As Montessori learners develop the ability to measure and "tell" time, they are increasingly motivated to use these skills beyond daily routines. We know children are fascinated by large numbers, including large measurements of time across generations or even eons. In the Elementary classrooms, children are introduced to the structures of timelines, then apply those structures to endless materials, both teacher-prepared and student-designed across geology, geography, botany,

The Montessori materials all share certain characteristics. They are beautiful and elegant by design, isolating a single concept and offering some child-centered control of error. For concrete concepts, like quantities or colors, this is fairly straight-forward. For abstract concepts, like time, for example, this can be more complicated. We match that by offering some lessons to embody the experience of the concept like carrying the globe around a candle the same number of ti

While young children may not easily grasp the abstract concept of time, they are nonetheless inundated with references to the measurement of time. They observe that understanding time, knowing what time it is, knowing how much time something is going to take, and the like, seem to be very important to the adults around them. The cultural structures of time are absorbed in the same way that children integrate other cultural norms. The Early Childhood classroom includes some sp

"It's time to go." "We don't have time." "What time is it?" "Time will tell." Children hear lots about "time," but often struggle with what time actually is. That's predictable: time is often an abstract idea, tied to norms of a particular culture. While there are concrete, observable patterns of time in nature, measuring it and scheduling our days is a far more complicated process for children to grasp. Before we delve into the management of time in clocks and watches, we wa

As Montessori learners develop the ability to measure and "tell" time, they are increasingly motivated to use these skills beyond daily routines. We know children are fascinated by large numbers, including large measurements of time across generations or even eons. In the Elementary classrooms, children are introduced to the structures of timelines, then apply those structures to endless materials, both teacher-prepared and student-designed across geology, geography, botany,

The Montessori materials all share certain characteristics. They are beautiful and elegant by design, isolating a single concept and offering some child-centered control of error. For concrete concepts, like quantities or colors, this is fairly straight-forward. For abstract concepts, like time, for example, this can be more complicated. We match that by offering some lessons to embody the experience of the concept like carrying the globe around a candle the same number of ti

While young children may not easily grasp the abstract concept of time, they are nonetheless inundated with references to the measurement of time. They observe that understanding time, knowing what time it is, knowing how much time something is going to take, and the like, seem to be very important to the adults around them. The cultural structures of time are absorbed in the same way that children integrate other cultural norms. The Early Childhood classroom includes some sp

"It's time to go." "We don't have time." "What time is it?" "Time will tell." Children hear lots about "time," but often struggle with what time actually is. That's predictable: time is often an abstract idea, tied to norms of a particular culture. While there are concrete, observable patterns of time in nature, measuring it and scheduling our days is a far more complicated process for children to grasp. Before we delve into the management of time in clocks and watches, we wa

Of all the ways we consider time in the Montessori classroom, the Three Hour Work Cycle is one of the most important units. The work cycle represents one of Montessori's earliest observations about children's development: that, left uninterrupted, children would process through a regular and predictable pattern of engagement. The pace of the classroom, then, is ideally matched to the development of the child when the day's schedule allows for three-hours of uninterrupted time

The Montessori materials all share certain characteristics. They are beautiful and elegant by design, isolating a single concept and offering some child-centered control of error. For concrete concepts, like quantities or colors, this is fairly straight-forward. For abstract concepts, like time, for example, this can be more complicated. We match that by offering some lessons to embody the experience of the concept like carrying the globe around a candle the same number of ti