to big ideas and real-life experiences, both within and outside of their own cultures and communities, as well as to reflect and discuss how to nurture our little ones into being responsible and respectful citizens of the world, equipped to care and respect others and celebrate our planet ๐
We are incredibly fortunate to have such an incredibly passionate team๐๐!
It is common, even for adults, to feel anxious when facing new situations. It happens to us all throughout life: when going to school or university for the first time, or when starting a new job for example. Meeting new people in a new environment produces anxiety. In the case of many of the families that have joined Unity’s parents community, it isn’t only a new nursery for children, but a new country, new language and culture, and a new education system. It is definitely out of the comfort zone.
For most children, their comfort zone are parents / carers and their home environment. Thatโs all they know. Parents and home ARE (with capital letters) their secure place. When little ones are faced with a new situation, like starting in nursery for instance, they have to separate from what represents to them the only secure place they know and love. But unlike adults, children cannot verbalise their feelings and cannot discuss pros and cons of joining this or that nursery.
Children will experience a mix of feelings. Perhaps at first a feeling of excitement, of being surrounded by other children, with new activities that catch their atttention in a place where everything is designed for them. That first exploration will be amazing and parents will be exploring this new environment along with their child.ย It is crucial in this initial process of discovery to give children every reassurance that everything is fine.
The role of parents when settling-in starts is to introduce the new environment and key teacher to their child. It goes a long way in establishing trust, when children see that their parents are comfortable. The first few days parents stay in with their child, to reassure all is well. Then the time they spend at the nursery starts to decrease, as the chilldren become more confident in the new surroundings. Inevitably at some point, parents will have to leave and separate from their child. This will cause confusion and mixed feelings. Your child would probably think โwhy are the only people I know and love the most leaving me with strangers?โ But remember: children cannot ask this question verbally, they will cry instead to communicate that they are nervous and anxious with the new situation. This is entirely normal. It is a new feeling that they need to express somehow, as settling-in is basically an accelerated acclimatisation process.
For parents, hearing their child crying is heart breaking, for sure, though children have an amazing capacity to adapt. In fact they do it much better and definitely much quicker than adults. Children soon understand that their parents will always come back. It takes time for them to do so, and it depends on each individual child and circumstances. Once they become used to the new environment, teachers and other children, a new bond of trust is established, perhaps for the first time, between parents and their child. By this point, children would have had plenty opportunities to adapt and embrace this new situation, they will happily say goodbye to parents with the certainty that they will come back, always.ย Very soon after the tears will stop. That is when the period of settling-in ends.
“Our daughter started at Unity in September. We were apprehensive about her settling in as she had not settled in at her previous nursery. All the staff at Unity are so warm and caring that within a few weeks our daughter was ready to say bye to us and confidently walk in on her own. We were so happy and surprised at how much she loved being there every day. Her speech and language had developed quickly and she has grown in confidence. We know she is well looked after and receive weekly updates on her progress. Thank you Alex and the team at Unity”
