Outdoor Spaces at White Bear Montessori School
At White Bear Montessori School we love the outdoors. Every aspect of our building and grounds has been designed to capture the beauty of our property. Each classroom has a designated outdoor space attached so the children can bring their work outdoors when the weather is nice. Picnics are frequent on gorgeous Minnesota days. There are three rain gardens on the property, making use of rainwater to enhance plant life. To the east of the building, we have a large prairie restoration area, which we fondly call “The Field of Dreams.” There are paths and sitting areas throughout the field and it is like our own little nature preserve. Designated play areas for toddlers, preschool aged children and elementary children are available and include age-appropriate equipment and plenty of space to move and let your imagination flow. Whatever the season, our community embraces outdoor spaces.
“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony, and the beauty in nature. That the child may better understand and participate in the marvelous things which civilization creates.”
- Maria Montessori The Secret of Childhood
“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.”
- Dr. Maria Montessori From Childhood to Adolescence
“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping.”
- Dr. Maria Montessori The Discovery of the Child
“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but in experiences in the environment.”
- Maria Montessori Montessori Method
“The child who has felt a strong love for his surroundings and for all living creatures, who has discovered joy and enthusiasm in work, gives us reason to hope that humanity can develop in a new direction.”
- Maria Montessori Education and Peace
"A child, more than anyone else, is a spontaneous observer of nature"
- Maria Montessori The Discovery of the Child
