Lower Elementary (ages 6-9)

Our Lower Elementary Program includes ages 6 to 9 (grades 1-3).  A very special community is formed during this three-year cycle by the children and their teachers, filled with memorable interactions and a chance for students to further their exploration of the world around them.  Friendships and memories formed here have often lasted into adulthood…and may last forever!

Gaining Independence, Expanding Perspectives

At Homestead, the Lower Elementary student deepens their academic, social, and organizational skills, garnering more freedom and responsibility beyond the classroom.

Students explore further areas on campus, learning about plants, animals, and ecology through discovery. They learn to research and report, and begin to develop and uphold community standards.

Through this work, elementary students begin to expand their perspectives into a wider understanding of our world. Along the way, students experience an increase in independence as they learn to care for their own classroom environment and each other.

A Typical Day At Lower Elementary

8:00-8:30 am — Drop-Off and free play on tennis court and courtyard

8:45-11:15am — Independent work cycle and Community Meeting

11:30-12:45 pm — Lunch & Recess

12:45-2:00 pm — Read-Aloud, Independent Work Cycle, Enrichment Class

2:30-3:00 pm — Dismissal

“Our aim therefore is not merely to make the children understand, and still less to force them to memorize, but so to touch their imagination as to enthuse them to their innermost core. We do not want complacent pupils, but eager ones. ”
— Maria Montessori
Children working on a project in a classroom with books, globes, and art supplies.
A young girl in a pink long sleeve shirt sitting on a wooden stool, looking at a drawing or coloring page on a windowsill with a tray of colored pencils and markers nearby, outside view of trees and a parking lot through the window.
A young girl with blonde hair is sitting at a table, drawing or writing on pink paper with a white marker. There is a yellow pencil on the table, and the background shows a wooden interior with books and potted plants.
Three children sitting on the carpeted floor of a room, engaged in reading and drawing activities. One girl with curly hair and patterned leggings is looking into a book, while two boys are focused on their drawings or writing sheets.
A young boy with glasses crouches on the ground, planting seeds in the soil with an adult nearby, outdoors during the daytime.
Children playing and exploring in a shallow creek surrounded by trees and green foliage on a sunny day.
Two young girls playing with water in a large metal tub, smiling and touching the water with their hands.
A group of children standing on a large fallen tree trunk in a forest with tall trees and green foliage.
A young girl with shoulder-length brown hair, pink glasses, and a pink t-shirt sitting cross-legged on wooden flooring. She is smiling with her hands clasped in front of her. In the background, other children are sitting and a person stands near a wo
A young boy sits cross-legged on the forest floor, observing and touching snail shells arranged on a flat rock, surrounded by trees and natural greenery.
A woman reading a book with two young girls, all smiling, sitting on a couch in front of a window during winter.
Young girl squatting on the ground in a park, surrounded by fallen autumn leaves, wearing a lavender long-sleeve shirt and floral-patterned pants, with a background of trees and other people.
A group of five children sitting and standing near a makeshift teepee made from sticks in a forest with fall foliage.
Children playing basketball and soccer on an outdoor court with a coach, surrounded by basketballs and a green wall, during daytime with autumn trees in the background.
A young boy kneeling on a beige carpet, working on a mosaic art project with small light blue and white tiles, in a room with wooden shelves and educational materials in the background.
Children playing with balls and a man observing on a dirt field with a wooden mural and autumn trees in the background.
Children performing on a stage in front of an audience of kids inside a wooden auditorium decorated with green leaves and pink flowers.
A young boy with brown hair and wearing a striped shirt is crouched inside a red tunnel at a playground, looking at the camera.

Our Lower Elementary Curriculum

An Integrated Curriculum — The Five Great Lessons

Our elementary program has at its heart what Maria Montessori called Cosmic Education. The lower elementary portion of this program is centered on Montessori’s Five Great Lessons which are:

Lesson 1 - The Story of the Universe

Lesson 2 - The Coming of Life

Lesson 3 - The Coming of Human Beings

Lesson 4 - The Story of Writing

Lesson 5 - The Story of Numbers

These lessons offer impressions of wide concepts and offer the structure into which all elementary learning can be integrated. In Early Childhood, these science and humanities learning topics are offered as Cultural Studies, whereas in Lower Elementary, we consciously position botany, geography, and history lessons as ways for children to better understand their place in space and time.  For a deeper dive into what Montessori Cosmic Education is, click on the button below.

Learn More about Cosmic Education Here

Experiential Hands-On Learning

Experiential learning at Homestead goes beyond the hands-on application of academic lessons.  Practical life lessons are woven into the daily school schedule.  Responsibilities such as preparing food and snacks, cleaning the classroom and tables at the end of the day, and disposing of compost, garbage, and recycling become a part of our students’ work. At the Homestead School, these early years also include venturing into a wider world of field trips, ski club, and outdoor adventures where exposure to new places, people, and ideas fill out a larger view of community.

Service Learning

Because, developmentally, children are more attuned to their social environment at this age, we invite children to offer more community service. Reading to younger students in the school, caring for our campus, and volunteering at a local food pantry are some of the ways we show expanded awareness of others as a part of the Homestead Lower Elementary experience.

Explore Upper Elementary
Explore Early Childhood