A love of life-long learning begins here!

Our Infant & Toddler Program is designed to meet the needs of the ever inquisitive young child. At this age, children learn best by doing. Our thoughtfully prepared environments allow for plenty of hands-on activities that introduce new concepts and allow ample time for independent practice.

Our infant program offers a nurturing start for the youngest learners, beginning as early as 3 months. We believe in fostering a natural sense of exploration and freedom, allowing infants to move freely and discover the world around them in a safe, engaging environment. This early exposure to self-directed learning aligns with Montessori principles, emphasizing each child's independence and curiosity. Through carefully prepared environments and materials, our Montessori-based approach encourages infants to develop confidence, focus, and a love of learning from their earliest days.

As infants transition into the toddler program, Montessori principles guide their growth. Toddlers are supported in building independence, self-awareness, and responsibility within a prepared environment. This setup encourages them to explore hands-on activities and make choices that interest them, fostering development in language, sensory skills, motor skills, and social interactions. 

Starting from infant all the way through toddler, there is an emphasis on outdoor time, encouraging children to experience and explore nature in all kinds of weather. This connection with the environment nurtures curiosity, resilience, and rich sensory experiences as they engage with the natural world around them.

The Montessori philosophy is part of Barrie’s broader mission to inspire excellence, intrinsic motivation, and responsibility. From infancy through Grade 12, Barrie supports every stage of growth with innovative learning experiences that encourage each child to reach their full potential.

• Areas of our classroom are ready for each child’s independent exploration.
• Infants and Toddlers build self-confidence, skills of independence, and social skills while growing academically, physically, and emotionally.
• The Toddler classes participate in weekly music and PE classes
• Infants and Toddlers explore our 45-acre wooded campus on a regular basis.

Barrie School offers an eight-week summer program for students currently enrolled in our Infant and Toddler Program. The Stepping Stones Program builds on the Barrie Montessori school-year principles of hands-on learning and independence. Guided by experienced Barrie teachers, students will engage in projects, water activities, nature walks, stories, songs, and art activities. Summer students will enjoy a fun, safe summer in familiar surroundings with Barrie friends.

Eligibility

• Both returning to Barrie for the next school year and not returning are welcome but re-enrolled students have priority.

• All current Barrie School Infant and Toddler students. Based on availability, occasionally Barrie School Primary students are accepted but only after the initial deadline for infant and toddler students has passed.

• Students do not have to be bathroom independent to enroll in the Toddler Stepping Stones Program. 

• Note that students turning 3.5 years old before entering Barrie Summer Camp are eligible for Barrie Camp.

Enrollment information was sent to eligible families.

For more information, please email Heidi Novak at HNovak@barrie.org or MontessoriFrontOffice@barrie.org

Barrie's learning environments for students ages 3-6  contain the curriculum areas typically found in a Montessori early childhood classroom:

• Practical Life
• Sensorial
• Art
• Language
• a class library area
• Cultural (including Biology, History, and Geography)
• Math
• Peace/Mindfulness.

These spaces provide our Primary students with the opportunities to develop, practice and hone concentration, coordination, order and independence. Through hands-on work in a carefully, intentionally designed, and prepared environment, students develop independence, confidence, and a passion for learning. These skills are essential to children participating in the formation of their intelligence as they build the foundation for future success.

Children have an intrinsic need for order, combined with the instinctive capacity to absorb impressions from their environment. Primary classrooms are designed to serve these needs. Hands-on materials are sequentially organized into curricular areas within which each item has its place. This strengthens the student’s sense of order and provides a sense of security in the world upon which the child can depend.

Students are encouraged to choose activities based upon their particular interests and are introduced to new possibilities both by teachers and peers. A sense of responsibility is fostered, as students are encouraged to share materials, complete each activity, and return the materials in good condition for other children to use. The order of the classroom also assists the students in organizing the impressions that they are receiving by helping them create “mental file cabinets” for the efficient storage and retrieval of information. Special classes include art, music, and physical education. Older Primary students also participate in Makerspace. 

The Lower Elementary classroom is a multi-age, stimulating environment that invites exploration and research. Students in grades 1-3 remain with the same teacher for three years.

