Happy Chappies Montessori Nursery

Happy Chappies Montessori was opened in 2005, in response to parents searching for a quality nursery, run by qualified teachers, as opposed to non-qualified care-givers. During our first year, our fledgling classes proved to be what was intended; a place where children can come to play and learn within a stimulating, enjoyable and richly educational atmosphere, under the watchful eye of trained staff. We are officially registered and licenced by the Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs, and are governed by local health and safety regulations.

Our goal is to provide all of the children in our care a safe, clean and comfortable, loving environment, rich in resources, where they can play and learn. We believe in the value of both structured and flexible schedules.

In practical life skills your child will be given the opportunity to practice developing his/her skills in looking after him/herself and the surroundings. For example, children can practice pouring, transferring and dressing themselves, and also other activities like sweeping, mopping, washing, folding, cooking, etc., to develop co-ordination and dexterity skills. This helps to develop the children with everyday key life skills and promotes the development of independence, concentration and coordination through care of self and the environment.

Sensory motor activities in the Sensorial area helps to develop and refine each of the five senses, (touch, sight, smell, auditory and stereognostic sense). For example, the sound boxes help to develop listening and music skills, colour boxes help develop observation and perception skills. The Sensorial equipment also indirectly prepares the child for later mathematics and language work, as they help the child to order, grade, classify and describe their sensory impressions. Children also become more aware of themselves and their surroundings, and the rich variety of apparatus that attracts the children encourages them to continually explore and extend their knowledge and understanding.

Montessori before working with children studied mathematics and through her observations of children she designed the mathematical equipment used in our classroom. Our children gain a physical impression of concepts such as numbers, counting skills, measurement, etc and have the opportunity to talk, play, touch and experiment with the relevant mathematical concepts long before the formal teaching of math's is introduced. This approach provides a solid foundations for future maths.

Language is enriched within the environment through the use of phonetic games, songs, rhymes, stories, books, and writing through the introduction of the sand paper letters. Our individual approach is used to facilitate reading, writing, social and comprehension skills. The literacy approach is phonic based where indirect and direct roads into reading and writing are introduced. Each piece of material builds on the child’s existing knowledge which can be tailored to meet the needs of each individual child.

In our classroom we try to promote cultural awareness through our Cultural area. We encourage children to explore and investigate their environment, and to further their knowledge and understanding of the world using the equipment that Montessori developed for this purpose. Biology, geography, history, simple science activities, nature and conservation are included in this area.

There is an atmosphere of co-operation in the classroom, not competition. We are always very positive towards the children giving lots of encouragment and a continued belief in themselves and their abilities. Our aim is to provide an environment where it feels like a ''home away from home'' for your child, it is a place where your child can be themselves. Our environment is one where we all respect each other, adults and children alike. A place where learning is fun, full of interesting things to do, and where your child can take time out to just ''be''. It is someplace where your child can grow knowing he/she belongs and that he/she is special..the Montessori philosophy.

We offer regular story times, arts and crafts, musical activities, learning about the world around us, taking care of ourselves, animals and our environment, and much, much more in our happy, friendly and safe environment. Each child attending Happy Chappies is treated as an individual, learning at his or her own pace, thus fulfilling their fullest potential possible.

The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six... At no other age has the child greater need for an intelligent help, and any obstacle that impedes his creative work will lessen the chance he has of achieving perfection." Since Maria Montessori wrote these words, research has shown the importance of early years. During this period, unconscious learning is gradually brought to the conscience level, and the foundations for later learning are laid down.

Children have to be respected as being different from adults, and as individuals who differ from each other. They possess unusual sensitivity, and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment that are unlike those of adults in both quantity and capacity. They have a deep love and need for purposeful work. When they are 'playing' they are indeed 'working' to learn all about the world around them.

The classroom is ordered and well planned. The curriculum and teaching materials are carefully selected and presented to the children. This provides the structure for their learning. The role of the teacher is different from that of a traditional teacher. She first observes and then directs the child's activities, so that he learns for himself through experience of the environment. She is the dynamic link between the child and the environment.

The Montessori approach aims to allow children to grow naturally, to retain their individuality and develop their own unique personality. 'The teachers task''  Maria Montessori wrote,''is no small or easy one!, she has to prepare a huge amount of knowledge to satisfy the child's mental hunger, and she is not, like the ordinary teacher, limited by a syllabus'.