NIDO

The word Nido means “Nest” in Italian. This is a Montessori environment for infants. Our infant room at Park Cities Montessori has a 3:1 ratio ensuring that all children receive individual attention in a nurturing environment. 

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In our Nido community children have ample opportunities to develop their skills in the following areas: 

• Development of Movement: Control and Coordination

• Sensori-Motor Development

• Practical Life

• Language

 

In order to develop control and coordination, you will notice that there is mostly open floor space with soft mats and rugs allowing open areas for free movement. We do not use any type of device that keeps children in one place such as walkers, jumpers, or exersaucers. 

You will see low climbing obstacles such as pillows and raised cushions, wall mirrors placed at floor level to encourage tummy time and self discovery, floor beds, as well as custom designed child size furniture for the age and size of the child.

The Nido community regularly works on free movement activities, rhymes and songs with accompanying movements, maximum effort activities, and push and pull toys.

Daily outdoor movement experiences are also given in the dedicated infant space right outside the classroom. 

 

To promote development in the areas of sensroi-motor you will see the use of back and white contrast mobiles, a variety of visual mobiles with different colors and shapes, and a variety of grasping and kicking mobiles using different colors, shapes, textures, and sounds. 

Some other objects you might see in the classroom to foster growth in sensori-motor would be the ribbon and bell, simple shape sorting objects, rattles, bells, scarves, soft toys, nesting objects, object permanence activities, blocks, exploration baskets, musical instruments, and music. 

 

In the area of practical life infants are introduced to care of self, care of the environment, and grace and courtesy. It will not be until they transition to the toddler community that they would be expected to perform practical life skills independently. Some of the care of self skills that infants are introduced to are using a tissue, using the toilet, washing hands and face, dressing and undressing, and self-feeding. Some of the care of environment skills that infants are introduced to are replacing materials on the shelf, drying spilled water, setting the table, serving oneself, and watering plants. The grace and courtesy skills introduced are greeting and saying goodbye, gentle touch with others, and respecting work and space of others. 

 

Lastly, the infants at Park Cities Montessori are surrounded by loving care givers that aim to develop strong language skills. Children in the Nido community will have ample communication, vocabulary, and expressing and receptive language experiences through books, songs, reciprocal vocalization, verbal conversations with the children, naming objects in the environment, and vocabulary picture cards. Other works that you will see present would be visual tracking experiences and puzzles with 1-2 pieces. 

 

Our Nido community is truly a nest where children blossom into their fullest potential and are completely prepared to meet the milestones of the toddler community to follow.