Welcome to Woodland Montessori School

Woodland Montessori School is dedicated to providing children the highest standard in Montessori education. We have a Toddler Community (16 mos. to 3 years) and a Children's House (2 years 9 mos. to age 6). The school is located in a scenic woodland setting in Mahtomedi, perfect for nature walks in the summer and sledding in the winter.

Our program is aimed at developing the intellectual, emotional, social and physical independence of the child in a multi-age setting. Our carefully planned, spacious classrooms, stimulating materials, and outdoor environment help to create an ideal setting for each child to reach his/her potential and to be guided and nurtured. Each child is encouraged to develop at his/her own rate, benefiting from a high level of individual teacher attention and self-motivation.

At Woodland the child builds up a foundation of habits, attitudes, skills and ideas that are essential for a lifetime of creative thinking and learning.

Our Program

Before-care starts at 7:00 am.

The Montessori morning session is 8:30 am to Noon, Monday thru Friday. The additional 1/2 hour our school includes in the morning session allows the children to experience a full, uninterrupted, 3 hour work-cycle while giving the morning children time to play and explore the outdoors with his/her classmates.

The Montessori afternoon session is Noon to 3:30 pm. Lunch is part of the afternoon session.

After-care is from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The After-care teacher provides a fun and stimulating environment (the "Peach Room") for the children, offering games, crafts, music and movement, story time and play outdoors.

All Toddlers and Children's House children attend the morning session. 5-6 year olds also attend the afternoon session. For all other toddlers and children, the afternoon session is flexible according to your family's schedule. Sign-up for Before- and After-care is also flexible.

Please refer to the Tuition page for more information.

The Daily Schedule

Toddler Community

The Morning Session includes free choice and lessons given by the Guide in areas of practical life, sensorial, language, music, story time and art. The children love the book corner and group snack too! Grace and courtesy lessons are given and practiced each day. There is also potty learning, nature walks, and play outdoors.

The Afternoon session includes lunch, nap and a group snack. Toddler children who wake up before snack time go to the Aftercare room.

After-care (see above) is from 3:30-5:30 pm each day.

Children's House

The Morning Session includes free choice and lessons given by the Guide in areas of practical life, sensorial, language, math, geography, music, and art. The children love the book corner and having snack with a friend too! Grace and courtesy lessons are given and practiced each day. The children work outdoors as well, taking care of the flowers and birdfeeders, raking leaves, shoveling snow and playing outdoors.

The Afternoon session includes lunch, nap for those children who need it and additional experience in the Children's House. The Guide works closely the graduates and gives the afternoon children additional individual and group lessons. Children who wake up before snack and the four-year olds, if they choose, can go to the Aftercare room during this session.

After-care (see above) is from 3:30-5:30 pm each day.

Please refer to the Woodland Program page for more detailed information about the main areas of a Montessori Children's House

Other Offerings

School-sponsored Events:

• Ice Cream social in late August
• Family education evenings in October and February
• Holiday party in December
• Ice skating at White Bear Lake ice arena in March, and
• a trip to the Mahtomedi Fire Department in April.

We host a party and graduation of our 5-6 year olds on the last day of school. In addition our school celebrates birthdays and holidays.

Bonnie Boyken is our resident artist. She works with the children once a week to create beautiful and fun works of art. She also provides the Children's House with additional materials so that the children may choose to repeat the work just learned the day before. Bonnie painted a magnificent Woodland Montessori tree for the children to adorn along with the change of seasons. Woodland hosts an Art Day family event in early spring.

Field Trips: All children at the school go to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch each fall and a working farm in the spring. The children also take nature walks in our beautiful woodland setting and, on occasion, venture to Hallam Park across the street. The graduates in Children's House also attend an Aftrican drumming concert at Macalester College in January and visit Wildwood Library several times in the spring.

Family and Community Visitors: We welcome our parents, friends of the school, and community leaders to visit the children to share their skills and interests with us!

Please refer to the FAQ page for more information about our program.