Here at the Treehouse we practice a "hybrid" philosophy. This means that we practice all different types of philosophies within our unique setting. I modeled the Treehouse's environment from the Reggio Emilia philosophy. We practice play-based learning to develop social skills and more traditional practices when learning letters and numbers. I have always been drawn to a certain area of Montessori's philosophy called "Practical Life" so we incorporated a section into our classroom. Practical life is an area in the Montessori philosophy that encompasses skills practical to everyday life. These activities benefit the child because it develops control of movement and hand-eye coordination that form the basis for writing and cognitive skills. Basic practical life exercises include pouring, spooning, transferring, lacing, buttoning, etc. The students are loving it, view them in action!
