According to Dr. Maria Montessori, life's journey of learning and discovery starts from the moment of conception. In the secure environment of his mother's womb, he is already sensing, feeling, growing and responding...preparing for his welcome into the family. By the end of the first year a miracle has happened! A child can control the movements of his whole body. He is eager to explore the space around him; he can stretch and crawl, grasp and release objects, share our laughter and emotions, and is ready to widen his range of activity by standing and walking. The ages of 0 – 3 are crucial in the lives of all children. During this period they absorb everything they are exposed to, using all their senses. It is also a time when they acquire essential language, motor, cognitive, self-help and social skills. Nebula Montessori reaches out to the child from the age of eighteen months, keeping in mind his earlier growth and also his developmental needs.

The Early Years Montessori Program at nebula montessori is designed to provide a supportive environment with a wide range of experiences and a strong foundation for all future learning. It also lays emphasis on supporting what Dr. Montessori calls the naturally occurring 'sensitive periods' in the child's development for language acquisition, the sense of order, gross and fine motor skills and the growing sense of independence. Learning happens through a wide range of Montessori activities, art, music and play.

Curriculum

1. Exercises of Practical Life: Children in the age-group of 18 months to 2½ years learn to care for themselves and interact with one another and their environment.

2. Manipulative Activities: Materials are designed to help the little muscles develop coordination, helping the child gain independence and self-esteem.

3. Language: Special attention is given to the development of expressive and comprehensive language skills.

Exercises of Practical Life.

"The Exercises of Practical Life are formative activities, a work of adaptation to the environment. Such adaptation to the environment and efficient functioning therein is the very essence of a useful education."- Maria Montessori

The Exercises of Practical Life are classified under three main categories.

Care of Self: Activities such as washing hands, spooning and dressing frames, prepare the children to help themselves with basic needs like eating independently, dressing themselves, using the toilet on their own and so on.

Care of Environment: These are activities that prepare the children to take care of their surroundings like caring for plants, sweeping, mopping etc.

Grace and Courtesy: During group time and with various other opportunities the children are exposed to different social graces.

Benefits of Exercises of Practical Life:
Coordination. Concentration. Orderly work habits. Responsibility. Social relations. Independence.

All of these help the child in the development of his/her personality.

Manipulative activities.

These activities help the child in refining his/her movements – both large and fine.

Large Movements: Walking. Running. Jumping. Climbing. Whole Hand Movements and so on.

Fine Movements :Wrist movements. Finger movements. Pincer grip.

They also help the child with analysis of movement, eye-hand coordination and reasoning.

Benefits of Manipulative Activities: Refine his/her movements. Develop good eye-hand coordination. Develop cognitive skills. Logical reasoning. To be prepared for his/her future activities. Explore, manipulate and arrive at conclusions.

Language.

Activities Include: Naming categories- Kinds of fruit, birds, vegetables, transport etc. Matching objects to pictures. Short stories. Poetry. Naming body parts and facial expressions. Singing. Identifying colours. Object box- objects and pictures with each sound. Treasure hunt.

Benefits of Language Activities: Develop and expand vocabulary. Develop visual acuity and concentration. Recognise and name objects, parts of the face, body and pictures. Help become aware of phonetic sounds. Develop listening skills. Learn to handle books carefully. Develop skills needed for matching activities. Interact with others. Produce appropriate sounds. Identify objects from their description.