As I sit in the play-yard each day, watching the children collect worms, leaves, and insects to observe, I can’t help but think about how pleased God must be with these kids’ connection to Him through nature. After all, it seems as though everywhere you look these days, people of all ages are glued to their screens. Could that really be what God had in mind for us?
God designed mankind as part of nature, yet we as a species seem to be trying everything we can to remove ourselves from it. Humanity is losing its connection to nature, making nature education more necessary than ever. The Early Learning Program at St. Benedict Classical Academy operates under the Montessori pedagogy, which not only allows children to connect with nature but also encourages it as a foundation for deeper existential thinking.
One of the curriculum areas in a primary Montessori classroom is called “Practical Life”. This area, as indicated by its title, allows children to practice skills that are practical to everyday life, such as preparing food, cleaning, using simple tools, etc. One of the subcategories of Practical Life is called “Care of the Environment”. Children take pride in being stewards of the environment, and since Montessori classrooms are often filled with greenery, this includes plant care. The children are in charge of watering the plants, marking when they’ve had enough water to avoid over-watering, and wiping dust off the leaves to maximize photosynthesis.
Additionally, the Science area of a primary Montessori classroom is regularly updated based on environmental changes throughout the year. For example, in the fall, my class studied apples, pumpkins, leaves, and bird migration. In each Science unit, children are given opportunities to interact with nature in the classroom and on nature walks, and are equipped with true scientific vocabulary.
This primary education was designed to help children foster a connection with nature, preparing them for the next stage of Montessori nature education: cosmic education. In her book, To Educate the Human Potential, Maria Montessori writes, “The laws governing the universe can be made interesting and wonderful to the child, more interesting even than things in themselves, and he begins to ask: What am I? What is the task of man in this wonderful universe? Do we merely live here for ourselves, or is there something more for us to do? Why do we struggle and fight? What is good and evil? Where will it all end?… [Cosmic education] is received with joy by the child who has indirectly been prepared for it in the Montessori school” (10). Through this cosmic education, elementary-aged Montessori students are encouraged to observe the natural world and ask meaningful questions regarding their connection to it. In elementary classrooms at SBCA, classical education pairs beautifully with this primary Montessori foundation, allowing for the development of these same critical thinking skills. By building a foundation rooted in a connection with the world as designed by God, children can form existential philosophical questions that deepen their faith.
As we enter summer break, let children collect worms, leaves, and insects to observe, for their connection with nature encourages communion with God. Something as simple as admiring an insect can remind us how intricate and beautiful even the smallest of God’s creatures can be. And through that, it is abundantly obvious that mankind was made for much more than a screen.
AUTHOR: Christine Adame, Early Learning Teacher
