Our approach
Montessori, as we practice it at Flax
We use the word Montessori to describe how our rooms run.
Children choose their work from low shelves of hands-on materials and work for a long stretch without being interrupted. A guide gives short lessons to one child or a small group, then steps back. The garden follows the same way of working: real tools, real jobs and time to finish them.
A long morning of chosen work
Low shelves and tools sized for small hands
Short lessons, then time to practice
A garden that is part of the day
Questions
A few things families ask about the approach
What is a work cycle?
It is an uninterrupted stretch of the morning when children choose work, repeat it as often as they like and put it away. Guides protect that time and give lessons around it.
What does a guide do?
A guide shows a child how to use a piece of work, watches, and steps back. Guides also look after the room, keep the shelves in order and follow what each child is ready for next.
How does the garden fit in?
Planting, watering, picking and composting are practical work with a beginning and an end, like the work on the shelves. Children do them with real tools and a guide close by.
See the rooms at work
A tour shows how the work cycle runs.