How We Help Children Discover Their Place in the World

Between media, books, and family travel, young children absorb all kinds of phrases about our planet. They hear ideas like “going around the world,” “as the world turns,” or “the other side of the world”. While young children absorb this vocabulary quickly, they need concrete, hands-on experiences to understand what "the world" actually means.

Over a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori observed how young children were naturally drawn to globes. She recognized that children have a deep desire to grasp abstract concepts through direct physical experience. At Waypoint Montessori, our AMI-trained guides prepare environments that honor this natural curiosity.

Concrete Experiences in the Classroom

To make the abstract real, we begin with physical exploration:

• The Sandpaper Globe: Children start with a small globe where land surfaces are covered in textured sandpaper and water is smooth blue paint. Holding this globe allows children to physically grasp the shape of the earth and the distribution of land and water, giving real meaning to phrases like "around the world".
• Land and Water Form Models: Children pour water into three-dimensional models of islands, lakes, peninsulas, gulfs, and isthmuses. As water fills the blue basins around the brown landforms, children explore geographic concepts sensorially before connecting them to photographs of real-world landforms.
• Color-Coded Continents: A second globe introduces how land is divided into continents, each represented by a consistent color (e.g., green for Africa, orange for North America). This consistent color system carries through every geography material in the classroom, supporting clear visual memory and association.
• Puzzle Maps & Political Geography: Children transition from three-dimensional globes to flat hemisphere puzzle maps and continent maps. By lifting country pieces by their small wooden knobs—placed precisely at each capital city—children absorb the names and spatial relationships of continents and countries through touch and sight long before they formally study political geography.

Nurturing Global Awareness & Human Connection

While these geography skills are remarkable, our primary goal is not simply memorization. In line with our mission to educate the whole child and foster culturally aware individuals, these materials are tools to help children understand their place in the world and develop a respect for all human life.

In our classrooms, children explore picture collections depicting daily life across different continents. They see how people across the globe meet common human needs—food, shelter, clothing, traditions, and art—in wonderfully diverse ways. Whether tracing continent maps, exploring living things in our nine-acre outdoor environment, or learning about cultures across the globe, children develop a constructive, respectful, and joyful connection to our shared planet.

We'd love to invite you to see geography in action. Schedule a tour today!