Our Environment
The child, Montessori teacher, and prepared environment are a learning triangle, vital elements of the whole care of the child.
Elementary Classroom
6 - 9 years and 9 - 12 years
Our elementary space is deliberately designed to be engaging and interesting to the students who are then are able to link into the rich materials in the classroom and work alone or together to accomplish their academic and practical life tasks.
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The subject areas of our classroom include; language (handwriting, sentence parsing, sentence building, and word building), math (concrete, hands-on, building numbers, building math problems), science (scientific method used to answer questions posed by curious minds, science experiments, microscope skills), library (great collection of fiction and non-fiction; levelled and phonics readers, encyclopedias, and other collections for research), cultural (cultural geography, history, timeline), building and planting (woodworking equipment and other crafts; transplanting tiny plants), and art (art history, mediums, color wheel, basic elements of drawing, and prominent artists).
Adolescent Program
12-15 years
More info coming soon - enrolling 12 and 13 year old (or rising 7th grade) self-motivated, independent, curious students, preferably with experience in non-traditional educational settings for the 2023-2024 school year, with the goal of growing with the students each year. Call or email with your questions regarding this program.
Outdoor Play Spaces
Infant Environment
6 weeks - about 18 months
Our infant environment looks nothing like daycare because we do not use bouncers, jumpers, exersaucers, or any other apparatus that would contain our babies and limit their mobility. They are too often used for the adult's convenience, but Yadkin Path's priority is the children. These devices contradict our goal of developing self-direction and motor skills. The room is designed with warmth, cognitive growth, and aesthetic stimulation in mind. Materials are visually appealing and carefully chosen for appropriateness (such as simple, color-contrasting images that are easy for still-developing eyes to see). There are floor beds available for naps, and we encourage children to recognize when they need rest, and practice self-regulation. Rather than being fed in highchairs, all infants capable of sitting enjoy their snacks and meals together at a low table, practice self-feeding skills, as appropriate. Our infant room strives as much as possible to be your child's second home, a warm, cozy nest.
Toddler Community
about 15 months - 3 years
Our toddler environment is arranged to emphasize autonomy and invite exploration. Children's belongings are kept accessible and within easy reach for even the tiniest toddlers, fostering independence and self-help skills. Shelf work covering practical life, sensorial investigation, language acquisition, arts and science exploration all engage toddlers deeply.
The Children's House
2.5 - 6 years
The Children's House is thoughtfully prepared and regularly adapted to follow the needs and interests of its students. All furniture and materials are child-sized, and children take an active role in the care of their environment: mopping spills, arranging flowers in vases, maintaining houseplants, and washing windows. Specialized Montessori materials isolate concepts, exposing children to geometry, geography, botany, writing, even the cubed root. Children who complete a full 3 year cycle in a Montessori Children's House tend to exhibit advanced subject knowledge, comprehension, and social skills.
Our outdoor environments incorporate nature as much as possible, with student-maintained gardens, two miniature goats, a chicken coop, and natural play materials. We encourage gross motor play, sensorial exploration, and environmental awareness through our outdoor "classrooms." We play in the rain, build mud pies, hold insects, and observe birds.
Natural wonders, big and small, inspire daily inquiry and a robust sense of wonder. We cultivate stewardship of our environment and accountability for our community.