A warm and welcoming environment

The prepared environment is fundamental in Montessori and the key to understanding how to correctly prepare environments lies within the planes of development. Each plane has its own set of distinct strengths and needs, and a child’s learning environment must reflect those. The libraries of Oak Farm Montessori are structured to align with this. There is a library located in each of the buildings and it is designed specifically for the children who use it. The spaces are welcoming, comfortable, and encourage book reading/ looking. There is age appropriate furniture that encourages children to linger after they have made a book selection. The books themselves are curated using a variety of reputable literary magazines and resources, including the American Library Association, Kirkus, Hornbook, and the School Library Journal.

Library use begins at the Primary level, as soon as a child is able to recognize their name, and continues through the remainder of their academic journey. Library lessons become a part of that journey in Lower Elementary where students begin to learn more about how the library is organized and how they can utilize all the materials available to them. The library also subscribes to the online database, Gale in Context. This valuable resource becomes available to students when they enter Upper Elementary and allows them to access more specialized and current information for research. Gale has quickly become one of the go to resources, especially for the Middle and High School students. The addition of library lessons and resources as the students progress reflects their varying needs through the planes of development.