Apple Ridge Montessori School, Catonsville

We are a small independent Montessori School for students between the ages of two and a half and six. We seek to motivate by curiosity, nurture by exploration, and reinforce positive experiences throughout the entire learning process. Montessori classrooms are designed to respond to children's sensitive periods, with adults guiding them in directions appropriate to their readiness and maturity. Because young children acquire knowledge by manipulating objects in a hands-on way, the classroom materials embody clear ideas. They encourage repetition, are sequential and multi-sensory, and eventually lead to abstract concepts. Intellectual goals include the development of perceptual, auditory, verbal, mathematical, and reasoning skills. In the social realm, we encourage children to find joy and respect in their friendships and to value grace and courtesy. We provide multicultural experiences to foster an interest in the larger world, and we embark on the idea of peace and social justice by creating an understanding of non-violent solutions to human problems. We stress the development of initiative, self-confidence, independence, and the ability to concentrate and complete a task. The lessons in our classroom are intended to further develop not only the fine and large motor skills and self-esteem, through healthy cycles of challenge and achievement.