Reading, Writing, and Zoology

Learn more about smolt from this enterprising college student!

Traditionally, children work with zoology classification and fact cards in the Primary class ("Primary" means the years from 2 1/2 or 3 through 6).

Parts of an animal are the first cards your child will work with using picture and label three-part cards.

As your child's reading improves, he or she will work with animal classification, homes of animals, and animals and their young (e.g. cow-calf).

When your child has worked with these basics, encourage further work in the same or similar categories. For example, if your child has completed our Montessori curriculum for the second year of Primary class, he or she can expand on the "Animals and their Young" exercise by finding new pairs.

As your child finds these new pairs, he or she can look up illustrations and use them as a reference for drawing and labeling.

Occasionally parents ask why their four year old is learning what a "smolt" is instead of working on something more traditional. The answer is that learning how to learn and growing the brain is the purpose of our work during these years. It builds real academic skills while building a well-rounded thinking individual.