The interest in nature is a natural thing in every human being since the beginning of time. Language can be used as a pathway to the science of biology. Children have a great, natural interest in living things and biology is the study of living organisms, plants and animals. This is an area in which it is a pure joy in following the child’s natural interest. The child is naturally fascinated by “real and living things”.
There are two major areas of biology. The first is zoology, which is the scientific study of animals, their structure, physiology, classification, and distribution. The second is botany, which is the study of the classification of plants, their physiology, their structure, their ecology, distribution and economic importance.
In the Elementary class, the children will delve more deeply into these different groups and sub-groups of biology but for the Montessori Primary class, the child is only taught biology as in introduction and to have the awareness of the living organisms in our world.
The young child is taught the structure of plants and the distribution on a geographic level. The child always deals with the real object first, before moving to cards or to the abstract thing. Therefore, the directress should bring in as many different living things as possible. This allows for “real things” to be explored. A garden should ideally be part of every classroom. If not, the directress must make a special effort to bring in as much of nature as possible into the classroom.
All of these experiences are given on the oral level first. The information gained can be greatly enriched once the child is at the reading level.
Biology is a learning process for the directress as well. She will be guided each year by the child’s interests and must create material to follow these interests.
This excerpt from “At Home in Nature: Biology in the Montessori Classroom” by Montessorian Sanford Jones shows teachers how to build a raised flower garden bed with their students. It also includes how to arrange “going out” experiences, implement the use of the Botany Cabinet, select plants and pets for the classroom, set up the “Time Line of Life shelves (Elementary), build an outdoor herb, prepare healthy foods at school and at home, conduct nature walks, recycle, and compost.
Montessori Biology — Birth to Age Twelve from Michael Olaf
Biology for 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12
Biology from Montessori for Everyone
Here are tons of biology resources for sale.
Free Montessori Biology Printables for Children from Montessori Nature
12 Months of Montessori Learning Posts:
January: Practical Life
March: Language Arts