COSMIC EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 3 6 YEARS OLD 
COSMIC EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD (3-6 YEARS OLD)
Each moment is an opportunity to understand the integrity of the universe.
Most children 3–6 years old are very much absorbed in experiencing their immediate environment. These children feel close to and connected with the natural world. To lay the groundwork for cosmic education, it is enough for teachers to ensure that children experience nature as much as possible and retain their connection with the natural world. It is important for teachers to realize that in experiencing the natural world, the children are the teachers. Any three-yearold lying in the grass will see much more than a teacher will! The teacher’s role is to not interfere with this experience, but allow it to happen.
By touching, lifting, and smelling the wood, children can assess in a general way how heavy it is and whether it is hard or soft wood.
By imagining what tree the wood came from, the children can think about where the tree grew, and in what part of the world. By talking about how the wood came to be a block, children can think about what tool might have made the shape, where the block might have been made and by whom, where it might have been purchased and for what purposes.
To help the children retain their connection to nature and to appeal to their developing senses, the Montessori equipment, materials, and activities involve as much as possible natural materials such as plants, wood, water, and sand. When teachers and children are working with these and other materials, teachers can link the materials to their origins. For example, the Montessori
Thermic Tablets, which are made of stone, wood, steel, and fabric, can be described as coming from different kinds of matter produced by the earth. Teachers can also discuss with the children what materials can be recycled, where the materials came from, and how the materials were made, linking the materials in the classroom with their origins in the world. At the same time,
Each moment is an opportunity to understand the integrity of the universe.
Most children 3–6 years old are very much absorbed in experiencing their immediate environment. These children feel close to and connected with the natural world. To lay the groundwork for cosmic education, it is enough for teachers to ensure that children experience nature as much as possible and retain their connection with the natural world. It is important for teachers to realize that in experiencing the natural world, the children are the teachers. Any three-yearold lying in the grass will see much more than a teacher will! The teacher’s role is to not interfere with this experience, but allow it to happen.
By touching, lifting, and smelling the wood, children can assess in a general way how heavy it is and whether it is hard or soft wood.
By imagining what tree the wood came from, the children can think about where the tree grew, and in what part of the world. By talking about how the wood came to be a block, children can think about what tool might have made the shape, where the block might have been made and by whom, where it might have been purchased and for what purposes.
To help the children retain their connection to nature and to appeal to their developing senses, the Montessori equipment, materials, and activities involve as much as possible natural materials such as plants, wood, water, and sand. When teachers and children are working with these and other materials, teachers can link the materials to their origins. For example, the Montessori
Thermic Tablets, which are made of stone, wood, steel, and fabric, can be described as coming from different kinds of matter produced by the earth. Teachers can also discuss with the children what materials can be recycled, where the materials came from, and how the materials were made, linking the materials in the classroom with their origins in the world. At the same time,