What is Montessori?

The Montessori method was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician deeply interested in child development. Her observations of young children led to the establishment of a unique community where children moved around freely, learning from specially created materials arranged in a beautifully curated environment. Her method was adopted by teachers around the world who wanted to get away from the traditional “one size fits all” approach to teaching and offer a method that was based on current brain science and respect for the child as a whole being. This time-tested method has been used in classrooms and childcare centres since the early 1900s and continues to be the gold standard for early childhood education today.

One Forest Montessori School is located in the tranquil Tollendale community of Barrie, Ontario. We have a beautiful, fully equiped young children’s classroom. Our classroom materials are suited for children from 2 to 5. There are five areas of the classroom prepared to meet the needs of the whole child. These include: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language and Culture. Children move freely, choosing to work with the materials at a table or on the floor with a mat. As the Montessori trained guide, I will give new lessons or observe how the child works with each material they are using. This allows me to “follow the child” and create a unique program for each student.

If you would like to learn more or see our program in action, please reach out and we can book a time for you to visit. Instagram and Facebook are also great ways to get a peek into the highlights of our day. I look forward to showing you around!