In the Early Years, children learn and discover through actively playing with toys and different materials.
Here at Parkside Childcare our curriculum is called “Empowering Play”. It is divided up into a Junior and Senior curriculum using weekly themes. Activities are chosen based on the abilities of the children using the Aistear framework, thus, giving the children access to a variety of activities that focus on the holistic development of the child. Well-being, Exploring and Thinking, Identity and Belonging and Communication are the areas we use to devise the weekly curriculum.
We are dedicated to creating a happy environment that allows the children to discover, learn and thrive in. In this environment the child’s needs are met through the Montessori materials which are in perfect order and which lead the child gradually from simple exercises to more complex activities. Our aim is to provide a fun safe and active learning environment that enables your child to thrive and acquire skills to set them up for life.
The Montessori curriculum is broken up into 5 different areas, catering for the various stages of a child’s development. Each of the materials in these areas has an in built control of error, which allows the child to develop their learning independently.
Practical Life
The purpose of these exercises is to encourage independence and allows the child to work with real materials. It is divided up into 4 sections:
Sensorial
Through this area of the Montessori curriculum we focus on refining the senses. It encourages the child to engage in the environment around them.
Language
Through the language materials, the child is taught the phonetic alphabet, then words, then phrases, then sentences.
Our language materials are graded by colour, for example the pink materials, blue materials and green materials, this allows the child to build on his/her existing knowledge.
Maths
The child learns best through active learning. Using the maths materials the child is able to move from concrete to abstract. The skills acquired in the Sensorial section have prepared the child for more complex maths activities.
Cultural
This area is divided up into history, geography, and science.
We’d be delighted to welcome you to our classrooms and show you around all of the materials and work the children do. Just call or pop by. We look forward to meeting with you!