This allows for the development of a deep understanding of each student and creates the opportunity to provide a comprehensive, individually focused education for each child. The multi-age setting provides opportunities for leadership while developing mentoring skills in children.

• Discovery:  The Lower Elementary students are at a place and time of insatiable curiosity for discovering the world. This curiosity primes students to seek information about the continents, cultures, and scientific concepts. Practical Life, math, language, reading, geometry, zoology, botany, and history comprise the Lower Elementary curriculum. Hand-on Montessori manipulatives guide students from a concrete understanding of concepts to abstract thinking.
• Academics:  Math concepts begin with concrete understanding of place value, quantity, and symbol. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are incorporated into every aspect of the day. Students build a fundamental understanding fractions and geometry with manipulatives, which help develop a visual and tactile understanding of concepts.
  
  Cultural work incorporates botany, zoology, history, and science. An in-depth study of two or three countries per year offers map-making skills. Our wooded 45-acre campus offers an incredible environment for exploration and application of cultural work.
• Work Plans/Journal: Lower Elementary students use work plans to help develop time management skills and to track work completed throughout the year. While the younger students use the work plan to record activities completed, older students use it to plan their day and week.
• Class Meetings:  Student-led meetings provide a platform for student voice, problem solving, and appreciations.
• Three year age span: This gives younger children the opportunity to observe and learn from classmates while older students have a chance to nurture and teach younger students.
• Work Habits: Children learn to set goals, organize work, and manage time. Students work collaboratively to foster social and cooperative skills. Class meetings provide opportunities for problem solving as well as offering a platform for student voice. Productive, independent work time develops attention span and concentration. Each day is a balance of individual work, small-group cooperative work, small-group lessons, and large-group lessons. Students use hands-on, science-based manipulatives to discover and learn concepts. These Montessori materials are designed to move students from a concrete work to abstract understanding.
• Confidence: Concentration and independence developed in the Primary program builds confidence in our Lower Elementary students. Confident learners seek challenges and are inquisitive about the world around them. Lessons rich in cultural content and scientific exploration provide the foundation for the integration of other areas of study. Appreciation of other cultures is reinforced through continent studies that include individual research, stories, map-making, artifacts, cooking, field trips, and celebrations. Enrichment classes include art, Makerspace, physical education, and music.
• Practical Life: Practical Life is integrated into every moment of the day. Students are responsible for the care of themselves and classmates as well as the maintenance of the classroom. Elementary students organize and clean materials on the shelves; care for the plants and animals, and prepare and share snacks.

A Montessori Upper Elementary education challenges children intellectually while promoting the development of important life skills, providing a nurturing environment for social-emotional growth, and allowing children to begin to explore their place in society and the world. The Upper Elementary program at Barrie serves students in grades 4-5 and builds upon the Cosmic Education that was started in the Lower Elementary program. Children are given freedom to choose their work and are supported in making responsible choices that allow them to fulfill their academic requirements.

A Typical Day of Learning

Upper Elementary students study mathematics, humanities (reading, language arts, and cultural studies), science, geography, art, music, and physical education. Throughout the year, the students are immersed in cross-curricular units of study that are relevant and hands-on. In these classes, students are reading and analyzing a variety of genres (nonfiction, fiction, poetry, etc.), writing essays, self-guided and teacher-directed research/projects, experiments in science and geography, Montessori language work, biological and physical studies in science, and mathematical concepts with and without Montessori materials. Students are able to work independently, with a partner, in small groups, and with the teacher. Teachers provide lessons that provoke thinking and involve students in topic-focused discussions that will lead to follow-up work, and perhaps a self-directed study of a topic of interest.

Extended Learning

In the Upper Elementary, learning outside of the classroom is an essential part of the educational experience at Barrie. We invite guests to speak and/or present about topics being studied. The students also attend multiple, cross-curricular field trips each trimester that correspond with a unit of study.

