Because the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training begins with Level 1, for 3-6yo children, catechists often are immersed in and come to deeply know the needs and capacities of children in what Maria Montessori calls the first plane of development (ages 0-6). When moving on to Level 2, I have noticed that even after hearing in training about the needs of children in the second plane of development (ages 6-12), catechists often expect their elementary Atrium to look and function much like their Level 1 experience. However, children in the second plane of development are entirely different children and their Atrium environment needs to serve them as such. While there are new materials in the L2 Atrium to meet the second plane needs of these children, it is primarily the way the catechist establishes expectations for the space and supports the children in reaching these expectations that will determine the efficacy of the children’s transition into and engagement in the Atrium during this new plane of development. In my notes from my Elementary Montessori Training, it is said in the following way: “The second plane has its own set of psychological characteristics which differ vastly from the characteristics of the first plane child. For that reason, the second plane child cannot be reached in the same manner as the first plane child was. Instead, there must be a new approach to meet the needs of the second plane child. Moving from primary to elementary age, then, requires a change of mindset for the adult.” Thus, over the next few weeks our focus will be on the L2 child, the L2 Atrium, and how to create and sustain a space of work, study, and prayer for these children. Elementary children are social beings. They are interested in other people, other cultures, and ways of living in community. Dr. Montessori said that they have a “herd instinct” and seek out peer acceptance and friendship. They also have an expanded capacity for compassion, empathy, and service to their own community. Right relationship among persons becomes a focus, and they are interested in the underlying principles behind the rules they are asked to follow which contribute to these relationships. Dr. Montessori also called this the “age of rudeness” as the children often question the decisions and directions of adults in their lives in their quest to discover the deeper reasons behind guidelines and actions of the community. At times this growth in the social realm will manifest through aggressive or rebellious behavior and at other times the same child will appear hesitant. indecisive, and worry excessively. The orderly first plane child seems to have disappeared when, in reality, their sense of order has shifted from an external order to an internal order. Instead of being concerned about “everything in its place” on the Atrium shelves, they are focused on placing new ideas and concepts into their proper spot within the great amount of information building up in their minds. Their minds themselves are changing. The “absorbent mind” of the L1 child which takes in information from the environment simply by existing in it has shifted to a “reasoning mind” more capable of abstract thought which must be engaged for learning to take place. Where this child was previously content to hear the name of an item from the altar area, he now desires to know where its name came from, why it is used in the way it is, the history of its development and its relation to other items or its use in other areas of the faith or in life in general. This desire to look at the broader or “whole” picture led Dr. Montessori to speak about the elementary child’s need for “cosmic” education, an education which takes into account the interconnectedness of information and the development of a framework into which new knowledge can be placed and ordered. They are exploring the mystery of time, asking “Who is God? What is His Plan? Where was I at the beginning? Where do I fit into His Plan? They are also beginning to recognize and appreciate the vastness of God’s gifts and the gifts of other people throughout history, responding with gratitude towards God and also through finding people worth emulating, seeing them as heroes worthy of following. All of this can be summarized by saying that the L2 child needs a different type of Atrium environment both in its physical arrangement and layout (as these children need larger and more communal work spaces) and in its expectation and facilitation. It will be a louder, busier, messier space with small groups of children discussing Scripture, Liturgy, and their work (which will likely be spilling off of their tables or chowkis!). Rarely will a child be working alone for very long and it would be unusual to see a child going back to a material and working with it in exactly the way in which it was presented. The soft, slow, careful style of speaking and moving in L1 changes to an excited, engaging, and yet controlled conversation which may pull in opinions and thoughts of nearby children while not interrupting those deeply focused on other work. Instead of the silence of a library, the L2 Atrium should have the busy but focused hum of a laboratory. “The Atrium is a place of prayer in which work and study spontaneously become meditation, contemplation and prayer.” The work and study of the second plane child is not the same as that of the first. But it is only through work and study appropriate to their age that the children will truly be led into meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Next week we will continue this conversation by focusing on the work which best serves the characteristics of the L2 child.
While the maps help to locate the places in which Jesus lived and show their relation to each other, they do not focus on what happened in each. To help with this aspect of geography there are some extensions offered to the older L2 and the L3 children including booklets, charts, and packets, all of which invite the children back into their Bibles as they look up citations related to the geographical features of Israel.
The L2 children continue to enjoy making maps of the Land of Israel. However, there is even more to discover by looking at additional cities, mountains, and deserts!
After spending a year with the globe and raised surface map, experiencing the terrain and hearing the language for these most important geographical elements, the 4yo children in the Atrium are introduced to the regions of Israel through a Puzzle Map. Nazareth is in the region of Galilee where Jesus spent most of his life including most of his ministry. Judea encompasses both Bethlehem and Jerusalem, a place to which Jesus traveled frequently in his adult years in particular. In between these regions is Samaria, an area often avoided by the Jewish people but one that comes up repeatedly in Jesus' teaching. Finally, across the Jordan River is Perea, described in the Bible as "the wilderness." Jesus spent time in this region listening to and speaking with God in prayer.
