Montessori Christian Homeschool Curriculum

The vision of this curriculum is to help homeschoolers leap over the learning curve and dive directly into implementing Montessori at home with a step-by-step guide.

In the pages of the Teacher's Guide (TG), you will find an Annual Scope and Sequence, a full Materials List categorized by month, a biweekly preparation guide and materials list, a Weely Lesson Grid showing each day's lessons, and individual lesson presentation notes for each day.

Setting up a Montessori learning environment is no small task, but using this curriculum makes it very doable for the busy homeschooler!

Every two weeks, the Teacher's Guide will prompt you to set up your shelves for the upcoming lessons. Preparation is extremely important in a Montessori environment, so don't skip this step!

You can use under-bed storage boxes, a shelf in your living room, or a whole homeschool room! The materials introduced each month are of a very manageable quantity, and you can rotate out materials as you finish with them or as your child loses interest in them.

• Sample Preparation Guide

Montessori Materials are a vital component of the Montessori curriculum, but they do not completely define Montessori education. In fact, you can do Montessori without expensive materials!

One of my goals with this curriculum was to make it as Budget-Friendly for homeschoolers as possible. One way you save money is knowing exactly what to purchase and when by using the Materials Shopping List.

Below, you will find other ways to save money. Choose one of the five Options that works best for your family to get you started with your materials purchase!

• Montessori Materials Shopping List

We follow the Montessori approach to writing before reading. This is the BEST way for a child to learn to write and read, and it is so much fun!

The letter sounds are introduced in groups, using games.

Throughout this first year of primary, your child will be introduced to all 26 letter sounds plus 14 double letter sounds, for a total of 42 phonetic sounds. We do not go in order of the alphabet. We go in an order that offers easier visual distinction between letter sounds, as well as lending to the maximum amount of words that could be constructed.

Along the way, as your child shows interest, you can introduce your child to the movable alphabet. Your child will start building words with the movable alphabet before he starts reading words. Essentially, this is writing before reading. Your child “writes” words with the help of the movable alphabet.

The format of the Montessori Reading Games Workbooks - Level 1 and Level 2 makes preparation and setup a breeze! You can keep all of the work inside the workbook and prepare the activities as you go. Everything you need is included in the Workbook! If you prefer to turn the Workbook into “shelf work,” that is very easy to do with the way the materials are designed. 😀

NOTE: The Montessori Reading Games Workbooks - Levels 1 and 2 are included with the purchase of the Year 1 Curriculum! Both print and cursive versions are included with the digital download. If you order a printed curriculum, you will have the opportunity to choose cursive or print.

To learn more about the Montessori Reading Games Workbooks, click here!

You can’t get the full breadth of the genius of the Montessori curriculum until you experience the sensorial materials. These are physical materials, designed and tested by Dr. Montessori and the scores of Montessorians after her. These materials are truly the “backbone” of the Montessori primary classroom. These are the “sense” materials that help the child distinguish size, shape, texture, smell, taste, weight, sound, temperature, and more. Since we are homeschoolers, I have laid out a scope of materials so you can choose to add them in increments that work for your family and your budget. Many can be homemade, especially if you have access to some woodworking tools!

With the sensorial materials, there is a preferred order and a specific way to give your child a lesson on the materials so that the materials are not misused and their purpose is preserved. Just like for the math lessons, I have made “presentation cards” to help you give presentations to your child “on the fly” and with ease. You don’t have to memorize anything, although practicing ahead of time is highly recommended!

As your sensorial collection grows, you can keep the materials set out in your environment if you have the space to do so. You will find your child going back to the sensorial material often, especially when he needs a break from more taxing work this year and in the years to come.

Shape

The way we learn shapes in this curriculum is kind of a “Montessori Homeschool” hack. This first year of primary is a great year to have children solidify their knowledge of shapes. Montessori classrooms use a set of metal shape insets with 10 shapes to do two things: 1. Prepare the hand for writing, and 2. Learn the names and forms of shapes in preparation for geometry. These are a beautiful component of the Montessori classroom. We use the insets one at a time to teach shapes and provide a means to prepare the hand for writing.

You can set this activity up however you would like. You can have all of the insets available, choose one each month, or set one out at a time as a “growing” collection available to your child. I suggest you clear a space for your metal insets and introduce one at a time as you get to it each month in the TG. Once you are “done” with that shape, you can add it to the shelf that will eventually contain all of the metal insets.

Each month, you will introduce the listed shape and set up a tray containing paper, a shape book cover, colored pencils, and the inset. You will also demonstrate how to use the inset with the colored pencils. This is a progression in and of itself, which prepares the hand for forming letters.

A cutting and pasting activity goes along with each of the shapes: strips of paper containing real images that match the shape your child is learning each month. She will have more opportunities to strengthen her fingers for writing by cutting and pasting the images into her shape book throughout the month.

To round out the study of each shape, the child will be prompted to find a particular shape in picture books, on nature walks, and around the house.

Color

Each month, we focus on one color and add it to our color box! Use the Color Box #2 tablets or make your own with the provided Student Printout. You can even use paint chips from the hardware store to make your own color tablets!

In addition to the growing color box, we make a color book. You can set up a tray, similar to the shape tray, with the color book, the printable color cutting strips, and different art media that you change out often in the color of the month. Have fun on a color nature walk, indoor scavenger hunt, and finding colors in picture books!

Art

The metal inset work contributes to the child's pencil control, and each month a new way to use the insets is introduced. These insets make beautiful geometric designs. The children create booklets each month showcasing their inset and shape work, as well as their work with colors. The art media used for the color work each month varies according to what the parent-guide chooses to set out for the child.