The Christian orientation of Bay Area Montessori House provides us the opportunity to observe Church seasons and holidays. In addition, general lessons of God’s love, Jesus as the Son of God, kindness to one another, and respect for Creation are incorporated into the life of the class. Children attend a one-hour-per-week session in the Atrium.
The “Atrium” is the Montessori term for a children’s worship center. This tradition honors the child’s natural sense of the sacred and seeks to provide a richly structured environment in which the religious potential of a child may freely develop.
In this area, we are using Jerome Berryman and Sonya Stewart’s curriculum Young Children and Worship.
Dr. Jerome Berryman is an A.M.I. Elementary teacher trained in Bergamo, Italy. In his Montessori studies, Berryman was inspired by Sofia Cavaletti, who is best known for her work, “The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.” In 1971, Berryman returned to Houston to develop a comprehensive religious education curriculum based on the work of Montessori and Cavaletti. This approach to religious education has come to be known as “Godly Play.”
The Godly Play Foundation facilitates the practice of Godly Play through research, training, and resources.