Manchester Montessori House

Manchester Montessori House is the first bilingual English- French kindergarten in Manchester, in the United Kingdom for children ages 3 to 6. Initially it had started as a Montessori group for Home Educating families in Greater Manchester in 2008. There was, and still is, a big demand for alternative education and Montessori is one of these options. Montessori methodology, well known worldwide, does offer holistic approach and supports all areas of children’s development. It places the child in the centre, where he/she can develop his/her full potential through carefully and purposefully offered ‘hands on’ activities. The highly qualify staff ( with a lot of teaching experiences), implement valuable principals of Montessori philosophy while educating young children in their formative years of grow. The staff aims are to provide Prepared Environment that enables children to express their full potential over the most important and crucial first six years of life, but also later on. Teachers are ‘to offer the child an environment rich in motives for activity, in which he/she can choose what he/she will take and use. In this choice he/she is free from any teacher’s control, or indeed from adult control in general’ (Montessori, 2007, p. 186). Children who attend to our setting are carefully observed and ‘scaffold’ by the experienced practitioners on the way to ‘Normalisation’ as Dr Montessori called this process and cited it as “the most important single result of our whole work” (Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, 1949). Children natural phenomena, potential and internal energy horme, – ‘this universal force is not physical, but is the force of life itself in the process of evolution’ (Polk Lillard, 1972, p.42), are directed on the most natural way of holistic development. All the little learners are treated with the respect, are given attention they deserve, are being looked after as a unique individuals. Peers in our setting are given opportunity to grow in consistency and harmony which helps them to progress in all areas of grow ‘to follow the child, adapting himself to the child’s rhythm and the psychological needs of his growth’ (Polk Lillard, 1972, p.39). It is important for us that children grow in calm, safe and beautiful environment and are learning to be creators of the world around them. They acquire how to develop self-discipline, motivation and love of work as a natural response to their internal needs. Educational materials in our kindergarten are purchased from the licensed manufacturers of Montessori materials and are the same, which are taught in all over the world. The furniture are comfortable and accessible for children. All the apparatus are made of wood or natural resources and comply with high safety requirements. We focus on each child individually to help him/ her evolve the curiosity to the nature and to the surrounding world. We promote individuals who grow free, are independent, be self-motivated and confident. They are empathic and tolerant, can recognize their own feelings but also, which is very important, can respond to the needs of others. We give children the opportunity to develop according to their respective capabilities and to easily adapt themselves in multicultural societies. The Montessori system of education provides an environment rich in activities for every area of learning. Montessori called her schools “Casa dei Bambini” or “the children’s home”. In their home from home the children find room full of mysteries, challenges and discoveries. Our Montessori approach is holistic and aims to develop the whole child when they have the greatest capacity to learn. Follow by Montessori we aim to: help children become confident, compassionate, happy, calm, purposeful, free and independent, empower them and be creative. Awaken children’s interest in all subjects and to encourage in them a love of learning. Give children an understanding of the world and respect for all they find in it. The Montessori Method is a dynamic and complete approach to the enrichment of young children and as such represents the very best that a parent can give during these formative years. ‘The child is in a continual state of growth and metamorphosis, where as the adult has reached the norm of the species’ (E.M. Standing, 1984, p. 106).