25 May 2007 Students aged 3 to 5 from St. Nicholas Montessori Centres (SNMC) of USJ13, were having magnificent time learning to make pizzas and the process of producing them.  

“In the Montessori syllabus this year, we go by cultural themes, and it covers the Europe continent. In this chapter, students learn about the European culture, costumes, cuisine and so on,” said the Centre Manager of SNMC USJ 13, Sithra Vijayasingan.

Early education is not only about attending classes to get the fundamental knowledge of getting to know alphabets and numbers, but about having fun and enjoying the surroundings. St. Nicholas Montessori Center truly practices the main ideology of the Montessori Education which does not solely emphasise on homework and textbooks setting.

“As we all know that pizza is one of the most famous Italian cuisines. When one thinks of Italian cuisines, pizza is just something not to be missed. Therefore, we organised this field trip for our students,” explained Sithra.

“The children were very excited about the idea of making pizzas on their own. Their creativity really amazes me as they neither make the normal pepperoni cheese pizza nor the Seafood pizza with Thousand Island sauce, but they created something new!” said Vijayasingan happily.

Students learned the process of pizza making, the storing of the ingredients, how pizzas are delivered and who is involved in the whole process.

“We have to really thank Domino’s Pizza for their time and their effort. They were very generous in teaching the children, sharing their knowledge with them. And when the students want to add more ingredients such as cheese in their pizzas, Domino’s Pizza just couldn’t say no,” said Sithra gratefully. 

Education of character is considered equally with academic education, children learning to take care of themselves, their environment, each other – cooking, cleaning, building, gardening, moving gracefully, speaking politely, being considerate and helpful, doing social work in the community and so on.
 
The Montessori curriculum is enriched by the thematic approach employed. The themes that will be featured in St. Nicholas Montessori Centres in 2007 are the people and the countries which explores about the planet earth and the continents, and the fascinating animals, people, festival, clothing, transportation, landmarks, artifacts and plants that can be found on earth.

The themes will be carried out through games, activities, melody and languages through integrated moral, mathematics, science, music, art and so on.

SNMC offers beyond just kindergarten or nursery services. Its curriculum ensures that children develop physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually – the whole child.
 
“Research studies show that Montessori children are well prepared for later life academically socially and emotionally. In addition to scoring well on standardized tests, Montessori children are ranked above average on such criteria as following directions, turning in work on time, listening attentively, using basic skills, showing responsibilities, asking provocative questions, showing enthusiasm for learning, and adapting to new situations,” said Sithra.