The Pillars of 6-12 :

The Montessori program revolves around the five major lessons given at the beginning of the 6-12 age cycle: the creation of the Earth, the life of plants, animals and human life, language, mathematics, and science.

Each year, new students gather for these five lessons. Older children can attend the lesson if they wish, experiencing each story differently each year depending on their maturity and level of understanding. The teacher builds each lesson using narratives, music, diagrams and visuals, experiments, and games. These five “great stories” will each open a new field: geography, history, language, mathematics, geometry, biology. The educator ensures that each child engages with all aspects of the curriculum.

The Material

Activities directly related to French help the child to: – become aware of the order and structure of their language, which they have orally and partially in writing; – appreciate their native language; – deepen their knowledge of it; – master the rules of usage.

We start with the history of writing, which places the study of French in an anthropological dimension and perspective.

For Maria Montessori, the human mind is mathematical by nature. We connect mathematics to life and the history of humanity. The educational materials correspond to the great reasoning and abstraction power of children, who spontaneously reach abstraction. Repetition occurs through a variety of exercises.

This is not a linear history recounting a succession of events, wars, or dates. We opt for a human-centered approach, based on the fundamental and universal needs of humans and how humans have collectively responded to their needs. We focus on showing how, through the ages, they have built communities, tribes, civilizations, and nations.

The approach promotes the connection of elements and reasoning (equivalence, angles, Pythagorean theorem).

Botanical biology: the needs of plants, the different parts of plants and their functions.

Animal biology: the same approach for animals.

Human biology: the needs and care of the body.

The great river: the major functions.

Geography: physical, geophysical, human, and economic.

Children are introduced to the history of the universe, the grand story that launches all the work of the 6-12 years. The goal is to spark curiosity, interest, and wonder. The educator provides only a starting point and the desire to learn more, which leads to questions and research to answer them.

Typical Day for the 6-12 Year Program

9:00 AM – 9:25 AM Welcome of the children by an educator 9:30 AM The children get into the mood and are invited to choose activities related to the Montessori educational program. A snack is prepared and placed on a table by the children around 10:00 AM, when two children prepare the bread. The educators interact with the children until the clean-up period. 11:20 AM Clean-up period. Around 11:20 AM, children who are responsible for checking the different corners of the classroom are invited to tidy up the materials. Pairing an older child with a younger one facilitates this period and helps to pass on the proper instructions to the younger children. 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM Lunch. Before sitting down for the meal, each child is invited to wash their hands. Supervision by the educators promotes proper table manners, which is central to our “etiquette” program. 12:15 PM After finishing their meals, children must tidy up and clean their tables. Everyone is invited to go to the restroom before starting the afternoon activities. 2:30 PM Return to classroom activities. Children who need to rest are invited to lie down on their small beds in the nap room. The others, after a rest period, return to the Montessori educational activities or choose to participate in various workshops (painting, music, world discovery, etc.) based on current projects. 3:00 PM End of activities. Classroom clean-up 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Outing to the park 4:30 PM Departure of the children.