No other living thing in the known universe equals humans in power, sophistication, or depth. Other animals live in communities, but only humans construct cities. Other animals use tools, but only humans build sailing ships. Other animals have language, but only humans write poetry.
We humans are undoubtedly animal – born from the same cosmic inferno as all others, evolved over the course of billions of years in the same way. As do all animals, we need water and food; we require shelter; we procreate and die.
And yet… humans are somehow much more than animals. Humans may stand in the natural world yet our gaze is ever towards the divine. Of all creatures, we alone are blessed with complex self-awareness and a drive to know unknowable things.
At Child of the Redwoods, our study of humankind attempts to bring this tension to life for children. We study both the naturalistic qualities of humans – our evolution, senses, and anatomy – as well as our attempts to mediate those qualities – our cultural practices, civilizations, and political geography. We use Maria Montessori’s study of the thirteen fundamental human needs as our chief entry point.
For elementary-aged children, the centerpiece of our work is The Third Great Lesson: The Coming of Humans, which describes scientifically – but dramatically – the evolution of humans over millions of years. Through this, we are asked to consider where, in that journey, we became human.
Because so much of the study of humankind requires students to imagine abstractly rather than experience sensorially, children under 6 (those in the first plane) tend to focus on a smaller set of topics than their older siblings, with a heavy emphasis on political geography and cultural studies. Traditional Montessori activities for this age group (Primary) include creating relief maps, exploring flags, and studying different cultural groups. Your child also studies basic human anatomy – naming major bones and experiencing the five senses.
These activities may blur with work done in the life sciences, which is exactly what we want! We separate the academic subjects into different areas to make it simpler for teachers and parents to grasp and measure. But for the learner, there is no border between subjects. There is only learning!
Overall the goal is to help our 2.5 to 6 year olds understand the earth as a diverse place where humans and other creatures live.
Because Humankind focuses so much on questions about essential human qualities, it really comes to life for those children who are capable of abstract thinking (i.e., second plane children over age 6). Children in the second plane become intensely focused on understanding WHY things happen, and nothing fascinates children (and adults) as much as questions about themselves. Why are we different? How did we get here? What is our purpose?
Humankind for this age group includes political geography (where we study how humans define and divide the earth), human anatomy (where we explore our bodies as physical objects), and the fundamental human needs (where we examine the thirteen needs that drive all human life, including religion, nutrition, and communication.)
Overall, the idea is to help 6 to 9 year olds begin exploring what it means to be human in a more meaningful and abstract way.
The subject Humankind is like the fulcrum in the entire curriculum – with the things that exist beyond humans on one side (the sciences) and the things that exist because of humans on the other (the arts, literacy, numeral systems.)
For first and second plane learners (2.5 - 9s), the big topics in Humankind are Human Development, Anatomy, and Political Geography.
With Primary-aged learners, the focus is much more on studying the basic ways humans describe and organize the earth – by biome and continent. Make relief maps of the Earth’s continents out of clay or playdough. Where are the mountain ranges in South America? Go to a zoo and visit the animals. What kind of biome do black bears live in? Read books about native peoples from around the world. What kinds of music and art do they create?
For elementary-aged students, the goal is to encourage them to explore what it means to be human. Study the first great civilizations. Why did they all develop around rivers? Read about how whales communicate in sophisticated ways but still cannot match human language. Why are humans the only ones to record their thoughts? Explore how the human body works and how that compares to other animals. How can we be so similar to other creatures yet also so incredibly different?
Above all, the key to success is for you, the parent or caregiver, to be CURIOUS. Child of the Redwoods emphasizes that education is a journey you take WITH your children. When you show curiosity about the world, your child will follow the example.
For children between the ages of 2.5 and 9, our curriculum focuses primarily on three domains: anatomy, political geography, and human development. For older students (those in the 6 to 9 range), we also add human evolution, the fundamental needs, and the development of human society.
Human Development: This domain explores essential questions about humanity; for older kids, it includes Montessori’s thirteen fundamental needs of humans, including religion, shelter, and love.
Anatomy: This domain covers the major systems of the body, including the muscle groups and the skeletal system.
Political Geography: This domain examines how humans describe and organize the physical earth, such as through drawing maps and setting national boundaries.
In practice, this means children in the Primary years focus heavily the continents of the earth, on basic social units (like families), and on very basic human anatomy. Among other things, by the time they exit the program, the child should be able to identify the continents, know what kinds of plants and animals live in the major biomes, and understand that humans have bones.
For Lower Elementary, we expand on this knowledge by exploring human society in a deep way, including religion, cultural practices, community, nationhood, and agriculture. By the time they exit the program, the child should be able to (among other things) describe how humans evolved, explain the role agriculture plays in human development, and name and locate major nations on the earth.