For children six and under, Montessori emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching, or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from many possibilities. They are not required to sit and listen to a teacher talk to them as a group, but are engaged in individual or group activities of their own, with materials that have been introduced to them 1:1 by the teacher who knows what each child is ready to do. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning. There is great respect for the choices of the children, but they easily keep up with or surpass what they would be doing in a more traditional setting. The children ask each other for lessons and much of the learning comes from sharing and inspiring each other.

Multi-age classrooms afford us the luxury of adapting the curriculum to the individual child. Each child can work at his or her own pace while remaining in the community with his or her peers. In addition, the multi-age format allows all older children to be the leaders of the classroom community, modeling skills and behaviors for their younger peers.

The term Montessori is not trademarked and anyone, regardless of training, experience or affiliation can open a “Montessori” school. It is essential that parents thoroughly research a school to ensure the authenticity of their chosen program.

An authentic Montessori school is one that fully implements all of the five core components of the Montessori Method:

• Trained Montessori teachers: At ToTH all of our lead guides and teachers have either earned their Montessori teaching credential from a MACTE-accreditied training program, or are actively enrolled in a Montessori teacher training program.
• Multi-age Classrooms: Montessori classrooms should have multi-age groupings that align with stages of child development: Nido (infant) 6 to 15 months, Toddler 15 months to 3 years, Primary 3-6 years.
• Montessori Materials: Our classrooms contain beautiful and specially-designed materials that support hands-on learning.
• Child-directed Work: All children are instrinsically motivated to learn and Montessori discovered that children are capable of directing their own learning if they have access to a carefully prepared environment, freedom of choice and movement, and trained teachers to guide them. This means that at ToTH you will see children independently choosing materials from shelves, working with those materials and then replacing them for the next child. Children may choose to work alone of with another friend. They may ask a teacher to read them a book or give them a lesson. They may choose to prepare a snack or take a break in a cozy chair. 
• Uninterrupted Work Periods: Optimal learning occurs in a Montessori environment when the children have uninterrupted periods of time in the classroom--at ToTH we call them "work cycles"--where they can select work or complete tasks at their own pace. The work cycle allows children the time and space to  repeat works that grab their attention, or to practice concentration without being interrupted, or to observe an older peer complete a more advanced lesson.

Montessori children are free to choose within limits, and have only as much freedom as they can handle with appropriate responsibility. The classroom teachers ensure that children do not interfere with each other, and that each child is progressing at her appropriate pace in all curriculum areas.

The different arrangement of a Montessori classroom mirrors the Montessori method's differences from traditional education. Rather than putting the teacher at the focal point of the class, with children dependent on her for information and activity, the classroom setup facilitates a child-centered approach to learning. Children work at tables or on floor mats where they can spread out their materials, and the teacher circulates about the room, giving lessons or resolving issues as they arise.

Yes; Montessori classrooms encourage deep learning of the concepts behind academic skills rather than rote practice of abstract techniques. During a three-year cycle in the Primary classroom, a child will be exposed to math, language, geography, science, culture, art and other curriculum areas. Each year they build on their skills, working toward mastery.  

In a 2006 issue of Science, Montessori researcher Angeline Lillard published a study comparing the educational achievement performance of low-income children who attended Montessori preschools versus children attending a variety of other traditional preschools. Lillard found that by the end of kindergarten, “Montessori students proved to be significantly better prepared for elementary school in reading and math skills than the non-Montessori children. They also tested better on “executive function,” the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems, an indicator of future school and life success.” 

The Montessori early childhood experience also exposure to activities that build and promote "practical life" skills, such as dressing, manipulating buttons, snaps, and zippers, pouring, wiping, and sweeping. While these activities help children learn how to be self-sufficient, they also help to build their hand strength (important for holding a pencil), balance, hand-eye coordination, and focus. 

Finally, Montessori children learn grace and courtesy skills, such as how to greet someone, how to ask for help without interrupting, how to push in a chair, or how to walk carefully around another child who is working. Practicing these skills allows young children  to become kind, caring and respectful members of a community.