Casa Program
Suitable for ages 2½ to 6 years
Course Content
The Montessori classroom is a nurturing, bright and spacious environment specifically prepared for children. Your child will explore and expand their knowledge in this social and interactive environment. In our Montessori classroom, children engage in a variety of activities; at any given moment, different students might be enjoying a snack, writing a story, working in a group or receiving a one-on-one lesson from the teacher. The mixed-age setting enables older children to build confidence and leadership skills through teaching and helping their younger peers. At the same time, younger children are inspired to adapt the responsible, mature behaviours admired in their older classmates.
Practical Life
Through real-life activities, our students learn to care for themselves, others and their surrounding environment, instilling them with independence and confidence. Doing zippers, caring for plants and preparing a snack, among other activities, enables children to naturally develop and fine-tune their muscular coordination and motor skills. Through this work, children build their sense of order, understand the work cycle and develop concentration, all important skills for academic learning.
Sensorial
Sensorial materials are tools Dr. Montessori devised for development and refinement of the senses. Through exploration, ordering and classifying concepts, children develop cognitively. Identifying, contrasting and comparing colour, shape, scent, temperature, weight and texture indirectly prepares students for later work in mathematics, algebra and geometry.
Language Area
Our students are presented with a wealth of opportunities to enrich their language. Spoken language, written and reading skills are all developed and strengthened through activities the children work with during their years in Casa. Writing and reading are introduced phonetically and the children learn at their own pace to write and as a result, to read.
Mathematics
Through engagement with tangible Montessori materials, children develop an understanding of mathematical concepts. They learn numeric symbols, their quantities and the decimal system. The operations of addition, multiplication, subtraction and division, as well as place value are presented to and explored by our young students. Through working with the materials, our students develop an understanding of numeration, the decimal system, computation, the arithmetic tables, whole numbers, fractions, and positive numbers.
Culture
The children study plants, animals and their parts, the life cycles of living creatures, metamorphoses and the physical sciences. Seasons and temperature are also explored. Specific biology activities include the study and classification of living things, including plants, animals, and more specifically, vertebrates and invertebrates. Geography, history, calendar, time, holidays, maps and various cultural traditions make up aspects of the culture curriculum.
Art
Children are introduced to an assortment of art mediums including drawing, painting, cutting and pasting. They examine and discuss artwork by well known artists, read stories featuring art and the lives of artists and may visit local galleries.
Music
Children sing songs, repeat rhymes and act out finger plays in group settings. Exercises with the sound bells introduce our students to scales and help them perceive high and low notes and match sounds. Listening centres enable children to gain exposure to different types of music, from Classical to Raffi to the sounds of Latin America; they love it all. You would be amazed at what a hit the Grease Soundtrack is!
At times, WMS invites specialized teachers and artists into the school, exposing your child to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Arts.
Movement
Our Physical Education Guide invites the children to participate in skill building exercises that support the growth and strengthening of their gross motor skills while also building coordination through kicking soccer balls, dribbling basketballs and running through obstacles courses.
Our Core Objectives
Every child is an individual, captivated by different things at different times. We personalize your child’s learning experience by creating individualized lesson plans based on their interests, level of understanding and experiences. In this manner, every child is introduced to all aspects of our curriculum at the right time in their development.
Children who graduate our program will be prepared for the next step in their education, private or public, with a genuine love of learning. They will have an increased curiosity about the world around them and the confidence necessary to take on new academic and social challenges.
“Both my kids have attended Westside Montessori and they’re learning and growing way above their age group, I couldn’t be happier!”
Amy Adams
Parent of Two Kids
