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:

1. Movement
   These exercises help to develop and refine a child’s motor skills.
2. Grace and Courtesy
   These exercises build on the child’s confidence in social situations.
3. Care of the Environment
   These exercises allow the child to carry out daily tasks which would be observed in the home.
4. Care of the Person
   Encourages the child to develop skills in looking after him/herself.

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.

1. History
   We start by giving the child a clear concept of time, through the use of calendars, clocks and sequencing activities. We offer a cosmic picture of history, giving the whole story of life on earth. It follows the development of life, man, early civilisations and recorded history.
2. Geography
   It is the Montessori Method to introduce the bigger picture first (Solar system and planets) then fill in the smaller details (Child’s own continent). The child is encouraged to engage in the world around them while learning different cultures and languages.
3. Science
   Children are naturally inquisitive. The Montessori science curriculum gives the child the opportunity to explore and experiment in the world around them, therefore answering their questions as to why and how things work.

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!