On this page: Focus,
Primary Goals, Daily
Overview, Key Areas, Movement
Area, Eating Area, Sleeping
Area, Physical Care Area, Outside
Area
"Nido" is an Italian and Spanish word meaning 'nest'.
The Nido protects, and provides learning experiences for babies
from 2-14 months of age. A Montessori infant environment (Nido)
can be considered an adapting continuum between two basic needs
of the developing infant -- at one pole is the bonded relationship
between adult and child; at the other is support for a growing
sense of self and independence. The prepared environment is characterized
by order, simplicity, and beauty which meet the needs of the child.
The focus
of the infant environment is on fostering basic trust in the child.
Foremost in the environment is the adult whose caring, respectful
response to the infant's needs, both physical and psychological,
conveys the message of unconditional love and acceptance.
The infant's primary
goals in the first year of life are:
- Development of Movement
- Weaning Process
- Independence - "The ability to do for oneself"
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Over
the course of the day in the Nido
- The babies come to school in the morning; they are prepared
for their day in the environment. They will be helped into training
pants and a t-shirt. They may eat breakfast if they are hungry.
- Breakfast time comes to an end. After eating, a natural work
cycle begins; the children are encouraged to explore the environment
and find materials they are interested in.
- The babies are taken for a walk and/or to the play structure
in the morning and afternoon to explore the outdoor environment.
- The babies eat lunch/snacks when they are hungry, and they sleep
when they are tired.
- Late in the afternoon, the babies are prepared to go home. They
may be helped to change back into a diaper and clothes.
- During the day, the babies have the opportunity to look at books,
sing songs, use musical instruments, and socialize with adults
and other babies. The babies are free to explore and use the environment
to meet their individual needs.
Key Ideas
- Activities appropriate to the developmental level of each child
- Simplicity
- Safety
- Emphasis on reality
- Aesthetic beauty
| Areas of Nido |
Description |
| Movement |
Enhances and challenges a child's mobility.
Before Crawling
Two large exercise mats are provided for babies who
are not yet crawling. Materials which encourage visual perception,
batting, grasping, kicking and mouthing are available.
Crawling
Once the child is scooting and crawling, ample floor space
enables mastery of these skills. The child can crawl to very
low shelves containing manipulative materials which stimulate
the visual, tactile and auditory senses.
Standing and Walking
The child who is ready to pull up to a standing position enjoys
the help from the kiosk bar. The stair structure encourages
going up and down stairs, cruising and walking using one or
both hands.
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| Eating |
Bottles
Younger infants who receive their nourishment from bottles
are fed by an adult in a rocking chair, or on the sofa. Every
effort is made to accommodate nursing mothers.
Solid Food
As the infant grows and is able to sit independently, solid
foods are introduced to the child while s/he is sitting in
a low chair at a table. Children learn to drink from a glass,
and learn to use a spoon and fork.
In addition to learning to feed themselves, the children
begin developing social skills as they eat their meals and
snacks together. |
| Sleeping |
All infants sleep on futons which allow them full mobility
to move out of the sleeping area on their own after they awaken.
The non-mobile infants sleep on the futons at the back of the
sleeping area to prevent older infants from crawling over them.
Each infant's sleep-awake cycle is honored, allowing each child
to rest when needed. |
| Physical
Care |
The physical care area is used for changing diapers
and training pants. At Family Star, we have found it
to be most advantageous for the infant to wear training pants
instead of diapers from the age of eight weeks on. A primary
reason for substituting underwear for diapers is that underwear
is much less bulky and allows the child to have more freedom
of movement. Underwear is easier to change and gives the child
an opportunity to assist in dressing at an early age, which
aids the development of self-confidence and independence. The
small bench is used so the children can begin learning how to
dress themselves.
As the infant grows, training pants provide indirect preparation
for toilet learning. It is the normal human condition to keep
all body parts clean and dry. Infants who begin wearing underwear,
and who are changed upon elimination, will soon cry after
elimination, indicating discomfort at the unnatural condition.
If the proper information, being clean and dry, is given at
an early age, the awareness and control will come naturally
and without a great deal of conscious work. |
| Outside |
The babies are taken outside daily. They
are pulled in wagons to the play area. Along the way, the Directress
names all of the objects in the surrounding environment; using
the opportunity to enhance the babies' language development.
The older babies swing and explore the area. All of the babies
enjoy the fresh air, and the outside environment. |
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