8.45am – 9.00 am : My parents or the adult accompanying me say goodbye to me. I take off my shoes, put away my shoes, put on my slippers and hang my coat on my hook in the locker room, before joining my classmates and my mistresses. I choose my activity (mathematics, reading, writing, practical life …) and get to work on my own, or I join a collective workshop already in progress (painting, cutting, coloring …)
9:00 am : My teacher introduces me to a new Montessori activity where I continue the work that fascinates me at the moment. I can also observe others, enjoy the reading corner, or participate in a collective workshop led by my English teacher (psychomotricity, manual work, cutting fruit for the snack that will be taken in the morning …) or my musical facilitator (awakening singing, rhythm, percussion, listening to a musical tale …)
11:00 am: I can go to recess in the flowered courtyard of my school, if I wish, continue the task that fascinates me, or rest inside if I prefer.
11:30 am: I participate in the grouping around the ellipse drawn on the floor of my classroom. I sit cross-legged near my friends and listen to my mistresses read me stories in English and French. I also like to sing songs with them.
11:45 am: It made me hungry! I wash my hands and help my mistresses, who heat the dishes in our kitchen. I help set the table and go get my napkin so I don’t get stained. I fill the carafes with water, I serve my friends and I savor the organic dishes prepared by the Club dînette restaurant or the meal from my lunch box.
12:15 pm : That’s it, I’ve finished lunch and cleared my plate on my own. If it’s my turn, I sweep the floor with some friends and the teacher, while others wash the tables with the sponge. You have to wring it out and apply it well, but we love it!
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm: The little ones will take a nap on their mattresses. Me, I have a quiet time, because I am taller. I listen to classical or relaxing music, while giving massages to my boyfriend, who gives me too. We draw the small volcano on the other’s back, we put water, we knead, we slowly perform the movements while applying, it’s pleasant and we relax. But if I don’t like massages, I have the right to sit quietly on my mat, observe my friends or read a book. It is I who choose!
1:15 pm. – 2:00 pm : I go out again in recess to stretch my legs. Some of my friends preferred to stay inside, to work, others accompany me outside.
2:00 pm. – 3:45 p.m : I work, I concentrate, my mistresses are around me and come to guide me if I need to. I also help my comrades who want it. Little by little, the little ones are waking up and starting to work alongside us. We are all proud of our progress.
3:45 pm. – 4:00 p.m : I am participating in a grouping. We all sing together and we listen to the stories of our teachers.
4:00 pm. – 4:15 pm : I have my snack. Today my grandpa is coming to pick me up. I don’t play daycare like some of my friends who go board games, read and play outside until 6:00 p.m.
8.45 am – 9.00 am: staggered reception
I greet everyone, I calmly put down my things, I look at my responsibilities for the week, I discuss with my friends and with the mistresses.
I reflect on how my day will unfold.
9: 00-11: 15 am : personalized working time
Then comes the time to work in autonomy. Being autonomous can be learned! In my classroom, everything is arranged in a logical and defined order. I know what each work area corresponds to, I take the material that interests me with care and start my activity. I observe, I experiment, I focus, I respect the work of others, I am not judged. I can interact with my younger or older classmates, with my French educator and my English-speaking education assistant, in order to solicit their help, share a discovery or a questioning.
My educator can present me with a new Montessori activity, which I will then be invited to reproduce to improve myself and acquire a new skill.
I can also consult my work plan for the next two weeks. It serves as a benchmark and guide for my independent activities and teaches me to organize my time. It is an additional prop that guides my freedom. Later, when I enter 6th grade, this ability to project myself into the long term and manage my time will be an asset for me.
What’s up ?
Every Monday, the week begins with a “what’s new? “ . That day, we take advantage of a grouping that promotes exchanges between comrades.
We are all free to express ourselves about our life outside of school. We can relate an event that happened during our weekend, bring up a subject that intrigues us, or that we have heard about through an information channel, or even present an object to the class …
We learn to listen to each other, to speak in public, to dare, to respond and to adapt our language according to our interlocutor.
This time also gives us ideas for our future projects.
11:15 am – 11:45 am: relaxation time
I made a great effort of concentration, immersed in the task that absorbed me. I now have 30 minutes to relax.
I can go to recess outside to play with my classmates and stretch my legs, but I don’t have to go outside! I can also read or rest in my classroom or in the relaxation area. I can also continue with my current activity, if it excites me and I don’t want to be interrupted.
11:45 am – 12:30 pm : meal time
I wash my hands and help my teachers serve the meal while some of my classmates tidy up the class. Sometimes, I also go to help the children of the 3-6 year old class on the ground floor. We all eat together in our large classroom. This time is spent in English and French like the rest of the day. We eat a lot of locally produced organic vegetables. We are careful not to waste. We clear our plates, clean the tables and the room. We are well organized. Today, it’s me who sweeps. I do my best not to forget any crumbs on the floor. In my school, we have a composter and we sort our waste. We also maintain our vegetable garden and I know that we must take care of my planet and its resources.
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm : quiet time and recreation
During my digestion, I rest, I read, I take part in a moment of relaxation, I play an instrument or I listen to music, I discuss calmly with my friends.
Then, if I feel like it, I can go outside and play.
1:10 pm. – 1:40 pm : free reading time
I sit comfortably or I stretch out on a carpet to listen to the reading offered by my teachers, in English or in French. Last week, I loved La Fontaine’s fables. Yesterday was a very funny adventure for Jean-Michel le Caribou, Magali le Huche and tomorrow we will listen to a chapter of Fantastic Mister Fox, Roald Dahl…
Sometimes it’s a child reading. Today, I’m going! I’m a little nervous, it’s normal, but I know no one will laugh at me. Here we share and we encourage each other. If I stumble over the words, no one will blame me.
The youngest are eager to know how to read in a tone like me and I am happy to share my favorite story with them.
13:40 to 15:40: personalized working time
I return to my Montessori activities and to my work independently.
Depending on the day, I can also enjoy a session of music, sports, an introduction to computers or an educational outing.
3:40 pm. – 4:15 pm : time for great stories
My teacher tells us the great story of the formation of the universe, of the appearance of life on earth, of the history of the arts… There are images, anecdotes, experiences. It doesn’t sound like a classic lesson, but a gripping storytelling, which teaches us a lot about the world and stimulates our curiosity. Monday is a historical or geographical story, Tuesday, artistic, Thursday, scientific and Friday, it is civic education with the school council: we elect our president or chairperson of the session as well as its two secretaries. There is an agenda, deliberations, votes and minutes of the meeting. I like the ceremonial atmosphere and I feel really responsible and listened to in this class. It teaches me about cooperation, collective action and democratic life. I really do make a difference in my school and my immediate environment. Even though I am a child, I feel like an actor in the world around me and that gives me confidence.
4:15 pm – 4:30 pm : tea time
I eat the snack that I brought and I tidy the class, before going home or continuing my time at school with fun activities at the daycare.