the Bala House
After spending the morning in our mixed age Montessori classrooms as the leaders and helpers to the younger children, our kindergarten students gather together from 1 to 3 pm for one of the most unique kindergarten programs in the Philadelphia area.
The afternoon begins with a group lesson on one of a variety units of study. Themes have included Japanese geography and culture, the solar system, the human body, and Colonial America. They are explored through stories, plays, songs, craft projects, and field trips. When appropriate, these themes are woven into the children’s art and music class lessons. Montessori materials from all the curricular areas are used by the kindergartners, usually in more depth and with greater understanding and creativity than the previous years. Kindergarten students also participate in Spanish language class once a week.
Children in our kindergarten program must be five years old by September 1st.
The following educational field trips complement our kindergarten curriculum:
Historic RittenhouseTown
Schuylkill Valley Nature Center
Lankenau Hospital
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Colonial Plantation at Ridley Creek State Park
Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park
Kindergartners participate in several community service projects. Throughout the year they:
Pack breakfast bags for Aid for Friends.
Host an International Potluck to raise money for Heifer International.
Sell lemonade at Earth Day to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
“Keep your kids there for three years: it really clicks in the third year.”
“My daughter was extremely – if not over- prepared for first grade. Bala House provided her with an insatiable capacity to follow her own intellectual bliss.”
“Our son was so beautifully prepared for first grade, maybe too prepared. He found the early curriculum in first grade quite repetitive.”
“I truly believe in the potential in the three year Montessori cycle for this age. What a foundation she got for learning and personhood! I only hope that we can continue to build positively on it without the support of this amazing school community.”