08:30
A handshake at the gate
A guide welcomes every child at the garden gate, at knee height. The child shakes hands, takes off their own shoes and hangs their bag on their hook. Goodbyes are kept short.
We prepare the shelf,
the child chooses the work.
A Montessori children's house in a garden home in Urla, in the shade of an old plane tree. Mixed-age groups from 18 months to 6 years, at most 18 children per class.
The dots on the shelf mark the five areas of work; tap one.
The five areas of the classroom
In a Montessori classroom every material has its place on the shelf and every activity has its tray. Pick a tray and we will unroll it on the felt mat.
Practical life
From 18 months
Pouring water, cutting vegetables, wiping tables, tying shoes. Everyday tasks give children order, hand skills and the feeling of "I can do it".
- Pouring waterFrom a glass jug into a tumbler, then drying the table with a sponge and cloth.
- Preparing fruitPeeling a banana, slicing it with a child's knife, carrying the plate to the table.
- Plant careWiping leaves, feeling the soil, watering with a small can.
- Dressing framesButtons, zips, velcro and lacing frames.
Sensorial
From 2.5 years
The pink tower, knobbed cylinders, colour tablets. Each material isolates one quality (size, colour, weight, sound), and the control of error is built into it.
- Pink towerTen pink cubes from 10 cm to 1 cm, stacked from largest to smallest.
- Knobbed cylindersEach cylinder fits only its own hole; the material shows the mistake.
- Colour tabletsFirst matching, then grading shades of one colour from light to dark.
- Sound boxesFinding the two boxes that make the same sound.
Language
From 18 months (words), from 3 years (letters)
Sandpaper letters, the moveable alphabet, object baskets. Sound first, then the letter; children write before they read.
- Object basketNaming small objects; the start of vocabulary in the Nest.
- Sandpaper lettersTracing the letter shape with a finger while saying its sound; vowels on blue, consonants on pink boards.
- Sound game"What sound does apple start with?", all day and everywhere.
- Moveable alphabetBuilding words with wooden letters before holding a pencil.
Mathematics
From 4 years
Red and blue number rods, golden beads, bead chains. Holding a thousand in your hands before writing it.
- Number rods1 to 10; feeling the length of a number with the body.
- Sandpaper numeralsTracing the shape of each numeral.
- Golden beadsUnits, tens, hundreds, thousands; grasping the decimal system by hand.
- Hundred chainCounting a hundred beads one by one and labelling every ten.
Culture
From 3 years
World map, continents, plants, animals, seasons. Our garden is the outdoor classroom for this area.
- Sandpaper and coloured globesLand and water; then the colours of the continents.
- Puzzle mapsFirst the continents, then Türkiye and the Aegean provinces.
- Botany cabinetLeaf shapes; compared with the plane tree leaf from the garden.
- Living / non-livingSorting what we collect in the garden.
A day at Çınaraltı
A day that starts with a handshake at the gate and ends in the garden. Drag the clock to see what happens in class at that hour.
09:00
Movement and discovery
In the Nest the day starts with movement: push cart, low mirror and pull-up bar, real objects in baskets. Every child has their own pace.
09:45
Breakfast at the little table
Nest children have breakfast together at a low table for four; they learn to drink from a glass and take their own cheese.
11:00
The garden and the plane tree
We go outside in every weather. Vegetable beds to water, sand and water play, the swing, the bike path. In winter boots and raincoats stay at school.
11:45
Lunch in the Nest
The Nest eats lunch earlier; meals are prepared at an age-appropriate texture and children hold their own spoon.
12:30
Sleep
Every child has their own low bed in the Nest sleep room. The child's rhythm sets sleep time; a child who wakes moves quietly to the play room.
14:30
Art and music
The easel, watercolours, clay and collage table come out. Music twice a week: rhythm sticks, bells and songs.
15:15
Afternoon snack
A light snack: fruit and a wholegrain bake from our kitchen that day, with ayran or milk.
15:45
Story time
Stories in the book corner, or under the plane tree if the weather is fine. Children choose the book, and sometimes tell their own stories.
