The Montessori Academy of Arlington

Toddler - Collaborative Learning This student is helping her friend put on her shoe after noticing she was having trouble doing it by herself. These types of interactions are important for young children to experience as it teaches positive communication and social skills. #helpingothers #graceandcourtesy #handsonlearning #collaborativelearning #interdependence #collaboration #learnfromothers #friends #soNice #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Lower Elementary - Working in the Courtyard Our elementary students have a choice about where to work each day. Whether they choose to work at a desk, on a mat on the floor, or in the outdoor courtyards, students have the freedom of movement throughout each workday to match their needs. This student chose to do her math in the outdoor courtyard on a beautiful morning, resulting in a more positive experience for her learning journey. #outdoorclassroom #freedomofmovement #freedomofchoice #mathisfun #handsonlearning #order #concentration #coordination #independence #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Elementary - Cooking Food preparation is a skill that begins as early as our infant program and progresses in complexity as the students grow and develop more advanced skills. Our elementary students have been cooking up a storm over the summer! #cooking #chopping #baking #handsonlearning #experientiallearning #purposefulactivity #order #concentration #coordination #independence #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Early Childhood - Outdoor Classroom This student expended so much energy with his work in the Outdoor Classroom. He wasn't too tired restore all of the materials he used - unprompted. What a milestone! Learning to share space and work collaboratively with others is a skill practiced daily as well. #collaborativelearning #purposefulactivity #followthechild #wholechild #handsonlearning #activeplay #order #concentration #coordination #independence #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Infant - Stacking Blocks This student has shown a keen interest in stacking blocks recently. She is very focused and was able to stack six blocks without any falling over. She was so proud of herself! Completing this work successfully requires hand-eye coordination, concentration, and fine motor control. #focus #concentration #coordination #independence #finemotorcontrol #handeyecoordination #repetition #causeandeffect #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Early Childhood - Botany Look at the collaboration between these Kindergarten students! This simple yet effective lesson on the parts of a flower is a lovely way to introduce a young child to scientific study and observation. The child begins to learn the physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, classification, and economic importance of the plant and the role it plays on earth. This study can start simply and then as the child matures, it can be repeated in more and more detail. #botany #partsofaflower #science #handsonlearning #experientiallearning #purposefulactivity #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Early Childhood - Color Box 3 This student is so proud of her work! The third box of Color Tablets introduces the final stage in color discrimination – that of grading. The box contains 63 tablets representing nine colors in seven graded shades of red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, brown, pink, and gray. The student refines their chromatic sense, realizing that items can be red or orange, but also dark red and light orange. The students also hone their visual discrimination as there are subtle differences between some of the shades and tints, and even between colors at the lightest or darkest levels. By introducing students to this range in gradation of a particular color, they are learning about depth of color and can apply their knowledge to the outside world. #handsonlearning #colorgradation #colordiscrimination #chromaticsense #precision #refinement #detail #order #concentration #coordination #independence #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Early Childhood - Pink Tower and Brown Stairs What a feat! This student has shown great patience and concentration when combining the Brown Stair and Pink Tower to create this amazing tower. The Brown Stair is a constant attraction in the Montessori classroom and is frequently partnered with the Pink Tower. These materials share dimensional qualities of diminishing tenths that support the Base-10 system and the proportions of the base of each prism. While the Pink Tower teaches students about the relationship of size and weight, the Brown Stair teaches children to distinguish by thickness.    Children initially develop their visual and tactile discrimination by building the simple staircase with the Brown Stair material. After mastery, children explore other ways to lay out the Brown Stair, including aligning the thinnest prism in the space created between the height of each of the other stairs. Or they may discover some of the extensions that exist when they combine the stair and tower. There are many ways to build a tower, but only these materials together do so in a way that also reinforces the Base-10 number system and expands on the child's understanding of the relationships of dimension. #brownstair #pinktower #visualdiscrimination #tactilediscrimination #handsonlearning #experientiallearning #purposefulactivity #concretetoabstract #order #concentration #coordination #independence #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Early Childhood - Word Building with the Moveable Alphabet Our Montessori classroom is rich with language, from the casual conversations children enjoy between friends and teachers to the formal lessons in decoding, reading, and writing. Our language materials are quite simple: early materials introduce children to phonetic sounds. Later materials build upon those sounds to put together simple words. The Moveable Alphabet is an early example of word-building, supporting students as they begin the arduous tasks of deconstructing ideas into the individual letters that comprise the words. Children begin with accessible, three-letter phonetic words, sounding out each part, identifying the letter in the box of moveable letters, and placing it in its appropriate place on the mat or table. By beginning with three letter words, children are able to see patterns in their own world-building: consonants often precede vowels and vowels are usually followed by a second consonant. Building the words with the moveable alphabet pieces allows children to focus on the word rather than the formation of the letter shape using a pencil, so a child's understanding of word construction isn't limited by their fine motor control. #moveablealphabet #concretetoabstract #formingwords #puzzlewords #order #concentration #coordination #independence #handsonlearning #experientiallearning #purposefulactivity #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington

Early Childhood - Multiplication Bead Board This student is using the Multiplication Bead Board to begin to visualize and internalize essential multiplication math facts. This material concretely represents single digit multiplication equations so it is easy for a child to understand the underlying concept. This student is practicing the multiplicand of 5, working independently with autonomy and self-confidence. #handsonlearning #experientiallearning #concretetoabstract #order #concentration #coordination #independence #focus #mathisfun #multiplication #mathfacts #autonomy #selfconfidence #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington