LAMB’s Maya Community is one of three Primary classrooms serving children aged 3, 4 and 5. It has approximately 25 children and two Montessori-trained teachers.
Students are very active and constantly engaged in different activities. The 4 and 5-year-olds move through the environment exploring complex math and language work stations, including Golden Beads, manipulative materials that teach children the concept of tens, hundreds and thousands. Montessori describes Golden Beads as the "materialized abstraction of the decimal system." The 3-year-olds are learning how to work in a Montessori environment and becoming adjusted to the school day.
A snack table, with fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods, is available so that students can stop work and eat a snack at any time during the day, allowing them to follow their internal needs for food. Younger children nap after lunch, while older children continue working.
In addition, children are immersed in the Spanish language through the on-going use of vocabulary cards and circle time activities led by the Spanish language dominant instructor. Three-year-old children work on more basic skills that lay the foundation for more advanced work. Scooping and pouring activities help develop concentration, left to right motion for writing and small motor skill development that are precursors for holding the pencil for writing. All of the materials in the Montessori classroom are connected and create a skill progression from simple to complex.
Students in the Maya community are active explorers and love to sing "De Colores," a Mexican folk song. They also participate in music classes led weekly by an outside music educator.