Skip to content
VisitInquire
Pine Street School Nursery student engaged in a Montessori Practical Life activity, flower arranging, developing fine motor skills, concentration, and an appreciation for nature.
Academics
Montessori

Montessori

A purposeful, child-centered approach that builds independence, concentration, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

The Montessori Foundation

Pine Street School begins with Montessori. In our earliest years, children develop the independence, concentration, and confidence that prepare them for the inquiry-based learning of the IB Primary Years Programme.

Montessori respects how young children naturally develop and learn. As an American Montessori Society Member School, Pine Street School brings these principles into thoughtfully prepared early childhood classrooms where materials, routines, and interactions are chosen to support each child’s development.

Pine Street School Nursery student planting seeds in eggshells during a hands-on Montessori activity exploring botany, life cycles, and Practical Life skills.

The Principles That Guide Us

Montessori PrincipleDescription
The absorbent mindFrom birth to age six, children take in the world around them. Our program supports the gradual move from absorbing experiences unconsciously to choosing, repeating, and focusing with intention.
Sensitive periodsChildren pass through periods when they are especially ready to develop particular skills. The classroom environment responds to these stages, from early movement and language to a growing sense of order.
The prepared environmentOur classrooms are calm, orderly, and designed for exploration. They invite children to make choices, concentrate, and engage in purposeful work.
Control of errorMontessori materials often allow children to recognize and correct mistakes independently. Through repetition and adjustment, they build confidence and persistence.
Practical LifeEveryday tasks such as pouring, wiping, spooning, sweeping, and buttoning build coordination, concentration, independence, and self-confidence while giving children meaningful responsibility within the classroom.

Grace, Courtesy, and Community

Respect for oneself, others, and the environment is central to Montessori. Through everyday interactions, children practice kindness, empathy, responsibility, and care for their shared space. These early experiences help shape the culture of the wider school.

Two Pine Street School Nursery students working together to construct a wooden cactus, building fine motor skills, concentration, and collaboration.

Where Montessori Meets the IB

Montessori and the IB share a belief in the capable, curious child. Beginning in Preschool 3, Montessori-inspired materials and opportunities for independent work sit alongside the transdisciplinary inquiry of the IB Primary Years Programme. Children make purposeful choices, investigate questions, and take increasing responsibility for their learning.

The independence and concentration developed through Montessori provide a natural foundation for the collaborative, inquiry-based learning of the PYP. Families can see this progression across our Nursery and Preschool programs.

Preschool student working on an IB Unit of Inquiry with teacher in Montessori classroom.
Frequently asked questions
What ages experience Montessori at Pine Street School?

Montessori principles are strongest in Nursery and Preschool. Beginning in Preschool 3, Montessori-inspired materials and opportunities for independent work continue alongside the IB Primary Years Programme.

Does Montessori continue through Grade 8 at Pine Street School?

Montessori principles shape the early childhood years. Beginning in Preschool 3, the IB Primary Years Programme is introduced and continues through Grade 5, building on the independence, concentration, and responsibility children developed through Montessori.

What is a prepared environment in Montessori?

A prepared environment is a calm, orderly classroom designed so children can make choices, explore independently, repeat meaningful work, and build concentration. Materials, routines, and spaces are intentionally selected to support development.

What is Practical Life in Pine Street School's Montessori classrooms?

Practical Life includes purposeful everyday activities such as pouring, wiping, spooning, sweeping, washing, buttoning, and caring for the classroom. These experiences build coordination, concentration, independence, responsibility, and confidence.

How are work and play understood in the Nursery Montessori program?

For young children, work and play are closely connected. Children learn through movement, repetition, exploration, relationships, joy, and purposeful activity, while teachers observe and introduce experiences that support development.

How does Montessori support social and emotional development?

Grace and Courtesy are part of daily classroom life. Children practice kindness, empathy, respect for others, responsibility, and care for their shared environment through routines and everyday interactions.

How does Montessori prepare children for the IB?

Montessori develops habits such as concentration, purposeful choice, independence, persistence, and responsibility. These habits help children take an active role in the collaborative, inquiry-based learning of the Primary Years Programme.