Educating the Whole Child: Cultural Studies
History, geography, economics, art and music history, and other general subjects are at first presented to the children through sensorial materials and stories. Children explore geography using puzzle maps that go from the whole world broken into continents to continents broken into countries. They learn about landforms using three-dimensional models that allow them to pour water, illustrating the relationships between land and water. For primary students, the pattern of presentation is to work from the whole to its parts. As children progress through the elementary years, they learn about cultures, political, economic, and physical relationships, and the history of mankind. Information is organized and presented in an integrated fashion. Literature, art and music studies, maps and histories all focus on one area of the world at a time.
Cosmic Education
Montessori used the term “cosmic education” to describe an integrated approach to understanding the contribution of all facets of creation to an ecological whole. Elementary students are given, in various ways, the cosmic story of the beginnings of the universe, the formation of the stars, planets, the sun and earth. They learn the story of the origins of people and of all aspects of the universe as far as we understand it. History is viewed as continuous contributions, rather than a series of dates and wars. Time lines, charts and research materials concerning human needs and the advancement of civilization help the child in independent study. The child develops a respect for life, an appreciation for our interdependency, and a sense of responsibility to the world.
At the middle school level, students follow a two year course of study in history of humans, world history, US history, geography, and cultures.
