Academic Program
All children enrolled at Norbeck Montessori for the academic year participate in the morning Montessori program.
Morning Montessori Program
Montessori Program
Each classroom consists of children of mixed ages, 2-6 years old. During this time all of the children are completely immersed in the Montessori lessons designed for their individual learning abilities. They will have the opportunity to choose age and skill appropriate lessons from each of the four basic Montessori areas, which include practical life and sensorial (spooning, pouring, sorting, individual dressing frames, preparing their environment, etc.), mathematics (numbers, sequencing, addition, subtraction, etc.), language (phonetics, reading, writing, matching, etc.), and science/social studies (shapes, size, relationships, manners, etc.). At any time a child may be working one-on-one with a teacher, individually, with a friend or two, or in a group with a teacher.
Morning Circle Time
This is a time where the children gather as a class and includes activities such as discussion and review of information pertaining to their monthly unit of study (i.e. rainforest, dinosaurs, and community helpers), review of the monthly calendar, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, reviewing sound of the week, singing songs, story time, and creative movement.
Snack Time
Our emphasis is on providing healthy and nutritious snacks for the child. This time provides children with an opportunity to learn the basics of good nutrition, to assist the staff in the distribution of the snack, to work and socialize with friends, and to share the snack with their classmates.
Play Time
Indoor playtime offers the child the opportunity to play with toys, read books, exercise, socialize with peers and teachers, etc. Weather permitting, children are taken outside and given the opportunity to enjoy one of our two expansive, fenced in play areas. These play areas include such things as climbing equipment, sandboxes, swings, imaginative props and large areas to run and play.
Afternoon Program
For those students taking advantage of one of our full day options (option B, C or D), our afternoon program is broken out into four basic groupings based on the child's age and/or needs. These groupings are:
Nappers
- Children will sleep from 1:20 – 2:50 p.m.
- Individual cots and nap mats for each child
- Lights out, classical music, backs rubbed!
- Snack provided at 3:00 p.m.
- Inside and/or outside play from 3:15 - 6:00 p.m.
Playgroup
- Short rest time while a story is being read
- Inside and/or outside play from 1:20 – 6:00 p.m.
- Toys, crafts, singing, dancing
- Cooking, creative movement, story time
Jr. K* – must be 4 by September 1
- Interactive educational program designed to further prepare children for their kindergarten year
- Extension of skills taught in the morning Montessori program focusing on math, reading and writing
- Science experiments and practical life applications
- Hands on activities, fun projects and lots of games
- This is a fun, non-competitive atmosphere in which children learn together through group games and activities!
Big K*– must be 5 by September 1
- Interactive educational program designed to focus on reading, writing and math (learned skills include, but are not limited to, the following)
- Reading books, writing short stories, addition, subtraction
- Field trips throughout the year
- Big K Science program Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (volcanoes, space, germs, etc.)
- Monthly Monart classes with Mrs. Boyd
- This is a fun, non-competitive atmosphere in which children learn together through group games and activities!
Did You Know . . .??
The Hands on Science program the Jr. K kids participate in is a huge success! Remember, this is just the beginning of your child's exposure to this fabulous program. Those children that stay for the Big K Kindergarten program will have an even greater opportunity to take part in Hands on Science activities. These amazing experiments and endless learning moments continue twice a week in their Big K year. Just one more reason to stay with Norbeck!!
The Jr. K kids and Big K kids that stay for our summer program will also have fun with science throughout the nine weeks of camp.
* all academic programs (excluding Big K science T, Th) end at 3:00 p.m. At this time children will be given snack and will then continue with structured indoor and outdoor play activities until pick up time.