Pre-School and Daycare
LisaMinFL
member
Half day (montessori) program, how much outside time?
LisaMinFL
member
The half day programs in our area are usually 830-1130. A Montessori school I looked at recently spends about 1.5 hrs outside in that time frame. This seemed like a lot to me, but it was my first tour, so I don't have anything to compare it to....
How much time does your DC spend outside on the playground in that amount of time? I am trying to get an idea of what is "normal."
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Re: Half day (montessori) program, how much outside time?
My sons go full day and before/after school, so I don't know the exact amount of outside time for a half day. But I can tell you that nature is a big part of Montessori curriculum.
Outside time is not just on the playground for my kids. Each class has a garden to tend to (and they use the flowers, fruits, and vegetables for lessons in class when they are ripe). They go on exploratory nature walks to look for leaves that have changed color, bugs that are around, checking out puddles, etc. Our school built a gazeebo outside last year also and sometimes they just go out there for their regular lessons or discusssions. With all that and a "recess" break I can see 1.5 hours outside more often than not.
When you tour other schools (or if you call this one back) I would ask what types of activities they do while they are out there.
All this being said, I'm also going to give you my standard Montessori warning: not all places that call themselves a Montessori school offer the same type of curriculum or embrace Montessori methodology to the same extent, so you do need to take a look at what they are doing/offering at each school to make a good comparison between programs and find one you are comfortable with.
Good luck!