5. Social Environment

Where

there

is

freedom

to

interact,

children

learn

to

encourage

and

develop

a

sense

of

compassion

and

empathy

for

others.

As

children

develop,

they

become

more

socially

aware,

preparing

to

work

and

play

in

groups.

This

social

interaction

is

supported

throughout

the

environment

and

is

encouraged

with

the

nature

of

multi-age classroom settings.

6. Intellectual Environment

If

the

above

aspects

are

not

recognized,

the

intellectual

environment

will

not

reach

its

purpose.

The

purpose

of

the

Montessori

environment

is

to

develop

the

whole

personality

of

the

child,

not

merely

his

intellect.

By

guiding

the

child

through

the

five

areas

of

the

Montessori

curriculum

(Practical

Life,

Sensorial,

Language,

Mathematics,

and

Cultural

subjects),

the

child

has

the

structure,

which

is

at

the

forefront

of

the

creative

work

in a Montessori classroom.

A

lot

of

time

and

effort

is

involved

in

creating

a

prepared

Montessori

classroom

that

is

designed

to

meet

the

individual

needs of all children.

Through

developmentally

appropriate,

sensorial

material

that

moves

hierarchically

from

simple

to

complex

and

concrete

to

abstract,

children

are

given

the

freedom

to

fully

develop

their

unique

potential

through

a

carefully

prepared

learning environment.