16:30
Goodbye
The child puts on their own shoes, takes their bag and shakes hands with the guide at the door. The parent gets a short spoken note about the day.
08:30
A handshake at the gate
A guide welcomes every child at the garden gate, at knee height. The child shakes hands, takes off their own shoes and hangs their bag on their hook. Goodbyes are kept short.
08:45
The work period begins
Three uninterrupted hours of work. The child chooses a work from the shelf, rolls out a mat and carries the tray with both hands. The guide gives individual presentations and takes notes.
10:15
The fruit table
Breakfast and the fruit table are part of the work period. A hungry child washes their hands, slices a banana, then washes the plate and puts it back.
11:00
The garden and the plane tree
We go outside in every weather. Vegetable beds to water, sand and water play, the swing, the bike path. In winter boots and raincoats stay at school.
12:15
Laying the table and lunch
Children lay the table themselves: ceramic plates, glass tumblers, cloth napkins. They serve themselves with a ladle and wipe the table afterwards.
13:15
Rest and afternoon work
A child who needs to sleep goes to the rest room, others carry on with quiet work. This is when older children most like to present work to younger ones.
14:30
Art and music
The easel, watercolours, clay and collage table come out. Music twice a week: rhythm sticks, bells and songs.
15:15
Afternoon snack
A light snack: fruit and a wholegrain bake from our kitchen that day, with ayran or milk.
15:45
Story time
Stories in the book corner, or under the plane tree if the weather is fine. Children choose the book, and sometimes tell their own stories.
16:30
Goodbye
The child puts on their own shoes, takes their bag and shakes hands with the guide at the door. The parent gets a short spoken note about the day.
Drag the clock or tap a moment in the list.
Two groups, two rhythms
18–36 months
Nest
A calm first classroom for those starting to walk, talk and say "me do it".
At most 12 children and 3 adults in class.
Full day 08:30–16:30 · Half day 08:30–12:30
Go to Nest
3–6 years
Children's House
A mixed-age group where three ages share one room and choose their own work.
At most 18 children and 2 adults in class.
Full day 08:30–16:30 · Half day 08:30–12:30
Go to Children's House
Under the plane tree
Our school is a restored two-storey stone house from the 1950s. The plane tree in the middle of the garden gave us our name; we have breakfast under it and the children water the vegetable beds beside it.
Photos of the house and garden
From our founder
We did not set up Çınaraltı as a school but as a home where children can do their own work.
Here the teacher's job is not to explain; it is to put the right material on the shelf at the right time and step back.
Ayşe TunçFounder, Children's House guide
Read the full letterWhat parents ask most
You can also ask during your visit, but these are the questions you usually have on day one.
All questionsIn a Montessori school, can a child "do whatever they want"?
No. A child chooses among the works that have been presented to them; once chosen, they are expected to finish it, tidy it and put it back on the shelf. The choice is free but the limits are clear: not disturbing someone else's work, taking care of materials, walking in the room. These limits give children security.
How does settling in work?
We start with one hour on the first day while the parent waits in the garden. When the child is ready, the time grows a little each day. Most Nest children move to a full day in two to three weeks, Children's House children in one to two. We set the calendar together based on the child's response.
What if my child does not sleep?
In the Nest the child's rhythm sets sleep time; a child who does not sleep or wakes early moves quietly to the play room. The Children's House has a rest hour, but sleep is not compulsory: a child who does not sleep carries on with quiet work.
What happens if my child gets ill?
A child with a temperature of 38 °C or more, vomiting or diarrhoea is sent home after we call the parent; the child should not return before 24 hours without fever. Medicine is given only with a doctor's prescription and the parent's written instruction. These rules protect the other children.
What is included in the fee?
Breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack; all Montessori materials and art supplies; boots, raincoat and apron kept at school; nappies and wipes in the Nest. Transport, the yearly registration and material renewal fee and optional outings are extra. Details are on the Fees page.
Come and see first.
A visit takes 45 minutes: you see the classrooms, the garden and the kitchen and watch the work period through the glass. You are welcome to bring your child.