Great Lessons
The Great Story

One aspect of Maria Montessori's philosophy that I especially admire is her introduction to Cosmic Education - also known as Great Lessons, or the Great Story - to young children.

At an early age, children learn their place in space and time, not through their family, or through their ancestors, but through their connection with humanity, through the millenia, using these concepts:

The Beginning - The Creation Story of the Universe

Timeline of Life - Advent of The World and its Inhabitants

Coming of Humans - History of Humanity

History of Numbers - Mathematics

History of Language - Foreign Language, Reading, and Writing

As Montessori educator Aline Wolf says in the introduction to the book Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom, "Taking a clue from the word 'cosmic' some individuals have mistakenly interpreted it to mean simply a study of astronomy. Others guessed it had something to do with space exploration.

"Only those who were enrolled in Montessori teacher-training courses were aware of Cosmic Education as an all-inclusive six-year curriculum for elementary age children. This challenging program relates all academic subjects to each other, demonstrates the oneness of all creation and, most importantly, places children's primary orientation to life firmly in the universe."

Here are some links to other Great Lesson sites that are very interesting:

Miss Barbara's Great Lessons

The Great Story