Montessori School in Hunterdon County, NJ

Acorn Montessori School, Lebanon:
Acorn Montessori School in Lebanon, Hunterdon County, NJ offers the highest quality early childhood education for children ages 12 months to 6th grade. We provide programs for toddlers (18 months - age 3), primary (age 3 - kindergarten) and elementary (grade 1 - grade 6). To create an educational environment sensitive to those cycles, our programs are structured around these age groups, based on the belief that learning is a 360-degree process where children learn both from their teachers and each other.

- Toddler Program (18 months - age 3):
Classes are offered for 3 days per week or 5 days per week for toddler age students. The educational journey begins with the most important elements —love, caring, respect, and discovery. This is the environment in which our youngest students thrive, creating an unshakable foundation for lifelong learning.

To give these new learners the sense of well-being and security they need, we transformed a residence into the Toddler House, which creates a sense of home. The space is beautifully designed to appeal to children’s curiosity, including an area for large-motor development, a spacious yet self-contained backyard, and a parlor that has been converted into a napping area with toddler-size oak beds and matching dressers where children keep their own clothing, family photos, and fresh flowers.

- Primary Program (age 3 - kindergarten):
As young children begin exploring beyond the bounds of their own immediate surroundings, the Montessori Method — and the Acorn Montessori School — are prepared to help nurture their emerging curiosity, their sense of discovery, and their creativity. Our Primary classrooms, created for children ages 3 through 6, have been designed to foster the development of their linguistic, cognitive, and motor skills. They also help children explore the important roles they have to play within their family, their community, and their culture.

The Primary program is located in two different spaces. Children may be placed in the Green House, which houses the Red Oak classroom, or the Children’s House, which has the Black Oak, and Chinquapin Oak classrooms. All of Acorn’s Primary classrooms are warm spaces similar to a family room with oriental rugs and large

- Elementary Program (grade 1 - grade 6):
These are the years when a Montessori education can make all the difference in the world. Using everything that has been learned to this point as a foundation, we begin to build a multi-faceted program that speaks to each child’s diverse intellectual interests and physical pursuits, while never losing sight of the basic premise that learning is a fun experience offering lifelong rewards.

Where learning in the earlier programs was primarily a communal effort, the emphasis in the Elementary program shifts to the individual, giving students their first taste of the kind of personal accountability and independence that defines the Montessori experience. In these classes, the teacher is charged with helping children understand what is required of them, while each individual child is responsible for getting the most out of each lesson.

* For primary & elementary classes are offered 5 days per week. During both the fall and spring, after school workshops are available for primary & elementary age children.

Summer Camp Programs include: 

- Toddler Summer Camp: Acorn's special toddler-sized camp is for children 18-36 months old who are currently enrolled in, or will be entering, Acorn's Toddler Program in the Fall.

- Primary Summer Camp: This summer, our theme is "Olympics at Acorn!" Each week, campers will visit new countries and have a terrific time discovering the culture through crafts, music, dance, food and games. On their first day, campers will be given their very own Acorn Passport to record their "travels". We'll also have special guest visits throughout the summer to enhance the international Olympic curriculum.

- Kindergarten and Elementary Enrichment Camp: For students entering Kindergarten and Elementary students through grade 6, we are offering a Math & Reading Clinic during the final four weeks of Summer. These sessions can be done together or individually, whatever works with your family’s summer schedule.