The Absorbent mind is the sponge-like capacity of a child’s mind, absorbing from their environment, as well as the language in which they are surrounded. The absorbent mind period is where learning is effortless, and the child starts forming their personality around this. This period is from birth to six years old, the time in which your child is in preschool. In preschool the prepared environment is set out for the child for him to absorb all the richness around him and learn from it.
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​The unconscious absorbent mind is from birth to three years of age where the child is absorbing everything and anything around him unconsciously. Some of the activities in which they are learning in this period is to sit, crawl, use their hands, speak etc. the children mimic what they see, hence the adult being the biggest role model during this phase. Role modelling every act, for the child to see what the appropriate behaviour is.

The conscious absorbent mind is from three to six years of age, here the children are still sponge-like, however they are seeking experiences. Children in this phase have a desire to make choices on their own as well as completing tasks independently. Giving the child a task to complete successfully, in order to do so, making sure the child will be successful within this task. Packing their school bag in the morning, however making sure they have enough time in order to do so.

These phases of the absorbent mind are in all children in the preschool phase, the prepared environment as well as the spiritual preparation of the teachers plays a big role in each child becoming the best they can be.

“The child has a mind able to absorb knowledge. He has the power to teach himself” - Maria Montessori

At school, the children are independent little humans, each carrying their own bags, washing their dishes, preparing snacks for their friends as well as helping their friends when needed. Watching a four year old helping a three year old with their buckle shoes is something too precious for words.

How are parents able to help their children become more independent at home is often a question we get asked as teachers. This means that they can do everything they do at school at home too. A big statement we live by is “help me to help myself”.


This applies where the child is capable, however they just need the time to be able to finish the task at hand. Giving your child ample amounts of time to complete their task is key as they work slower than adults — they have only been
doing this for 3 years!

The prepared environment can happen at home too: organising your child’s play area around them, giving your child space in the kitchen for their own plates and cups, and having a working area for them to help prepare their meals. Encouraging children to pack away after themselves, only taking one activity out at a time and packing it away before taking the next one out. On that note they would need a shelf their height for their activities to live.

Remember to teach things step by step and to give your child the ability to learn it over some time — they didn’t learn to prepare their friend’s snacks in one day. We want the children to be successful and in order for this to happen, we need to set them up for success by supplying them with the foundations.

​Lastly, keep in mind that when learning happens, so does mess! Things are going to break, spills are going to happen but this is all a part of the process. We learn to clean the spills and to move on — these are accidents which lead to a new learning curve.

We love independence and as Maria Montessori said, “Help me to do it alone.”

We are very excited to share our experience of running a six week enrichment program for childminders over August and September 2017. After almost a year of preparation, brainstorming ideas and learning from other workshops, Phindi and Lundi facilitated a series of six valuable and informative interactive learning sessions at Hout Bay Montessori with childminders and teaching assistants from the Hout Bay area. The sessions were a huge success, with an opportunity for shared learning, lots of active
participation and loads of fun. Phindi and Lundi shared their experience of studying Montessori and teaching at Hout Bay Montessori.

The content of the six sessions were based on the First Children program of Auburn House Trust. Some of the broader topics covered included understanding the child and understanding the role of adults as teachers and role models, respect, independence, order and freedom from a Montessori perspective.

There was also an opportunity to share, experience and learn more about the approach and the child’s environment at school and in the home. We spend time walking around the Montessori classroom and observing ‘the prepared environment’. Participants had the opportunity to observe Phindi and Lundi demonstrating some of the Montessori activities that the children do in the day and think about what would be useful and fun to reinforce for children at home. It was a wonderful group of ladies, who became very close after six weeks of being together and shared amazing feedback of their experiences and learning.

We felt the objectives had been achieved with participants gaining some practical Montessori tools that can be applied to engaging and stimulating and enjoying life, learning and play with children at home. There was also a focus on the Montessori way when it comes to listening to, collaborating with and enabling children to be their beautiful evolving selves.
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 - Nicky Bush

Why should you consider placing your toddler in a Montessori Nursery classroom? What will your toddler be learning at that age? What are the benefits? Here's a look at how starting your child in a Montessori Nursery class can benefit his/her learning experience later on in life.

"The studies which have been made of early infancy leave no room for doubt: the first two years are important for ever, because in that period, one passes from being nothing into being something." - Maria Montessori

From the age of 0 - 3 years, a child learns learns through doing and through observing - their "absorbent mind" allows for experiences to form part of his/her entire being, not just in memory. It is an effortless learning that should be unitlised and nourished from this young age.

Starting your child in a Montessori Nursery classroom at the age of 18 months will allow for important foundations to be laid for later learning. A Montessori Nursery classroom offers a safe and age-appropriate environment for your young child to explore freely. There is a misconception that Montessori classrooms lack boundaries, however it is the presence of boundaries that allows for a free and safe environment, which in turn aids a child's independence and self-confidence.

