Practical Life Skills
There are four main areas in the Montessori definitional of “practical life activities”.
They are:
Care of self
Care of the environment
Grace and courtesy
And control of movement
Children are given age-appropriate lessons in each of these areas throughout their Montessori years. Part of the curriculum included in the grace and courtesy lessons are the lessons on peace. Dr. Montessori believed that if society is to increase in goodwill and brotherhood, the change must begin with the children. We offer to each child the opportunity to learn cooperation, courtesy, respect for all life, integrity, an attitude of service, and love for all the earth and its inhabitants. We teach the language of peace and how to use words to solve conflict. Through structured experiences, meal times, class meetings and formal lessons, children gain the tools that are used to live peacefully and gracefully in an often-dissonant world.