Hands-On Science the Montessori Way

Dr. Montessori passed a deep love for the world of nature on to thousands of students through a program of outdoor education, gardening, and camping experiences. We see this as the foundation of a lifelong interest in the sciences.

We want our students to be fascinated by the universe and to honestly enjoy the process of discovering its secrets and interrelationships. We want them to observe, analyze, measure, classify, experiment, and predict—and to do so with a sense of eager curiosity and wonder.

Science is an integral element of our curriculum. Among other things, it represents a way of life: a clear thinking approach to gathering information and problem solving.

Our program is designed to cultivate our students’ curiosity and determination to discover the truth for themselves. We teach them how scientists go about their work. They learn how to observe patiently, analyze, and work at each problem. They eagerly engage in field trips and experiments, and respond with delight to the precision of measurement, gathering data, classification, and prediction.

With encouragement and a solid foundation, even very young children are ready and anxious to investigate their world, to wonder at the interdependence of living things, to explore the ways in which the physical universe works, and to project how it all may have come to be.

The scope of our science curriculum includes a sound introduction to botany, zoology, ecology, chemistry, physics, geology, and astronomy.

Our campus is nestled against Dimond Park in Oakland-an ideal laboratory for first-hand nature study. Our students regularly visit Sausal Creek to study the creek itself and the ecology of the area. The Renaissance School has adopted a part of the creek, giving our students first hand experience in the monitoring and revitalizing of an urban creek. Our students study the water, the native flora and fauna, and help maintain a healthy and clean environment in the area. It is also an opportunity for our students to learn how they can enjoy and contribute to the preservation of our planet.

Closer to the school buildings, children tend their gardens. Sometimes they plant, other times they weed or water the outdoor environment. Our students learn to select plants that are native to the area and that are friendly to the birds that live there. They also take care of pets, whether indoors or outdoors. They learn about the pets’ needs and how to best provide an environment in which they will thrive.

The outdoor environment at the Renaissance School not only provides opportunities for the study of nature, it also provides an environment conducive to the study of art as the children often enjoy sketching nature in its ever-evolving process.

Our finest classes are taught outdoors in the fields and forests. While our younger children enjoy the immediate world around them, our older students head for the mountains or seashore for several days of camping, hiking, kayaking, fossil digging, and ecological studies. Every year, the Renaissance School sponsors a week-long environmental study trip at the elementary level. Our students spend four or five days exploring other areas of our state. Such outings have, for example, led us to Mono Lake to study its very unique ecology and geology. Another favorite is a trip to the coastal area between Santa Cruz and San Francisco for the study of marine biology. Elephant seals, tide pooling, and the rich marshes of the area provide an unforgettable experience in one of the best classrooms available to us.