Age-specific activities are laid on shelves and shown to children individually when they are able to master the skill/activity. The role of the adult in this environment is to guide the child to what they can master while supporting their natural learning capabilities and interests.

The activities within a Nursery classroom are aimed at:

Strengthening Fine/Gross Motor Movements
Refining Hand/Eye Coordination
Introducing Colours/Shapes/Numbers/Sounds
Developing spacial awareness
Developing sequencial thought/sense of order
Supporting Independence and Self-confidence
Improving Social Skills

All of the above form an invaluable foundation for any child to grow from when entering a pre-school environment. It gives the child an opportunity to learn through play, exploration, socialising, and curiosity - it gives the child the freedom to learn naturally and happily, building on skills which will be used as he/she enters pre-school.

"It begins with a knowledge of his surroundings. How does the child assimilate his environment? He does it solely in virtue of one of those characteristics that we now know him to have. This is an intense and specialized sensitiveness in consequence of which the things about him awaken so much interest and so much enthusiasm that they become incorporated in his very existence . The child absorbs these impressions not with his mind but with his life itself." - Maria Montessori

What makes for an authentic Montessori school environment? What are the foundations of an authentic Montessori school? Here's a look at various aspects of a true Montessori environment and the ethos behind them.

What is Montessori Education?

To quote The South African Montessori Association, "Montessori is an international philosophy of education based on scientific observation of how the child learns. The approach is child-centred and acknowledges the innate eagerness of the child to learn and acquire knowledge. It is a holistic approach to education which values all areas of the child’s development: physical, social, emotional and cognitive."

The first Montessori school was started in 1900 with 22 children. Maria Montessori aimed to observe and work with these children closely to see how they learn, interact, and experience their environment. Over 100 years later there are more than 20 000 Montessori schools worldwide.

Because not all Montessori schools are strictly Montessori in their teaching methods, it's important to highlight what makes a school truly authentic when it comes to Montessori principles and education.

Here are 6 traits of an authentic Montessori environment:

1. The staff all follow the same guidelines when it comes to discipline, personal behaviour, curriculum presentations, and embodying the Montessori philosophies.
2. The environment is beautifully maintained, ordered, clean, and aimed to serve the child, not the adult.
3. Activities on the shelves are age appropriate depending on the age of the children in the class.
4. The activities gradually progress from concrete to more abstract teachings, beginning with sensorial materials.
5. Authentic Montessori classrooms have an uninterrupted 3 hour work-cycle every day.
6. The classes are divided as follows:
- Nursery - ages 18 months to approximately 2 1/2 years
- Pre-school - ages 2 1/2 years to 6 years
- Junior Primary - ages 6 years to 9 years
- Senior Primary - ages 9 years to 12 years

An authentic Montessori school is not just about academic achievements, its focus on emotional and spiritual development is paramount too. It aims to foster compassion, curiosity, self-motivation, respect, and independence alongside academic goals. Creating a sense of community amongst parents, teachers, and children is vital, and this "connectedness" is an important characteristic of a true Montessori school too.

"There is a great sense of community within the Montessori classroom, where children of differing ages work together in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competitiveness. There is respect for the environment and for the individuals within it, which comes through experience of freedom within the community." - Maria Montessori

An introduction to the beautiful and unique Montessori Education system, illustrated for you by the children of Hout Bay Montessori themselves.

Story-Telling workshop
Yes, Montessori isn’t about fantasy corners and dress-up but we are all about creativity and storytelling! The wonderful, warm and inspirational Michael Dorer spent two days talking us through his book: “The Deep Well of Time”. The teachers are now telling stories to the primary children – about the “Rebellious Pronoun” and “Archimedes and the Hollow Sphere”. The 6 to 12 year old is ALL about the imagination – how special to learn to use this to teach basic concepts of parts of speech and maths, among many!
 
Pre-school children also love to hear stories – theirs are geared at personal stories – true stories about the world and themselves. Be warned – they like to hear them over and over… and over again!
 
SAMAcon
The following two days saw many new faces, as the conference started in earnest. We were invited to many different workshops and lectures. The overall messages for me became clear as I thought back on the two days on the plane home! Previous conferences have mostly been aimed at preschool topics – with the odd primary inspired talk. This year, I, as a primary Directress, got so much from many workshops. This is speaking to how Montessori Primary is growing in South Africa. Meeting so many other primary teachers and Principals of primary schools was heartwarming and so comforting – we are all walking the same path. We are just at different stages. The willingness to share, support and learn from one another was profound and deeply humbling.
 
The lectures I went to about Montessori High Schools were also inspiring. If Hout Bay Montessori is ever in a position to seriously explore this option, there is a wealth of expertise to turn to. Montessorians around South Africa are doing extraordinary things and the commitment to collaboration was clear! There is certainly talk of Montessori Primary Schools working together to develop a central high school – watch this space!