What’s the same – and what’s different?
The purpose:
- The Six Bricks was designed to excite and motivate children to gain the skills, knowledge and attitudes that set them up for success in life.
- The Montessori was designed for experiential learning so that children learn at their own pace and follow their natural curiosities.
How they are applied:
- The Six Bricks follows structured play activities that include instructions and guidance for parents and teachers to set up the resources required and provide the framework for the activity.
- The Montessori is based on self-directed play where children make their own choices in their learning so that they discover the world on their own. This creates a match between their natural interests and the activities available to choose from.
The curriculum:
- Six Bricks is not in itself a curriculum. It is intended to support all areas of development in the curriculum. This is achieved through short, simple activities to wake up the brain and ensure that the child moves, thinks and remembers.
- Montessori is an encompassing approach and method of education that schools and parents follow to promote growth and development through creative self-expression.
Resources:
- The Six Bricks Method relies mainly on the Duplo® type bricks that are available in 6 different colours: light blue, dark blue, green, yellow, red, orange. There are also mats and other resources to enrich the activities. With just 6 bricks there are literally hundreds of activities to build all executive functioning skills.
- Montessori environments rely on a wide variety of different types of resources that might appeal to children. These include resources that allow children to choose from the available activities to work on their own or in groups in a safe and engaging environment.
Training:
- There is training and accreditation available in Australia to be trained in the Six Bricks methodology. This training is available both online and via live webinar.
- There is training available to set up a Montessori style classroom based on these principles of child development.