Montessori Radmoor

Putting Theory into Practice

The second plane child has a plethora of goals tied into their day. The second plane child is striving to derive meaning from context, to understand viewpoints of others, working through justice, honesty and limits, identify themselves within their peer group and to self-reflect. This is the true work of the second plane child.

All of these goals are accomplished within their elementary years (ages 6-12). Because we know the work of the child in their elementary years, we are able to prepare our environments and structure our days to meet their needs so that they are able to accomplish their goals.

The second plane child meets these needs in separate areas:  in the care of self and the care of the community. As I stated earlier, we are able to set up our environments and our schedules to help the children meet their needs in these areas. You can do this at home as well.

Our classroom is designed to help the children take care of themselves by offering practical life extensions, giving them choices of their work, having freedom of movement in the classroom and having procedures for them to follow so they can navigate their day. You can also set up your home to help them meet their needs. One way in which you can do this is by allowing them to prepare food for the family one night a week, set up a schedule of jobs to help the household with them, or give them choices as to when they can do their jobs to help the household.

When we teach, we often teach in small groups and give extensions that allow the children to work in pairs or to master a concept then teach another child. We also provide other ways for the children to problem solve and work together; one way we accomplish this within our classroom is by having a problem solving community meeting. By structuring our days like this and teaching this way, we are empowering the children, we are offering an opportunity for them to challenge norms and work amongst themselves. At home, you can help them by setting up play dates for your children and allow them to problem solve without adult intervention. While this isn’t always easy, we need to trust the child.

While we set up our classrooms to help the children self-regulate, we know that it doesn’t happen overnight. That is the beauty of the three year cycle. With the three year cycle, we allow the children the time they need to fully meet their needs and develop themselves as individuals.

As the holidays are approaching and families are getting together, this is a great opportunity to have your child help. Give them something they will need to prepare for a special dinner, have them create a welcome sign for the front door or simply have them help to set the table. This allows them to be a part of what is happening, it gives them a deeper purpose.

Take care for now!

Peace,

Ms. Sara

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