Previous trips include:

• Echo Hill- camping trips and outdoor educational studies of the Chesapeake Bay
• archaeological digs
• museums/aquariums
• Eco Adventure - hands on study of animals and habitats.
• outdoor studies/national parks ( not including Echo Hill)
• cultural events/festivals
• Annapolis- Maryland history and government
• historical/ cultural sites that support units of study

The Upper Elementary experience is further enhanced by the Going Out Program. The Going Out experience is an essential element of the Montessori program and is very different from a traditional field trip. The children go out in small groups as an extension of their research and to gain experiences in the world outside the classroom. The children develop independence, resourcefulness, and self-confidence through functioning capably in the larger world without adult assistance.

Physical Education

• Primary: The Primary (Ages 3-6) physical education program uses movement exploration, fundamental motor skills, and basic movement patterns to form the foundation of the program. Children jump, skip, catch, run, and play games with the goal of developing body and spatial awareness. As they enter Kindergarten, there is more emphasis on cooperative games, participatory creative movement activities, following directions, and sportsmanship. The Primary classes are taught by the Barrie Montessori P.E. teacher.
• Lower Elementary: The Lower Elementary (Grades 1-3) program emphasizes the development of fundamental motor skills, such as throwing, catching, and kicking. Students explore different ways to improve physical fitness through climbing, stamina development, and strength activities. They also are introduced to simple sports and group games such as kickball, soccer, capture the flag, and Red Rover. All of these activities, in turn, emphasize the necessity of developing sportsmanship. The Lower Elementary classes are taught by the Barrie Montessori P.E. teacher.
• Upper Elementary: The Upper Elementary (Grades 4-5) program places an increased emphasis on activities that require higher-level thinking skills. There is increased participation in team sports that have rules, positioning, and strategy. Students build an awareness of physical fitness and how exercise improves the functioning of the body. Along with physical education classes, students participate Intramurals, which are designed to help students understand the responsibilities of being part of a team and how to handle themselves in competitive situations.

Child Development

Barrie offers intentional developmental learning environments for children ranging from 3 months-Grade 5. At the core of Montessori's educational philosophy is the well-known understanding of the child as a spiritual being. At Barrie, this idea is also reflected in our core values as an extraordinary environment for learning.

Respect for self, others, and the environment is one of our core values demonstrated throughout the spiritual development that is nurtured on our campus. Having values at the institutional level that emphasizes these core aspects of grace and courtesy allows us to effectively address the developmental and spiritual needs and motivations of both the child and the adult.

Each learning community, from the youngest Infant classrooms to the oldest classroom communities reflect an overall understanding of the four planes of development and intrinsic spiritual needs of students.

Peace and Mindfulness Education

Peace Education: Peace education in the Lower School emphasizes inner awareness, grace, and courtesy.  These social skills help them as they navigate their world and social interactions.

As a school, we understand that students at all ages are ultimately moving along a path towards self-construction. Barrie teachers utilize positive discipline in their class and share best practices, reflections, and lessons learned with other faculty, parents and the broader community. Our school also participates in a yearly, campus-wide celebration of International Peace Day. We emphasize the need for peace throughout the world and highlight the responsibilities of each individual in achieving and maintaining peace within ourselves and at a global level.

Mindfulness Education: The Lower School's Mindfulness Program is an extension of its core values. Mindfulness can be a powerful tool which enhances cognitive, emotional, and behavioral well-being for students as well as adults.

Barrie teachers actively incorporate a variety of mindfulness activities within their daily classroom routines. Circle time often sets the stage for appreciations, self-reflection, deep breathing and visualization exercises with Lower and Upper Elementary students. Primary students may read a mindfulness children’s book or practice mindful eating or the silence game during circle. The latter, are a few examples of how mindfulness and spiritual development are illustrated through day to day actions, words, and deeds.

Mindfulness education extends outside of the classroom as well. Each child at our school is offered age-appropriate opportunities to engage our 45-acres of land. Students go on daily nature walks throughout campus. Primary students can often be found walking to observe the pond and the abundance of life found along the way. Elementary students may be found building shelters, hiking, and creating landforms in the creek as cultural extension work. Upper Elementary students may care for gardens, monarch stations, and create spaces for art and reflection on campus. All of these nature based lessons allow our students to fully engage their senses while gaining a greater appreciation for the world and their place in it.