Curriculum & Subjects
Each child progresses through subjects at their own pace — not by grade level. The curriculum is structured as a progression, so every child is always moving forward from exactly where they are.
How the Curriculum Works
In a Montessori elementary classroom, multiple subjects are happening simultaneously. While one child works through a math concept with the teacher, others are completing independent projects in language or science. The teacher rotates — presenting lessons to individuals or small groups, then releasing children to work on their own.
This is not a slower version of school. It is a different model: one where children build true understanding through concrete materials before moving to abstract concepts, and where self-directed work builds concentration, confidence, and a love of learning.
Six Areas of Learning
Mathematics
From basic operations to fractions — all taught through hands-on materials that make abstract concepts visible and concrete before moving to pencil and paper.
- Addition Strip Boards & Snake Game — memorizing addition facts and combinations of 10
- Subtraction Strip Boards & Snake Game — building fluency with subtraction facts
- Multiplication Bead Board & Short Bead Chains — memorizing facts 1–10
- Building the Decanomial — multiplication table, squares, commutative property
- Multiplying by 10 — quantities up to 9,999,999
- Division Boards & Charts — memorizing division facts and formats
- Mental math drills — timed 54-question sheets, addition through division
- Fractions — concrete fraction circles before abstract computation
Language Arts
Grammar learned through symbols and physical objects — not worksheets. Children understand how sentences work before they write them, which means what they write is richer.
- Grammar symbols — noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun placed on farm set objects
- Sentence analysis — reading provided sentences, identifying and labelling all parts
- Progression: understanding parts → writing sentences → writing paragraphs → writing stories
- Penmanship — neat, deliberate handwriting prioritized over volume; builds memory retention
- Descriptive writing — paragraph from a picture; story from a prompt
- Creative storytelling — tall tales, elaborate fictional narratives
- Technology: screens used only when specifically needed to research a project
Science
Almost entirely experiment-based. Children figure things out by doing — not by reading about them. Every concept is made tangible before it becomes abstract.
- Circuits and electricity — batteries, bulbs, multiple configurations
- Human anatomy — tongue, digestive system, skeletal system, in segment-by-segment detail
- Molecules and states of matter — hands-on models
- Classification, observation, and hypothesis-testing
- Botany experiments — plant lifecycle, growth, and care
Geography, Zoology & Botany
Taught outside whenever possible. Spring and fall lessons move into the yard and woods. Field trips to farms, aquariums, and natural sites are a core part of the program.
- Geography: evolution of civilization, what humans needed to survive through each era
- Visual timelines, ribbon timelines — history of earth and humanity
- Days of the week, months of the year — their origins and meanings
- Weather patterns, layers of the earth, equatorial bands
- Zoology: local animals, lifecycles, farm visits (brushing horses, feeding, cleaning hooves)
- Aquarium visits — animals in natural settings with guided observation
- Research projects: look it up, write two careful sentences about it, remember it
Advanced Practical Life
Not simple chores — long-term projects that require planning, measurement, patience, and skill. Children take real responsibility for real outcomes.
- Sewing quilts — measuring, cutting, stitching a year-long project from start to finish
- Garden care — planting, tending, harvesting vegetables and eggs
- Chicken care — daily feeding, cleaning, responsibility
- Cooking meals — making bread, sandwiches, and full lunches for the class
- Financial literacy — Royal Bank partnership: children open accounts, learn to save
- Community service — organizing a food bank, preparing and serving hot meals
- Farmers market — children run the stall, price items, make change, talk to customers
Peace Education
The Peace Flower — four petals of awareness. Children learn to understand themselves, their communities, and their role in the world. This is where empathy and gratitude are built.
- Self-Awareness — mindfulness of thoughts, words, and actions; creating a peace place; naming feelings
- Community Awareness — avoiding conflict, contributing to peaceful solutions in daily life
- Cultural Awareness — the contributions of cultures from around the world
- Environment Awareness — caring for the environment as a contribution to peace
- Sound therapy — singing bowls, self-regulation, mindfulness practice
- World events discussion — how could things have gone differently? What would you have done?
- Active community service — food bank, women's shelter, organizing and serving, not just donating
No Tests. No Grades. Just Progress.
There are no end-of-year exams. Progress is tracked through observation, project work, and the teacher's ongoing assessment of each child's understanding. Every three months, we check in on each child's position across all subject areas and refocus where needed.
As a registered private school, we submit a curriculum and learning outcomes to the Nova Scotia Department of Education each year. The formal progress reports submitted annually for each student ensure accountability without turning learning into test preparation.
Enrollment Information →Questions About Our Curriculum?
We are happy to walk you through any subject area in detail and answer questions about how your child would progress through the program.