GeographyDr. Maria Montessori famously said, “The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination”. This approach to education is clearly present in the Montessori geography materials. The study of geography is largely subdivided into three areas. These areas move from the concrete to the abstract, from physical geography to political geography to economic geography, as the child moves from younger to older classroom environments. Concomitantly, the curriculum moves from the general to the specific: from the creation of the universe to the study of the Earth, countries, states, and towns. Montessori Globes are shown to the child in sequence, identifying land and water first before moving to the continents. Land and Water Forms give the child a tactile exploration of opposite geographic features such as lake and island, strait and isthmus. Displayed in the land and water form cabinet, they can be independently chosen by the child who pours a small amount of water into each tray to show the concept. No classroom would be complete without a Montessori Puzzle Map cabinet or Montessori Map stand, displaying all the continents, their countries in beautifully colored and cut pieces. These Montessori maps are used with labeled and unlabeled control charts, a work that both gives a sense of the world to the young child, while developing their fine-motor control. A stunning display of color and cloth in a Montessori environment are the Montessori flags, with cards that children can use to match and find on their maps. Together with history and science, geography comprise the Cultural Curriculum in Montessori environments.
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