9th August 2007 - The children of St. Nicholas Montessori Centre (SNMC) at USJ13 were all smiles and bright-eyed as they enjoyed a day in Zoo Negara last month. Together with 7 teachers and parents accompanying them, the main highlight of the day was the African Safari lessons.

“Our outing this time round is themed at exploring the wild safari of Africa. This is part of our Montessori culture project themed Knowing the Continents of The World where children study about beliefs, technology, art, people, food, and lifestyle of different parts of the world,” said the Principal of Bandar Utama Centre cum Operations Manager of SNMC, Irene Foo.

“We bring the children to the Zoo because this is where the children are introduced to some of the available wild creatures of Africa such as lions, giraffes, elephants and many more. We introduce the animals to our students through sights and sound so to enhance and expose them to the array of wild creatures in the jungle,” she added.

The 21 very excited children arrived at the zoo, bustling with anticipation as they waited for the first reveal. Children were introduced to tall, lanky giraffes at the first stop where they engaged in an art project of creating headgears bearing the model giraffe. They were then asked to mimic the movement of giraffes to enhance their comprehension and understanding of the tall marvel of Mother Nature.

The children then ventured onwards to discover the mammoth creatures that stomps the wild African savannah – Elephants. The children were bustling in awe as they reach the elephant enclosure. Some were terrified but others were pointing in excitement at the sight of the elephants.

“Their arrival was very timely as it was feeding time. The children witnessed how and what elephants feed on. As the elephants chow down, we explained the distinctive trunk and tusk of the elephants,” explained Foo.

Again, the children were asked to create their own elephant masks. Even before their projects commenced, the children started imitating the elephants, the sound they made with its long trunks.

The children were then escorted to the lion’s den where they saw the king of the jungle lazing in his lair. The children fell silent as the lion gave out a kingly roar. In their silent observation, the children were able to watch the features of the lion.

Moving on to the cages of monkeys and birds in the zoo, the children saw the Borneo Proboscis Monkey, baboons, macaque, peacocks, flamingos, parrots and many others. As with other enclosures, the children were given tasks to help them understand the features and characteristics of the animals they visit.

The children were exhausted but clearly exhilarated towards the end of the excursion in the late afternoon.

“We are really happy that the trip to the National Zoo went so well. The children are happy and most importantly, they get to learn through their own observation and experience the beautiful animals the African continent,” enthused Foo.

The holistic activities, offered under the guidance of the Montessori programme, provide young children with imaginative opportunities to enjoy the process of learning as they develop skills, knowledge and understanding of the world around them and build their unique personalities and character.

This term, the SNMC classroom is conducted in themes of understanding the diversity of cultures, people, cuisine, lifestyle and celebrations that can be found on earth. Lessons to discover continents will be carried out through interactive activities, games, excursions, mathematics, science, music, art and so on.

SNMC offers beyond just kindergarten or nursery services. The goals of the SNMC are to providing superior academic, social, and moral programs through enhanced learning environment, designed to facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration by the child.

SNMC teachers are Montessori qualified with diploma or degree qualifications. The teachers often attend training at SEGi College’s Faculty of Education and Social Sciences and thereafter practise their teaching skills at SNMC where mentors and lecturers often have interactions on improvements of instructional strategies, classroom management and effective learning methods.

In SEGi College, budding teachers are also exposed to regular workshops and seminars during their training to improve knowledge and skills in educating children.

SEGI College FOESS offers the Diploma in Early Childhood Education (DECE) and the International Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy, partnering with Montessori Centre International.

Upon completion of the Diploma, students have the option to articulate into the Bachelor of Early Childhood Degree from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Graduates may also enrol as offshore candidates of the University for the Master of Education programme.

To find out more about our programme and how to enrol your child for a Montessori experience, please call SNMC centres at USJ13 (03-56369566), USJ19 (80241626), Bandar Utama (03-77252702), Klang (03-33727549), Malacca (06-2816102), Penang (04-6580133) and Headquarter (03-86001888).