school curriculum

Our curriculum ties in with all the areas of early years foundation phase.  The method of teaching at Riversyde is based on the Montessori Method of Early Education.   The apparatus is interesting and stimulating and makes learning fun and easy. 

1. Practical life

These activities promote independence, co-ordination as well as fine and gross motor skills.  They develop the child’s concentration and dexterity.  Practical Life develops confidence and competence of skills necessary for daily living and cognitive order.  The child works with real tasks, such as pouring, spooning, cleaning, polishing to name a few. These tasks involve the hand and mind working together, developing a great calm and capacity to concentrate, which is the best preparation for intellectual work to follow.

2. Sensorial

The attractive materials are designed to stimulate each of the senses and to develop the ability to make fine discrimination, classify and compare.  They are designed to heighten the child’s awareness of the world around them. Children enjoy exploring materials of different shapes, textures and sizes.  They have opportunities to “work” with sound and colour boxes, which enable them to respond to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. 

The children store impressions in their “muscular memory”, which develops the senses as well as the use of certain muscles and refines their fine and gross motor abilities.

“Nothing comes to the intellect that is not first in the senses”

– Maria Montessori.

3. Cultural and environmental studies

Through cultural material, the children are given direct experience, which help them to explore the world and cultures. Children are encouraged to take an active interest in the world around them, eg: the changing of the seasons, current affairs, personal news, other cultures, plants and animals etc.  The material is designed to awaken their curiosity and to further their own exploration. To widen their general knowledge of the world through geography, history, art, biology and science.

4. Mathematics

When the child’s interest in numbers has been developed through sensorial activities and sandpaper numbers they are introduced to more complex math activities.  Through repetition of their active involvement with concrete manipulative materials the child is able to internalise the concepts of numbers, symbols, sequence operations and memorization of basic facts.

5. Language

Maria Montessori observed that from the age of 2 ½ to 5 years a child experiences “a sensitive period for language”.  Early language is gained by encouraging children to talk about their experiences, listen to stories,, read books and through participation in rhymes and songs.  Every child is taught the phonetic sounds and shapes of the letters.  As the child differentiates and recognises sounds, they begin to process of word building and then blending sounds into meaningful “total” reading.

6. Other

Cooking, gardening, nature walks, outings, music, drama, art and movement are all part of our curriculum to develop the “Whole Child.”