Skip to main content

Eligiblity:  Children who turn 3 by November 15 of the current school year

Schedule: 9:00-11:45am with option to add Lunch 9-1 and/or Afternoon Program 9-2:30-4:00

  • 5 days: Monday- Friday
  • 4 days: Monday-Thursday or Tuesday- Friday
  • 3 days: Tuesday-Thursday

Outside Play

A typical day at San Anselmo Montessori Preschool begins with 30 minutes of outside play. During outside play, children develop and master gross and fine motor skills while exploring the play structure, swings, monkey bars and riding tricycles. Social skills are developed and refined in the sandbox and around the playground through peer interaction. Time on the swings and play structure also lets the children get out excess energy before entering the classroom.

Outside Play

Classroom and Garden Time

After outside play, the children enter the classroom. Beauty and order play important roles in the Montessori classroom and in keeping with this philosophy The SAMS classroom and garden classroom are bright, cheerful and exceptionally well organized. Both classrooms are filled with child-level shelves that hold trays of hands-on activities or “work.”

Once in the classroom, children make self-directed choices for their morning activities. Throughout the morning, teachers observe the students, provide lessons on new work, and continue to offer gentle guidance so that all students get the most out of the program. During this time, the classroom becomes what Maria Montessori termed “a quiet beehive of industry.”

Activities use Montessori and other materials to help children master fine motor skills, experience social interaction, develop spatial awareness and more. They include:

  • pouring water from pitchers
  • learning letter sounds and formation with sandpaper letters
  • learning the decimal system with the bank game, a counting activity that uses beads in ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands
  • making a maze out of wooden, multi-sized Red Rods

In addition to the main classroom, children have specific morning groups to go outside to the garden. See Garden tab for more information.

Classroom and Garden Time Classroom and Garden Time

Circle Time

The morning begins and ends with a brief circle time during which the children sing, learn the days of the week, month, year and weather, and/or are introduced to a new activity (or work) as a group. At the end of the circle time, children can be picked up or they can stay for lunch and/or the Afternoon Program.

Circle Time