The Little Stars, ages 2-3 years old, are the youngest class group at Oneness-Family School.

Each day, the children enter a safe, caring prepared environment where they practice skills that will provide a foundation for “life skills.” This is exemplified through the extensive Practical Life area where children can be seen practicing activities that incorporate pouring, scooping, and tweezing. These works encourage hand-eye coordination, and concentration, as well as strengthen Fine Motor activity.

The Little Stars enjoy work such as cutting and serving fruit, squeezing oranges for juice and making pizza. This work enables these young students to experience independently working with purpose while practicing essential Grace and Courtesy skills.

The Little Stars child has a profound need for order. Within the Montessori prepared environment the teacher is mindful to maintain structure and defined spaces for Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, and Culture works. By providing external order the child can internalize it, and experience a wonderful sense of internal calm. This is especially important for the Little Stars as they are deeply sensitive to the transitions and change around them.

As the children enter the classroom in the fall, they experience relationships as parallel journeys with others. As the year progresses, the children develop a true sense of community; within this community, strong bonds are formed and the children deepen their understanding of the social/emotional world. An expression of the development in reciprocal relationships is the Little Star’s and the Peace Academy’s (4th and 5th graders) “Buddy” program. Each week, the children gather to work together and experience building tender multi-aged relationships.