“The essence of independence is to be able to do something for oneself.”
Practical Life exercises are designed to help children reach a stage of independence and confidence through meaningful activities with real objects. Activities are built on the children's natural interest in what is around them, relating to the world they knows best -their HOMES.
The exercises in elementary movement help the children to gain control of their bodies and to become fully aware of themself. Through repetition the children develop hand dexterity, hand-eye co-ordination and concentration. With these activities the children's aim is self-mastery, which they achieve through continuous purposeful work. Their work is not influenced by the adults in their environment, as all the materials contain an inbuilt control of error, which allows the children to determine whether or not it has been done correctly. These exercises form the foundation for Maths and Writing.
The exercises in care of the environment and care of the self serve to teach the children pride and respect for both themselves and their environment. They are also part of the process of the gaining of independence from adults, which is the main aim of childhood.
The exercises in grace and courtesy allow the children to partake in exercises and discussions where they learn acceptable forms of pro-social behavior particular to their own culture and societies.
“The senses, being the explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”
The Sensorial material is designed to stimulate and refine the nine senses through which the children creates order in their mind:
 - Tactile (sense of touch)
- Visual (sense of sight)
- Auditory (sense of hearing)
- Thermic (sense of temperature)
- Stereognostic (sense of touch through muscular memory)
- Olfactory (sense of smell)
- Gustatory (sense of taste)
- Chromatic (sense of colour)
- Baric (sense of weight)
The Sensorial materials are particular in that they isolate one specific quality (sense), which allows the children to have a greater awareness of that quality. This isolation is a vital tool in identifying at an early age, any sensory defects that a particular child may have.
By training and educating the different senses, we give the children the keys to knowledge, allowing them to perceive their world and to develop the ability to understand what they see.
“The process of abstraction is by its very nature an individual one. No one can do it for another however much he may wish to do so.”
Arithmetic is introduced to the children at the age of 3 ½ to 4 years. Before the children begin to work with the Maths material, they are already well prepared to grasp mathematical concepts through the foundations that have been laid with the Practical Life and Sensorial materials.
The Arithmetic materials are presented in a very logical sequence. The children build their knowledge on what they already know and take one little step at a time. By allowing them to discover patterns and rules for themselves through the handling of the materials, they are learning to progress from the manipulation of concrete objects to their symbolic representation on paper. Systematic progress is made from the concrete to the abstract.
The Montessori method of teaching Maths lays a firm foundation for a more comprehensive and perceptive awareness of the relevance of numbers in our environment. This leads to a true enjoyment of Maths.
" Written language can be acquired more easily by children of four years than those of six. While children of six usually need at least two years to learn how to write, children of four years learn this second language within a few months."
Reading and Language in the Montessori system are taught through the phonetic approach. The children learn the sound of the individual letters and the combinations of letters, and use this knowledge to break down and decode words. Then they build them up again by fusing the sounds together. This is why it is said that writing often comes before reading in a Montessori classroom. 
The reading programme progresses through three levels: pink, blue and green- reading materials are colour-coded for each level. If taught phonetically, children will always be equipped to attempt to read even very long words by breaking them down. They have the understanding and ability to decode. The children is also taught the non-phonetic words that make reading pleasurable.
Writing skills are learned by tracing intricate shapes drawn with insets, and letters are experienced by touch as well as by sight and sound. A wide range of story and reference picture books are always available in the classroom and time for storytelling forms an intricate part of each day.
“The children of today are the adults of tomorrow.”
Dr. Maria Montessori believed that if there were more understanding between men of different races and cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. By helping children develop logical thinking, understanding, awareness, a sense of balance and an unbiased caring for the self and the environment, a global understanding could be created, resulting in a peaceful world. Through the knowledge of cultural subjects- geography, history and biology (botany and zoology), she believed that we could help our children to become true citizens of the world.
 Young children have an insatiable curiosity-he wants to know about their world. The materials that are used bring this alive for them through their senses. It is very important that the correct images are given to the children when explaining things to them, as this is what their understanding is based on. When children are exposed to the ‘real’ thing through creative, hands on experience, they develop not only an understanding of that specific theme, but also extend their general knowledge and language (vocabulary) and develop a tolerance of things and cultures different to their own.
The object of the Cultural subjects is not to ensure that children retain every detail of the subject taught, but rather to make them aware, from a very early age, that there is a whole world out there. By learning about the planets, they also learn what can be done to protect the earth and that even they, as young as they are, can be active in preserving their environment.
" It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was."
At Morning Star Montessori we extend your children’s knowledge of the world into understanding the basic principles of early engineering, electronics, chemistry, magnetism, etc., through various age-appropriate experiments.
We believe in introducing science to pre-school children as:
- It encourages observation skills
- It broadens children’s outlook on the world
- It builds children’s reasoning and thinking skills
- It makes them aware of their environment
- It enables them to explore within their environment
Science is an especially good foundation and an aid for Maths as it improves problem-solving abilities in children and helps them to develop logical thought patterns.
In 2006, Morning Star in conjunction with the Meraka Institute (a division of the CSIR), ran a pilot project for the formulation of a 'curriculum' for children aged 5/6. Morning Star children and teachers are therefore privileged to have had real scientists as their teachers.
" It is true that we cannot make a genius. We can only give to each child the chance to fulfil his potential possibilities."
Art and Music are universal activities and the signatures of civilizations. These forms of communication are able to cross all barriers of time, space and culture.
Art and Craft activities are freely available in the school every day. These may be either spontaneous or organized and include painting, drawing, construction, baking, floral art, etc. The children are encouraged to be original and creative, but will also be exposed to different techniques using a wide variety of media.
 Exposing young children to music carries many benefits and is a spontaneous and natural part of the children’s day at Morning Star Montessori.
Children love to move to music, which develops their gross motor skills. The actual playing of musical instruments refines their fine motor skills. Exercises in music and movement help to promote coordination and rhythm.
Emotionally, children learn to express themselves through music and cognitively, music helps children to develop listening skills, which are a vital foundation for life.
An Art and Music programme encompassing theory of art and music (studies of artists and composers) provides our children with an awareness of art in the world around them and gives them a sense of history and where we have come from.
Kindermuzik, which is offered as a compulsory extra mural activity inside school hours, enhances the Montessori curriculum and helps children at a very early age to prepare for math, reading and writing.
"It is the spirit of the child that can determine the course of human progress and lead it perhaps even to a higher form of civilization."
 Being outdoors is very important. Children develop gross motor skills as they climb, jump and swing and also social skills as they take turns on equipment.
The children are encouraged to take part in tending the gardens as well as the planting of flowers around their environment. Nature walks are taken in and outside the school grounds in search of ants, bugs and butterflies for nature studies.
In 2007, recognizing the children’s need for even more movement due to the growing norm of sedentary lifestyles, Morning Star staff attended training in the "Move to Learn,Learn to Move" programme and implemented this as a daily activity.
Every day each group has a movement session, which may be conducted, either in-or-out doors. In some cases, phenomenal improvement has been seen in the children’s ability to draw and express themselves, as well as in Math and Reading, in just a few months.
" A child develops through personal effort and engagement. His growth therefore, depends upon psychic as well as physical factors."
Children learn by doing so they are encouraged to explore their classroom, seeking and discovering objects and exercises which satisfy the compulsions of their 'sensitive period'.
Many exercises are carried out daily to enable each child to develop control of their hands and large muscles.
"Children develop thinking through hands on learning."
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