From birth, children live in an environment not designed to serve their needs. They depend on adults, as most of the environment is adult-oriented. Children want to become adept with the tools and instruments they see adults use, but the size-differential prevents them from accomplishing this on their own. In order to fulfill their tendencies, young children need to have child-sized tools and proportional furniture.
The Montessori prepared environment at the Primary level is designed to serve the developmental needs of the child and facilitate early learning and exploration, allowing for a variety of activities. It is an environment prepared by the directress (teacher) with only the child in mind, Only things that aid in the child’s development are included. There are no adult chairs or desks; rather, the furnishings reflect the ages and developmental levels of the children using them. This concept evolved from a bare room, where materials were introduced, and kept only if they held interest for the children. The overall goal of the Montessori environment is to promote independence, particularly functional independence. As children practice the skills of living in a community and caring for themselves, they develop confidence, self-awareness and self control.
General Characteristics of the Physical Environment
The first element of the prepared environment is the room that comprises the environment. The room is large enough for comfort, but small enough to maintain intimacy. The spatial planning is also significant: the room is arranged in a way that provides a place for group activity, table and floor space for individual work, and quiet places for reading, napping, or listening to music. Spaces are arranged to allow for ease of movement and safety, while appearing orderly, precise, and attractive. The arrangement of space respects the child’s life rhythms. The floors are bare, as a hard surface gives children a heightened awareness of their movements and allows greater opportunity for control. The bare floor also gives children more opportunities to help in caring for their environment. Usually, a Montessori classroom has many low windows which provide natural light and a view of the world beyond the walls of the classroom, Ideally, the classroom will also extend to a prepared outdoor environment. If no outdoor environment exists, however, more of the outdoors (plant and animal life) is brought into the classroom. A source of water in the environment is a necessity. A low sink allows children to independently perform practical life activities such as table scrubbing and any routine care such as tooth-brushing or hand-washing.
The colors used in the classroom are of great importance, especially for younger children who live in a world of sensorial impressions. The soft, neutral-colored walls and shelving and warm, wooden materials are relaxing. Any dominance of bright colors would make for a busier feel, so they are used in smaller proportions. The neutral furniture maintains the focus on the materials.
Adults should feel large in the environment; everything is child-sized and at the child’s level. Tables are arranged in different areas of the class, in groups of twos or threes, with some single tables. Sometimes it is difficult for young children to share large tables, as they cannot determine their own workspace. Shelving and cabinets need to be low and open enough so children can easily and carefully access materials, and adequate shelving is provided so that materials can be displayed without clutter.
Order and Cleanliness
Order is essential to the development of the young child. Physical order in the environment allows children to be independent and make sense of their surroundings. The directress plans the room so that everything has an assigned location that is both economical and practical. The arrangement of the materials also appeals to the child’s need for order. The materials are grouped according to four main areas: practical life, sensorial, language and mathematics. Anytime there is a sequence of materials, they are arranged from left to right. This arrangement not only provides consistency, but is an indirect preparation for later reading work.
The careful arrangement of materials helps children find things, be oriented and predict events. There is only one of each activity or material. Somewhat limiting children’s possible choices can prevent over-stimulation or confusion about what to choose. Having only one of each activity also leads children to realize that in a community, sharing is required; they will not always get their first choice.
The environment is kept clean at all times, as this shows a respect for the children and their activities, and also appeals to their developing aesthetic sense. The children participate in maintaining the cleanliness of the environment, and this demonstrates that the adult respects the child’s abilities and values them as a member of the community. Materials are also kept clean: only when objects are clean can the child absorb the true essence of the object.
A “Real” Environment
The activities and tools contained within the classroom environment are as real as those within a home, but scaled down to facilitate use by a child. A child can only receive proper feedback from tools designed for small hands and bodies. The materials are also in service of a goal. A “real” environment provides the most satisfying results. Like most “real” environments, the classroom environment contains breakable materials. It is essential to have items composed of glass or ceramic, to assist in teaching how to handle materials with caution. Children feel valued and respected when they are entrusted with the responsibility of caring for delicate items. Breakable items also tend to be more attractive than plastics.
Nurturing The Aesthetic Sense
The directress makes a special effort to make the classroom aesthetically pleasing. Children are as attracted to beauty as adults are, if not more. The inclusion of small, affordable items which are of exquisite fabric or design help to teach the children to appreciate aesthetics. Items such as small baskets for storing supplies, soft pillows for the reading area, or valance curtains for the windows, add much to the style of the room and are of special significance to the children. Artwork enriches the environment and is hung at the children’s eye level. Flowers (arranged by the children) and potted plants (watered by the children) also add beauty, while encouraging an appreciation for living things. The Montessori materials are kept attractive and in perfect condition so that the children will follow the standard and take care of them and handle them gently.