OUR CLASSROOMS

Santa Fe Montessori Classrooms 

Seedlings – Infant Class

Ages 12-18 Months

Teachers: Celia Basset, Porter Pryor, Diane Medina

The Seedlings class provides a calm, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment designed specifically for young toddlers. Our program supports independence, secure attachment, coordination, language development, and early concentration through hands-on Montessori experiences and respectful caregiving practices.

Daily Schedule

9:00 AM – Arrival & Free Exploration

9:30 AM – Snack & Diapering

9:45 AM – Montessori Work Cycle

10:45 AM – Gross Motor Play / Outdoor Time

11:15 AM – Lunch

11:45 AM – Nap / Rest Time

2:15 PM – Wake Up, Snack & Dismissal Prep

2:30 PM – Dismissal

Curriculum Focus

• Practical Life & Independence – Holding bottle/cup, self-feeding, hand washing, participating in diapering routines

• Movement & Coordination – Crawling, cruising, early walking, climbing, carrying objects

• Sensorial Exploration – Texture boards, object permanence, sound cylinders, visual tracking

• Language Development – Naming objects, songs, finger plays, simple books, one-on-one conversations

• Social & Emotional Development – Building trust, learning turn-taking, expressing needs, secure routines

 

 

 

 

Sprouts – Toddler Class

Ages 18-24 Months

Teachers: Paola, Lenny

The Sprouts class provides a nurturing, language-rich environment designed specifically for toddlers in a critical period of development. Our program supports growing independence, social-emotional development, movement, language acquisition, and early concentration through hands-on Montessori experiences and respectful caregiving practices.

Daily Schedule

8:30 AM – Arrival

8:30-9:00 AM – Gym / Gross Motor Play

9:00 AM – Circle Time

9:15 AM – Snack

9:30-10:15 AM – Montessori Work Cycle

10:15-10:45 AM – Gym / Gross Motor Play

10:45-11:15 AM – Lunch

11:15 AM-12:00 PM – Outside Play

12:15-2:00 PM – Nap / Rest Time

2:15 PM – Wake Up, Snack & Dismissal Prep

2:30 PM – Dismissal

Curriculum Focus

• Practical Life & Independence – Self-feeding with spoon/fork, drinking from open cup, hand washing, beginning dressing, toilet awareness

• Movement & Coordination – Walking, running, climbing, ball play, dancing, balance activities

• Sensorial Exploration – Texture boards, sensory bins, shape sorters, color matching, sound exploration

• Language Development – Two-word phrases, songs, picture cards, story time, bilingual exposure (Spanish/English)

• Social & Emotional Development – Parallel play, turn-taking, identifying emotions, grace and courtesy

 

 

 

Blossoms – Toddler Class

Ages 2-3 Years

Teachers: Blake Lee Ogren, Jamie Torres

The Blossoms class provides a nurturing, language-rich environment designed specifically for toddlers during this critical period of development. Our program honors each child's natural curiosity and supports growing independence, social-emotional development, movement, language acquisition, and deep concentration through hands-on Montessori experiences.

Our Montessori Philosophy

• Independence – Supporting each child's growing ability to do things for themselves

• Child's inherent love of learning and exploration

• Child's ability to do challenging things

• Child's ability to experience all emotions – frustration, anger, joy

• Learning through music, rhyme, and movement

• Sensory learning

• Practical Life as a toddler's favorite area to explore

• Honoring a child's desire to work independently

• Following children's interests for project-based learning

• Lots of unstructured outside time in nature

Daily Schedule

8:30 AM – Arrival

8:30-9:00 AM – Gym / Gross Motor Play

9:00 AM – Circle Time

9:15 AM – Snack

9:30-10:30 AM – Montessori Work Cycle

10:30-11:00 AM – Gym / Gross Motor Play

11:00-11:30 AM – Lunch

11:30 AM-12:15 PM – Outside Play

12:15-2:00 PM – Nap / Rest Time

2:15 PM – Wake Up, Snack & Dismissal Prep

2:30 PM – Dismissal

Curriculum Focus

• Practical Life & Independence – Dressing skills, food preparation, toilet learning, care of environment

• Movement & Coordination – Running, jumping, climbing, fine motor activities, nature exploration

• Sensorial Exploration – Sensory bins, color/shape sorting, sound exploration, nature experiences

• Language Development – Rich vocabulary, songs, interactive books, multi-step directions, early writing prep

• Social & Emotional Development – Cooperative play, experiencing all emotions, building confidence, grace and courtesy

 

 

Roots – Primary Class

Ages 3-6 Years

Teachers: Mario Griego, Christina Mata

The Roots Primary class provides a rich, prepared environment designed to nurture each child's natural curiosity and love of learning. Our mixed-age classroom (ages 3-6) allows younger children to learn from older peers while older children develop leadership skills. The program supports independence, concentration, coordination, and a sense of order through hands-on Montessori materials and child-led exploration.

Daily Schedule

9:00 AM – Drop-off

9:15 AM – Morning Circle

9:30 AM – Snack

9:45-11:00 AM – Work Cycle

11:00 AM – Transition

11:15 AM – Lunch

12:00-12:30 PM – Outside Play

1:00-2:30 PM – Nap/Rest

3:00 PM – Dismissal

Enrichment

Dance: Tuesday/Thursday with Autumn Scoggan (Clearly You Creative Movement)

Curriculum Focus

• Practical Life – Care of self (dressing, hygiene, food prep), care of environment (cleaning, plant/animal care), control of movement, grace and courtesy

• Sensorial – Visual discrimination (pink tower, brown stair, color tablets), tactile exploration, auditory development (sound cylinders, bells), geometric shapes

• Mathematics – Number recognition (number rods, spindle boxes), decimal system (golden beads, stamp game), operations, linear counting, fractions introduction

• Language – Oral development, phonemic awareness (sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet), writing skills (metal insets), reading development, grammar introduction

• Cultural Studies – Geography (maps, landforms, continents), science (botany, zoology, experiments), art and music

Monthly Themes (All Classrooms)

Teachers change materials on the shelves each month to reflect thematic units:

August: Cycle of Task; Grace and Courtesy

September: Geometric Solids; Shapes

October: Autumn / Harvest; Trees and Leaves

November: Bears and Hibernation; Footprints and Tracks

December: Snow and Ice; Holidays

January: Homes and Habitats

February: Reptiles (snakes, turtles, and lizards)

March: Birds and Eggs

April: Butterflies / Insects

May: Seeds, Plants, and Flowers

June: Ocean Animals; Transportation