The Montessori Art Mentor curriculum (MAM) is broken down into definable sections that are interdependent, starting with our underlying philosophy. I suggest that you read the brief description of each section and download the chart.

THE UNIQUENESS OF MONTESSORI ART EDUCATION
PART 1 – OUR METHOD		 A comprehensive exploration of how the method is employed to deliver rich, meaningful art education
THE UNIQUENESS OF MONTESSORI ART EDUCATION
PART 2 – THE ENVIRONMENT		 How the organization of the studio, the equipment, and the school day promotes art in the classroom
PRACTICAL LIFE Activities and lessons that teach the control of water and the importance and fun of order and cleanliness
BASIC SKILLS The safe and effective use of basic materials and equipment (scissors, staplers, glue, etc.)
ART FORMS: I & II Drawing, painting, origami, etc… from the simple to the complex
THE ART CHART Describes all the aspects needed to create a work of art, starting with its idea
GENERATING PERSONAL IDEAS Thirteen different ways for children to discover and plan their own creative ideas
SENSORIAL MATERIALS Using the Montessori sensorial equipment to teach artistic concepts
UNDERSTANDING ART I Activities that explain and define the elements of art
UNDERSTANDING ART II Detailed lessons that teach the qualities of color
VISUAL THINKING Enjoyable activities that require solving problems using visual cues, clues and imagination
HISTORY OF ART A visual overview of the Art of Western Civilization from prehistoric times to the present, revealing what is important to each era
LARGE PROJECTS Examples of works of art produced by an entire class (or more than one class, more than one level, or an entire school) working together

Download a Chart of the Sections

Three Kinds of Lessons

The sections represent three different kinds of lessons that release children and adults to make authentic works of art.

  • The first kind of lessons explores how THE MONTESSORI METHOD is employed to deliver rich and meaningful art education.
  • The second kind are clear lessons on HOW TO make an art form such as a painting, a stellated octahedron, or an off the loom weaving.
  • The third kind are for UNDERSTANDING how a visual idea is constructed and communicated. Visual arts language can be broken down into understandable sensorial pieces and function like those found in the environment for other disciplines.
  1. THE MONTESSORI METHOD
    Part I: The Method, Part II: The Environment
  2. HOW TO
    Practical Life, Basic Skills, Art Forms I & II, Generating
    Personal Ideas, Large Projects
  3. UNDERSTANDING
    The Art Chart, Sensorial Materials. Understanding Art I & II,
    Visual Thinking, History of Art

You and the children can learn together

Open a section and enjoy the pictures and review the lessons. You will discover where you want to start. It is possible for a Montessorian to easily implement and integrate information and lessons into their environment from ALL sections of the MAM Curriculum.

Note: I did not start teaching with the large curriculum that is on the website. It was enlarged each of my 32 years of teaching. I was also a Montessorian who only taught art in three different studios (environments). One of 5 year olds, one for 6-9 year olds and one for 9-12 year olds.

Below are suggested activities for each section.

  • The Method: Review the characteristics of the method
  • The Environment: Name Tags, Finished and Unfinished Work Boxes
  • Practical Life: Pouring liquids. Sponging, Transferring water by funnel, baster or eye dropper
  • Basic Skills: Safe use of Scissors, Paste, and Staplers; Tying knots
  • Art Forms I: Coffee tray, Drawing, Simple Painting, Paper Folding
  • Art Forms II: Collage Center, Photomontage, Drafting, Polyhedrons
  • The Art Chart: Title: The Art Chart “All art starts with an idea”; the study of Traditional Ideas
  • Generating Personal Ideas: Affirmations, Traditional Ideas found in The Art Chart section
  • Sensorial Materials: Pink Tower Layout, Cylinder Block 2: Negative and Positive Shapes, Texture Tablets
  • Understanding Art I: The Elements, Kinds of Lines & Shapes, Overlapping, the Picture Plane, Parts of a Picture Plane
  • Understanding Art II: Color Paddles, Primary Colors, Primary Color Wheel, Secondary Colors, Mixing Secondary Colors, Secondary Color Wheel, Wet Secondary Color Wheel
  • Visual Thinking: Simple Matching, Hanafuda Cards, Bead Patterns, Five Ways to Make the Numeral II, Wooden Tangram Puzzle
  • The History of Art: The six periods of the History of Art, including charts and a timeline
  • Large Projects: Movie-The Tree 6-9, Collage Sculpture-Colorful City (5), Museum Installation-Kwanzaa Tableau 9-12, others

In the beginning, you may not need an art shelf.

Put dry work anywhere it will relate to what is there. For example, put the steps to make an origami puppet in the library part of the room. Put practical life activities and wet art work near the sink. If you are a 9-12 Montessori teacher you can always introduce the 5-9 work before proceeding to the 9-12 activities. You choose. I am Georgie Ann Daub-Grosse the Montessori Art Mentor. I am available to answer questions by phone: 1-513-351-9038 or by email: [email protected]. See the MAM Blog page for valuable and interesting information and activities.

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