This was called by Maria Montessori, "cosmic education", and it is aimed to bring about in a Montessori classroom a variety of materials in botany, zoology, geography, history, art, music along with the respect for different cultures and peoples.

"This experiment has gone far beyond our expectations, and today children learn, using language as their guide, a great deal of exact knowledge about biology, geography, and astronomy. And this knowledge is like seed sown in fertile soil. In the mind of the child the seed grows naturally thanks to the promptings of nature which invite a child to acquire a knowledge of the world," Maria Montessori- The Discovery of the Child, ch.17.Speech.

The child in the Montessori classroom has already been prepared to absorb the enrichment provided in the Cultural Area. Practical Life activities have helped the child develop a respect for objects and their maker and has provided a foundation of experiences for future use in working with cultural materials. The Sensorial Area has helped him develop the awareness of shape, color, texture and other properties of the physical world. Language gives the child the means of expressing his emotions and knowledge. Math has begun a foundation of logic and reasoning. All these will help him to acquire the kind of behavior that enables participation in social groups, understanding of diversity, respect and tolerance for those who are different.

The children in the Montessori prepared environment have opportunities to become insighful, perceptive, sensitive and most important thoughtful.
These characteristics are cultivated to prepare the child for study of the cosmic world.
When the children experience the cultural activities in the prepared environment, they do not find it mysterious or confusing but rather logic, real and part of the real world. The sequence of the materials in this area begins with presenting the real thing (wherever this is possible) before moving to representations (photographs, pictures, drawings) and abstractions. The child will continue with these activities as learning parts and functions, classifying and definitions. It is important to note that the cultural subjects have a two-fold purpose. To arouse the child's interest and give him the possibility to explore and experience; and to help him in his mental classification and systemizing of reality.

Visit my PROJECT IDEAS page

Ideas for a cultural unit SPICES ROAD