At Montessori Flagstaff, as part of "Set for School" programme, we have regular visits to our local Endeavour Primary School.
At Endeavour Primary School, Monday mornings are a time for free exploration & teachers set up the classroom with activities that align with their inquiry theme.
Children can freely explore each activity or go outside to connect with others. On other days, the children engage in more structured learning activities that follow the New Zealand School Curriculum.
Our school visits work well with Endeavour Primary School's transition to school programme, "T2S, where School visits with children are in weeks two, four, six and eight. At Montessori Flagstaff, we do our visits in weeks three, five and seven - allowing an opportunity for children to have frequent visits to school before they start to create familiarity, comfort, safety and security.
Even though Endeavour Primary School may not be the school that children will attend, it is still a good opportunity to see what happens in a school learning environment. Becoming familiar with the learning environment is a really important part of transition and readiness for school. Excursions to Endeavour Primary School is in walking distance, where children's learning isn't just limited to the school. There is plenty of time for discussions along the journey to school, encouraging children's observation of the world around them.
As well as safety awareness of their environment, being aware of crossing driveways (sneaky driveways as Ruben the bear would say) and roads and noticing other things around them, creating communication with each other, asking questions and sharing their own stories.