Once, when I was presenting the Regions Map to a 5yo, a nearby 4yo leaned over and very quietly and seriously proclaimed, "God really likes tiny things." He then went right back to his work as the 5yo and I continued repeating the names of the regions. The children enjoy making their own map of Israel, using the Regions Puzzle Map as their guide. Often the 5yos return to this work and enjoy utilizing their beginning writing skills by copying the names of the regions and waterways onto their map. While the globe allows us to to see the whole earth at once, it is really too small to allow us to look more closely at the tiny land of Israel. Thus we have another material in the atrium that allows us to feel and explore the hills and valleys, highs and lows of this land in which Jesus lived. Not long after the globe is presented, perhaps even on the same day, we offer to the young child the Raised Surface Map of Israel.
Jesus' coming was announced to Mary in Nazareth (symbolized by a flame for the Holy Spirit). He was born in Bethlehem (shown by a star comet). Jesus died and rose just outside the walls of Jerusalem (represented by a cross). These three cities form the background for some of the most important events in Jesus life and, thus, in our faith. Young children often ask questions about what is real: Do bears wear clothes? Do plants grow? Do cars talk? Does snow fall? Do people live on the moon? Do fish swim in the ocean? As adults we often find their questions endearing...or perhaps overwhelming! Young children are trying to understand the way the world in which we live works. They have only just entered into life and and are growing in their understanding of it each day.
God is the most real of all that exists because He is the creator of all that we encounter around us. However, because we can't exactly see and touch the Trinity it can be hard to know how to show Him as real. (Yes, I know we see and touch Jesus in the Eucharist...but that's also another huge layer of mystery, right?!) While we speak about God and Jesus and listening and speaking with God from the very first day of our entry into the Atrium, it is the geography materials (presented just before Advent) which provide the children with an opportunity to receive the proclamation of the "realness" of Jesus. Jesus really lived on the earth. He lived in a tiny land called "Israel." God could have chosen a great nation, a large country, but He chose a tiny place that we know as Israel. This is where Jesus was born and lived and taught and died and rose. I wonder what that tells us about God. He wanted to be with us and to do so He chose a tiny place, the tiny land of Israel. "But polishing is messy!!!" This is the response I (and others) have received when asked why they have chosen not to have polishing work available for their L1 children. Is polishing important? Why would we have it in the Atrium? And how can we keep it from being messy??? 1. Polishing involves ordering and sequencing. 2. It helps the child to connect to and care for the Atrium environment. 3. Polishing provides an excellent opportunity for growth in focus and concentration through meaningful, repetitive work of the hand. 4. This work also allows for small motor refinement and, as the child grows, attention to detail. In the above photo a child is using the metal polishing work. She has laid out the table mat / oil cloth and has arranged her supplies left to right just as they were on the tray: polish, a dish with the applicator (half of a cotton swab), a dish with the buffing cloth / finger mitt (a flannel square sometimes folded over and sewn into a rectangular shape into which a child can place just two fingers), and a dish with a sponge. Next, she has gone out into the Atrium environment to find something made of metal and brought that to her work. After opening the polish she has used the applicator to put polish onto the metal item and is now using the buffing cloth on the item with circular motions, shining the object and removing tarnish. Soon she will restore the item to the shelf, use the sponge to clean up any spills on her table mat, and then carefully restore the items to their tray and to the shelf. The used buffing cloth will go in the laundry basket and the applicator will go into the garbage. She will then finish restoring her work by placing a new applicator and a new buffing cloth on the tray so it is ready for the next child. Does this activity get messy? Perhaps it does at times...and then that can be a point of interest brought up by the adult to the child. "I noticed that the table mat for your work has polish on it. Before you restore this work could you please make sure you have cleaned up any spills?" (The sponge will only work for the child if has been damped already, something the adult does when entering the Atrium as part of preparing the space for the children.) Does the item that has been polished get messy? Yes, at times. This is because the work of the L1 child is primarily about process and not product. An adult polishes something so that it gets clean and shiny. A young child polishes it in order to polish! Every few months I like to soak my metal items in vinegar and wipe them off in order to remove caked polish...but I don't think the children notice the difference! They are just grateful to have a way of caring for their environment through a work of the hand that allows them to focus and concentrate through repetition. Please consider giving your children this opportunity!! The "Silence Activity" was developed by Maria Montessori after witnessing the response of children, ages three to six, to a baby. Dr. Montessori said, "The silence of the little creature struck me, and I wanted the children to share my feeling. 'See,' I said, 'it isn't making a sound.' And, jokingly, I added, 'Look how still it keeps... None of you could keep as still as that.'" (The Secret of Childhood). Immediately, however, the children took on the challenge and began to sit still, even to controlling their breathing, intensely engaged in "making silence." There are many ways the Silence Activity can be offered in both the Montessori Children's House environment and in the Atrium. A whole group of children might be invited to still their bodies and make silence, listening for the voice of the Good Shepherd. Alternatively, an individual might be introduced to a material that he or she could use any time there is a desire to still one's body and listen. In the material below, available in the Atrium for an individual, there are a few pictures that can be used as a visual to aid their listening as well as a sand timer to give them a sense of how long they are listening. The child may choose any timer and any image but just one of each as he or she listens for God's voice. This stilling of the body and mind, focusing on a beautiful religious image and listening for God's voice, helps the child to engage in prayer while also laying a foundation for future prayer.
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Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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May 2024
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