This month your child will receive The Second Great Lesson involving the coming of life. This lesson revolves around the Timeline of Life, a long chart with pictures and information about microorganisms, plants, and animals that have lived (or now live) on the earth. The great diversity of life is emphasized, and special care is paid to the “jobs” that each living thing does to contribute to life on earth. Mario Montessori (Maria Montessori’s son) observed a transformation in children who saw plants and animals as having a cosmic task. He empasisized that life is driven by meeting survival needs efficiently, evolving and moving towards invertebrates.
This lesson leads to the study of: