The Happy Montessori School recently opened a new indoor play area to give children the opportunity to get exercise even on days when the weather is not welcoming. Snowy winter days and rainy spring days are no longer a problem as the children now have a bright, brand new space to run and tumble.
Amrit Sethi, the director of the school, had long known that the children were happier and better able to focus and learn after spending time outdoors or moving around. In the past, during the winter months, the teachers adapted by moving tables and creating open spaces for children to dance and play. This year, however, circumstances allowed the school to take on a major construction project. An extension was built, housing the indoor play area as well as a sunny, spacious new classroom.
In keeping with the family theme of the Happy Montessori School, a school parent, Victor Thomas, designed the space. Having a member of the Happy Montessori family involved in the design meant that the space was developed with close knowledge of young children, the needs unique to the historic building in which the school is housed, and the personality of the school and its families. The addition is an enhancement and still feels very much part of the building.
The indoor play area is equipped with a variety of materials that can all be moved to allow for maximum flexibility in how children spend their time. Mats, tunnels, a parachute, balls, and a wide variety of other developmentally appropriate equipment is rotated through the space to ensure that the children are moving their bodies, having fun, and are being exposed to new ideas, games, and challenges. Connected to the indoor play area is the new classroom. It is large, bright, and well-equipped with all new furniture. Children immediately occupied and filled it with laughter and music.
One of the reasons that the school was able to take on this project, which began last summer, was that they moved their summer program to the Sands Point Preserve. With the school empty, major construction work was able to occur, and a new tradition was born. The Happy Montessori Summer Day Camp has moved to the Sands Point Preserve. The children walk the trails, play on the Great Lawn, experiment at the learning center, and on rainy days, do projects inside the castle. The children at the Happy Montessori School now have opportunities to get exercise every day of the school year, and to be out in the woods, exploring nature every day of the summer.
