Montessori Education: The Importance of Going Out From a Child's View

Going out and exploring outside the Montessori classroom is an opportunity that many Montessorians take for granted. With budget cuts and teachers worried about time away from the classroom, which can impact their ability to fulfill state-mandated curriculum goals, many public schools aren't organizing field trips any more. My son's friend who attends the local public middle school is always so jealous every time we mention our field trips; "I sure wish we could take field trips instead of always sitting in class."

It's so important to remember that as adults, we often feel that going on field trips and leaving the comfort of the Montessori classroom is such a hassle: there are permission forms to be signed, money to collect, drivers and chaperones to organize, emergency trips to the bathroom, and then the excitement doesn't seem to wear off when you return to the classroom. However, we must remember to view these going out experiences through the eyes of the child. They haven't the experience that we adults do. It's our duty to make sure that they can experience all there is while they are still full of awe and wonder.

Going Out activities are an important part of the second and third planes of development.