The Primary classroom is an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy, as children ages three through six learn together. The younger children are guided by the classroom guide and by observing and working with older students. Primary students absorb information, experiences, and life around them. The older children learn leadership and compassion in this mixed-aged setting. Children learn to work at a task from beginning to end and develop their self-discipline and the capacity for deep concentration. Respect for others and good manners develop naturally as the children grow within the Montessori environment.

Our year-round primary program involves periods of focused work and of outdoor play. The children witness the four seasons and experience the changes in our gardens and grounds. They help care for our animals as well. The daily rhythm of the classroom includes care of the environment, preparation of food, times of focus and times a rest, and regular free play.

“Our son tells us ‘I do whatever I want at school’, he has a sense of independence and ownership, that he is the one directing his learning. Namaste has revved his curiosity and given him a calm confidence that the world is his to explore.”

– Cheryl Delaney

“Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.”
― Maria Montessori