Our Programs
Toddler Center
Toddlers interact and explore in the young skills room where play is encouraged, development of fine motor skills are constant through the senses and learning materials, and the seeds of a Montessori education is planted. Designed for ages 1 and 2, here is where practical life, sensorial, and the foundation for math and language are established. In practical life, the three main areas of
1) Care of self,
2) Grace and Courtesy, and
3) Care of environment,
are strong at any age in Montessori, and is the single most important area. A desire to communicate and be contributing members of society is human nature. For a child, especially as young as 1, the need to feel important and a participant in the family is strong now that he has been observing the activity around him and is ready to participate in real work.
The Prepared Environment
Rest and inactivity are foreign to the toddler’s nature; something that every parent of a toddler knows first hand. The prepared toddler environment is a place where the very young child is able to act upon his natural energies and curiosity. We all know the toddler is in constant motion and objects just seem to leap up into his hands. The toddler is encouraged to touch and handle and explore everything in his surroundings. His attention span is limited, so the prepared environment provides a wide variety of materials.
The child is given freedom in the indoor and the outdoor environments to select activities that satisfy his needs. We encourage this within appropriate limits.
We also encourage independence. The toddler wants to do things by himself. Unfortunately, in today’s hurry-up pace, there is not always time or patience to allow the small child to complete the job at hand all by himself. The toddler prepared environment and program are designed to be convenient for the child. The prepared toddler environment is his place, a place to feel at ease and at home. It is our aim, as the aware adult, to remove the obstacles that frustrate the child by building furnishings to his size and having materials at his arm’s reach and at his eye level.
The Aware Adult
Another difference in a Montessori toddler program is the teacher, or the aware adult. The Directress is not continually entertaining the children nor does the Directress consistently initiate activities. Instead the Directress is an aware observer of the children and their needs and prepares and maintains an appropriate environment and atmosphere. The Directress respects the child and guides him into purposeful activity. When the Directress is needed the Directress is there, but when the child can do it on his own, the Directress steps back.
Preschool, The Primary Classroom
This multiage class, 2 & 3 year olds who are potty trained to 6 year olds, provides hands on learning experiences that teaches each child at an individual developmental level, rather than a fixed timetable according to age. Independence, concentration, grace and courtesy is the foundation upon which the child learns to cooperate, make choices, and challenge themselves to continually grow throughout life.
All areas of the Montessori learning environment, which include practical life, sensorial, language, and math, are available throughout the classroom. For further information on each of these areas, visit the Montessori Education page.
The foundations for math and reading are established through practical life and sensorial. Here is where the concentration and order of a child are practiced and carried through in math and language.
Lower Elementary, 1st – 3rd Grade
Here at Greenhouse, we strive for the individual student to be well rounded by exposing them to all areas of learning and encourage them to have their own independence; socially, emotionally Physical, and academically. Our teachers create an environment where your child can develop and learn at their own pace with an individual outline catered to them. Children from ages 6-9 years old are actively social and begin to demonstrate their ability to think abstractly. A Lower Elementary Montessori education is designed to address the child’s need to interact with others while giving them the freedom of using their imagination. The Lower Elementary children are encouraged to learn both by using cooperation with each other and independently. A multi-age group environment provides a community of support and lifelong friendships. We offer our students a wide variety of extracurricular activities that makes our program here so special.
Top 6 Reasons to choose Greenhouse Montessori
Child Centered Learning
The learning environment focuses on the children, not the teacher. Each child is taught individually, at his/her level in a multi-age class.
An Outdoor Classroom Certified with the Arbor Day Foundation
We are the first and only school in the valley that has this title. Our lead teachers have Outdoor specialist training and Greenhouse was invited to be a demonstration site by the program that is strong in California. We believe that the outdoors is a crucial part of child development and is often overlooked with the emphasis we put on our children to excel in language and math. We want them to have the gift of time while young and learn as much as they can both inside and out!
Intimate, Quaint Environment
Our school “house” is inviting for children, they are comfortable and not overwhelmed. Our commercial licensed facility meets all state requirements and is located on a grassy acre lot with lots of room for outdoor learning.
Great Family Involvement
It is important for us as a school to have families involved not only with school, but with each other. Parents help daily if able, and we have family activities once a month that promotes interaction and comradery among enrolled family and friends.
Director Owned and Operated
Our school was created by Jennifer who has a degree in elementary education, is AMS 3-6 certified, has a Montessori 6-9 certification, and went through the 0-3 Montessori training program with Ginny Varga, Jennifer is a mother of two, and has a direct interest in the well-being and care of the children and families that are a part of the Greenhouse Montessori School Community.
Family Flexibility and Convenience
With the addition of the toddler room to accommodate 1 and 2 year olds, children are able to begin our program early with a smoother transition into the preschool program. Siblings can be at the same location and before school and after hour care is available.
The Outdoor Classroom
We have space for kids to dig, to play with mud, to garden, to build, an outdoor kitchen in the garden, an art barn, a patio that invites curiosity and allows for problem solving. We have a work bench, chickens, swings, and a great playground. Sometimes we are outside more than inside if that is what the child needs. We play cooperative games, and learn to hula hoop. Our space is constantly changing to meet the needs of our students and enhanced with the information gathered from workshops and organizations that also believe in the importance of children being outside.