Play is the Work of the Child at Old Colony Montessori School

Old Colony Montessori School (OCMS), enrolling children ages 2.9 to 10, has been creating the foundation for fostering children’s lifelong love of learning for over 50 years. Now enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year, OCMS invites all prospective parents and caregivers to learn more about the benefits of OCMS’s 2, 3 and 5-day Montessori programs on Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 10am to 12pm at the annual OCMS Open House

A Montessori education sets the foundation for a child’s entire educational experience, promoting positive and well-rounded social, emotional and educational development from a very early age. At OCMS, the curriculum is designed for students to interact with materials that are appropriate for where each individual child is in their own growth and academic development. Children make choices, alone and with their peers, celebrating a child’s natural instinct to play and work together as social beings. Children are drawn to this purposeful play because it feeds their curiosity and entices them to learn and explore their own interests and unique abilities.

Materials found in a Montessori classroom are different from those most often associated with a traditional preschool classroom. They are designed to be self-correcting so a child can be independent, using materials in different ways, sparking a young child’s imagination, creativity and positive exploration. Montessori materials build upon a child’s natural curiosity and interrelate with each other so that many materials can be used to accomplish goals and reach milestones, proving that there are no limitations on what can be imagined, tried, and accomplished, despite potentially limiting factors like age and assumed ability level. For example, a 3 year old might not have the fine motor skills to hold a pencil and write a story but, with the “moveable alphabet” found in all OCMS classrooms, the child can still have the experience of piecing letters, words and ideas together to bring their imagination to life with their own two hands.

In addition to the individualized opportunities for educational leaps and bounds, the OCMS Montessori classrooms are multi-age, offering students a true sense of community and an exposure to sensorial learning unlike any other classroom environment. Each child is thought about as a unique individual, being observed, challenged and assisted as needed, on an ongoing basis, while playing and learning together in an environment that fosters moments of observation, interaction, and of sharing the pride and sense of accomplishment that comes with the exclamation, “look what I can do!”

Another very important aspect of the OCMS Montessori curriculum is the inclusion of daily outdoor learning, play and exploration. The outdoor environment at OCMS is an extension of the indoor classroom, integrating nature and the natural environment while engaging the senses naturally – feeling a cool breeze, seeing an animal in its natural habitat, touching the earth during different seasons and climates – and shows children that “learning” is something that happens all around us, not just when we are inside a classroom. A child’s need for regular outdoor play offers the most basic opportunity to use the imagination to help understand and explore the world around them. After completing a $200,000 fundraising campaign earlier this year, OCMS has expanded it’s outdoor campus to include an outdoor classroom, a new sports court and play area, shade elements to foster year-round outdoor activities, a robust organic gardening area and will soon include a new playground space with outdoor amphitheater, group swings, and natural climbing, sliding and play structures.

Children’s natural curiosity and the longing to understand their environment and their own creative abilities, while discovering their talents and interests, is the launching pad for the curriculum at OCMS. Learning and growing, both inside and outside of the classroom, includes myriad enrichment opportunities, community service projects and the important focus of helping every child reach developmental milestones while associating the learning process with joy and excitement. OCMS teachers and staff have many passions and talents that are interwoven into the educational programs offered at OCMS. Music, language, organic gardening, and art are among the enrichment opportunities offered to students of all ages. This comprehensive approach to learning through play and exploration builds the foundation for loving to learn and the confidence and creativity to bring imagination, passion and dreams to life.

For more information regarding a Montessori education at OCMS, please visit online at www.oldcolonymontessori.org or call the school directly at 781-749-3698. For information regarding the upcoming Open House, or to schedule a private tour and classroom observation, please contact Courtney Palek, Director of Admissions, at courtneypalek@gmail.com.