The Casa program is for children from 3 to 6 years.
In the Casa program, the child engages in self-directed learning. He continues to develop himself physically and psychologically. The skills he gained from his experiences in the Toddler program are further refined and the child’s personality continues the work of integration and unification. By the end of the Casa program, the psychological construction of the child’s personality is complete. He has a clearly defined sense of self, confidence, perspective and attitude, which he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
In this mixed-age environment, children spend three years in the same classroom allowing them to get to know each other and their teachers well which supports a strong classroom community. Children choose from a variety of activities that include Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math and Culture exercises.
The child will gain solid academic skills that will enable him to be successful in the Elementary program. Importantly, the opportunities for constructive development in the Casa program can help a child experience and explore his full potential.
The exercises of Practical Life provide an ordered and wholesome range of activities which allow the children to develop control and coordination of movement, awareness of their environment, order in their thought patterns, independent work habits, responsibility, and many other human characteristics which can only be attained by spontaneous, purposeful work.
Walking on the Line and the Silence Game are part of the daily program where children learn to develop coordinated movement and self-regulation. Older students will become role models of the class and will take the initiative to coach and guide the young ones.
The Practical Life exercises are classified under the headings of Care of the Environment, Care of the Self, Grace and Courtesy, and Movement. There are materials for each of these which are adapted to the children’s age, interests and capabilities.
The Sensorial materials are designed to refine and delight the child’s sense of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing. They isolate one quality at a time to draw the child’s attention to a specific quality whether it is shape, size, color, texture, temperature, weight, pitch or volume. In addition, they have a built in control of error so the child is able to learn independently and develop the ability to problem solve.
Work with the Sensorial materials makes it possible for the children’s mind to abstract the qualities presented in the materials. The children can then name them, apply the concepts to the environment, and thereby perceive their universe with greater awareness.
Our unique trilingual program provides a language immersion environment for the child. The Montessori materials and lessons provide a hands-on learning experience which facilitates language acquisition through a fun and multi-sensorial way. All areas of the classroom and themes are seamlessly taught in English, Chinese and Thai.
English language and literacy is based on a rich learning environment. Children are exposed to a wide variety of literature and subject matter to build their vocabulary, listening and comprehension skills. They are encouraged to use oral language by sharing their personal experiences, discussing stories they have read or heard, and by interacting with adults and peers during private and group lessons. They freely engage with friends and teachers to exchange thoughts and ideas.
Writing and reading skills are developed through a phonetic approach. Children learn the sounds associated with the alphabet. When the child has mastered a number of sound-symbol pairs they can create words using the Moveable Alphabet. Children also work with Phonetic Objects, Phonograms, Puzzle Words and Reading Classification to build their literacy skills.
Writing involves working with the Metal Insets to prepare the hand muscles and with the Sandpaper Alphabet to learn the shapes of the alphabet. A child who has mastered writing and reading simple words will progress to more advanced levels of expression such as creative writing and composing poetry.
They will learn the Function of Words to understand the usage of the article, noun, adjective, verb, adverb, conjunction and preposition. They will also learn to appreciate and analyze writing style through Sentence Analysis exercises.
In the Chinese language program the child first learns speaking and listening skills. There is a heavy emphasis on vocabulary building, in particular of things the child can relate to in her immediate environment or from her experiences. Stories, books, objects, pictures, dialogues, songs and games are used to engage the child in learning the language.
Teachers encourage children to express themselves using Chinese in conversations and with friends. Character reading and writing are gradually introduced. Children will learn to read simple phrases and stories in Chinese. Children will also learn the symbols associated with Hanyu Pinyin.
Children learn the Thai language through a Montessori approach which is based on introducing the phonetic sounds of alphabet and vowels, combining them to make words and visually recognize them with specialized materials. Writing and reading skills are presented as children advance.
Young children have a natural love for mathematics as they are developing their “Mathematical Mind.” The Montessori program takes advantage of this natural tendency by presenting concrete math materials that allows children to learn through a fun, hands-on experience. Children first master the concept of one-on-one correspondence, they practice counting and learn to match quantities with numbers. Children learn linear counting and corresponding values for teens (eleven, twelve, thirteen…) and tens (ten, twenty, thirty…one hundred). They are introduced to the decimal system (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) and the operations of addition, multiplication, subtraction and division.
As children master these activities they also learn the more symbolic types of calculation by using the Stamp Game. The last group of Montessori Math is called the Passage to Abstraction. This allows the child to use the Small and Large Bead Frame to calculate numbers of more than ten thousand. Children will also work with fractions.
Children are introduced to the areas of culture which encompasses horticulture, biology, zoology, geography and social studies. Children learn through personal exploration in our beautiful garden and hands on experience planting in the vegetable garden. They also work with parts of the animal and plant puzzles, learn about life cycles of living things, among other activities. Children learn about the seven continents, their location and countries, weather, animals, food, language, music, art and so on. We will plan excursions in accordance with our themes and the children will be encouraged to have projects which involve self-exploration and discovery.
Circle time and music appreciation lessons help the children express themselves with music. Children will be exposed to music, songs and dance from around the world, how to create and replicate rhythm, the use of various instruments and pitch recognition.
Art is an integral part of the classroom where children are encouraged to refine their skill in cutting, pasting, tracing, coloring and painting. In art appreciation classes the children will explore various mediums and styles to create art. Similarly, they will be introduced to various artists in accordance with our monthly cultural themes.
Our Sports program fosters a love for physical activity through a variety of engaging activities. Led by qualified instructors, students develop fitness, agility, and teamwork skills.
Our Drama program ignites a passion for storytelling and self-expression! Students participate in productions before a live audience each year.
Our hands-on Gardening program connects students to the source of their food! Children of all ages plant and nurture vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers.
Our Montessori program takes students beyond the classroom with exciting field trips! These adventures weave learning, cultural appreciation, and personal growth into unforgettable experiences.
