News/Blog « Aberdeen Hall

On Friday February 12, 2010, parents and students from our community and Aberdeen Hall were treated to an engaging and informative presentation by Maxine Hawes, “What Is A Montessori Preschool Education?”, part of the ongoing Speaker Series at Aberdeen.

Maxine’s presentation was well attended and received rave reviews in helping parents understand how effective Aberdeen’s modern Montessori based preschool program is at building a strong foundation for academic learning or more specifically primary literacy and numeracy skills before entering kindergarten.

Parents attending were able to bring their children with them to enjoy the hands on learning materials, toys and books available or join the other children in the preschool during the presentation to get a real opportunity to experience life in Aberdeen’s preschool program.

Maxine presented the Montessori curriculum in pictures and shared stories that were great examples of just how curious and excited preschoolers are about learning and play. As a parent, it was easy to connect to how valuable the program can be in developing confidence, engaging curiosity and feeding their desire to learn more about the world around them especially during these early formative years.

Aberdeen Hall’s Modern Montessori curriculum includes the following:

Practical Life activities – children learn to increase their concentration and motor skills;
Arts/Crafts and Music
Sensorial activities – using a multi-sensory approach vs. just memory approach to learning, children develop a strong foundation essential to the development of additional academic skills;
Geography and culture – children explore the names and shapes of the world’s continents, our country of Canada, and the community we live in through field trips, news items and teacher led discussions to increase environmental awareness.
Science; Botany, Zoology – children are given opportunities to experiment, discover and experience the world we live in using a variety of hands on activities;
Mathematics – children learn to recognize numbers, count and are introduced to the concepts of addition using hands on materials;
Language – children learn letter names, phonetic sounds using internationally acclaimed program Jolly Phonics (www.jollylearning.co.uk), and word building as a prelude to reading. They are also introduced to French as a second language during circle time activitives;
Physical activity
Fun!

To conclude her presentation, Maxine emphasized how the program is designed to help every child progress at their own pace for unlimited growth and potential. She then engaged us as parents in a playful exercise to test our understanding of the curriculum and spark our own curiosity as parents about how our children love to learn about the world around them in a unique and fun way.

Maxine opened the floor for questions from parents and was available to answer our questions one on one following her presentation.

I highly recommend blocking your calendars for her next presentation and the next speaker at Aberdeen Hall. Check out the schedule at www.aberdeenhall.com.

About Maxine Hawes – Pre-School Consultant

Mrs. Hawes is a graduate of the Okanagan University College E.C.E. She began her career 18 years ago teaching in the first Montessori Preschool in Kelowna, B.C. Mrs. Hawes has operated her own Preschools, and has developed a reputation in the community for offering an excellent early education. She has developed the preschool program with learning centers that offer students instruction in prepared classrooms that encourage children to explore learning in a systematic way. Maxine visits the school regularly to oversee the entire pre-school programme.

Click here to meet the Preschool Faculty at Aberdeen Hall

Written By: Miranda Webb-Hagemeister