Belleair Montessori Academy

Programs

Garden of Enlightenment

1 Year Old Program

The 1 year old classroom is a large sunlit room with lots of space for the children to move around. Children are given lessons on how to use the Practical Life and Sensorial Montessori equipment. There are also many educational toys and books available. The nurturing atmosphere of our qualified staff will introduce a variety of skills to your child. Monthly curriculum available.

• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Fine Motor Muscle Control
• Verbal Expression
• Following Directions/Playing With Others
• Expanding Attention Span

The Magic-Garten

2 to 3 Year Old Program

By this age the child is curious, eager and ready to learn more of the world in which he functions. Having achieved mobility and the fundamentals of communication the child is ready for a broader scope than at the home. He is ready for an environment that offers more challenges, both socially and intellectually. The 2-3 1/2 year old program at Belleair Montessori emphasizes the wholistic development of the child's physical, emotional, psychological and sensorial faculties, as well as its intellectual powers. Current monthly curriculum available.

Pre-Kindergarten

3 1/2 to 5 Four Year Old Program

The 2-3 year age span in the classroom allows the younger child to observe and learn from the older child, both academically and socially. The 4 year old child feels success from being the model and needs the pre-kindergarten "year of confidence" before entering kindergarten and upper grades. The pre-kindergarten classroom at Belleair Montessori has an atmosphere in which any child would love to learn. Each of the four areas of Montessori are extensively incorporated into the daily curriculum.

Elementary

5 to 7 Year Old Program

The task of the Montessori center during the grade school age is to aid the student in his own natural development which includes basic physical, emotional and cognitive skills necessary for functioning in his society and world. The student of this age wants to know how everything came to be. We must give him the history of the universe, the world, the coming of plants and animals, of humans. We must give him the laws of nature, the interactions of people as they work, and have worked in the past, to fulfill their physical and spiritual needs. He wants to explore. We can send him out into the world with purpose and give him the tools to research with his mind and his imagination. He wants to be important, to direct his own programming.

As with any other age, the real progress in the student's education and development comes with self-chosen, individual work, with hand and mind operating together, and with contemplation before, during and after this work. At this age where children love to function as a group it is especially important to provide a space for this quiet work and thinking for whenever a child needs it.

The whole language program supports the students in researching:

• Geography
• History
• Language
• Science
• Mathematics
• Reading
• Music & Movement
• Physical Education
• Computer Technology