Les grands récits Montessori: discovering the world through cosmic education

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From the age of 6, children naturally enter a period when they ask themselves existential questions: "Where does the world come from?", "How did life on Earth come into being?", "Why are we here? In response to this thirst for understanding and discovery, Maria Montessori devised five great founding stories, grouped together under the heading ofMontessori cosmic education.

These initiatory stories give children access to knowledge through wonder. Find out in this article exactly what the great Montessori stories are, how to introduce them to children, and how they give meaning to fundamental learning.
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What is Montessori cosmic education?

Why did Maria Montessori create the tall tales?

Maria Montessori developed Big Stories in 1935 as part of an ambitious project called "cosmic education". This educational project aims to respond to the natural curiosity of children aged 6 to 12, a period when they begin to question the world around them, explore the links between cause and effect, and seek meaning in their environment.

According to Maria Montessori, the world forms a coherent whole in which each element is interconnected and fulfils a precise mission. The major aim of the tall tales is therefore to enable children to develop a deep sense of belonging to this world, while giving them the tools they need to understand the interactions and complexity of the universe. Through tall tales, students become aware of their active role in preserving the planet and their responsibility towards it.

Maria Montessori imagined these five great lessons as captivating stories that open doors to the study of physical sciences, life and earth sciences, history, geography, mathematics and language. Told by the educator in a friendly setting where the children are gathered on a carpet, these narrations use an imaginative approach while remaining rooted in reality.

For Maria Montessori, imagination and reality must never be dissociated: fantasy, far from being the preserve of fairy tales, is a powerful means of discovering and exploring the real world. The poetic and sometimes symbolic language of great tales awakens children's interest and enables them to grasp complex concepts in concrete terms, while retaining the pleasure of learning.

In Montessori pedagogy,cosmic education is a holistic approach to awakening children's curiosity and interest in the world around them. Through five exciting stories, she introduces the major concepts of science, history, geography and mathematics in a poetic and sensory way.

These stories, suitable for children as young as 6, are:
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1. The history of the Universe
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2. The History of Life on Earth
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3. The Story of Man
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4. The history of Scripture
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5. The Story of Numbers
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Maria Montessori had this to say about these stories:

"These five great lessons are presented to the child in the form of stories, fables, embellished with concrete experiences, frescoes and symbolic images that feed the child's imagination."
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What are the five great Montessori stories?

The 1ᵉʳ grand narrative: the story of the Universe and the Earth

This story introduces children to the origins of our planet. It opens up a wide range of subjects, including :

• astronomy;
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• meteorology;
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• chemistry;
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• geology;
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• geography.

To make these concepts concrete, the teacher illustrates his story with lively experiments: he reproduces a volcanic eruption or the famous "Big Bang" with a balloon that suddenly bursts. It's all about wonder!

Other simple experiments that can be carried out with children to bring this first major lesson to life include :

• visualize the expansion of the Universe using an expandable balloon, and symbolically recreate the Big Bang by bursting this confetti-filled balloon,
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• make a colored "nebula" in a jar to better understand galaxy formation.
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If you'd like more concrete ideas for exciting experiments and activities to do with your children around the first great Montessori story, you can check out resources at Merci Montessori, Montessori mais pas que, Mes Petits Curieux.
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These activities allow children to become fully involved in their learning while experiencing sensorially and emotionally the fundamental notions of the first great Montessori story.
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The 2ᵉ grand narrative: the appearance of Life on Earth

This story tells how life came to be on Earth, from the first bacteria to dinosaurs and large mammals. It provides an opportunity to explore :

• biology;
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• botany;
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• ecosystems;
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• prehistory.

Marie Robert, co-founder of Esclaibes International Schools, talks about the 2nd lesson at our international bilingual school in Clichy:

"The big Life story was a great opportunity for our students to spend some time together, discovering the birth of life on earth and the evolution of species. They were able to find out more about the major periods in which bacteria, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, dinosaurs and mammals appeared.
What better way to delve into these periods than to be able to handle all the images of these animals, check on the large Life frieze when they appear and collectively fill in the large blank frieze?
The major periods were written down and then posted in the environment for reference with corresponding colors."

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This second major Montessori lesson can also be a gateway to developing children's ecological awareness without generating eco-anxiety, but by making them aware of the immense richness of our planet's biodiversity, the threats to certain species and the causes of their risk of extinction.
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The 3ᵉ grand narrative: the history of Man

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This third story introduces the human story through basic needs (food, clothing, communication, protection, etc.) symbolized in Maslow's pyramid:

• physiological needs (feeding, drinking, clothing, reproduction, sleeping...) ;
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• security needs (housing, income, physical, psychological, emotional, medical safety, etc.);
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• the need to belong (to love and be loved, social relationships, friendships, etc.);
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• the need for esteem (consideration, recognition by others, but also self-respect and self-confidence);
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• the need for self-fulfillment (realizing oneself, realizing one's potential...).
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This third major lesson helps children understand how mankind has evolved to meet its basic needs. It's the perfect opportunity to tackle :

• the history of civilizations;
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• human geography;
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• social sciences.

The 4ᵉ grand narrative: the story of Scripture

This fascinating story shows children how writing came into being, and how it has developed through civilizations, from Egyptian hieroglyphs to the modern alphabet. Students discover :

• history of languages;
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• communication;
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• cultures around the world.

The 5ᵉ grand narrative: the story of Numbers

Finally, the history of numbers traces their origins and evolution across cultures. This story adds a real cultural dimension to mathematics, making it more concrete and captivating for children.

Why use Montessori tall tales at school?
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"These early-learning tools combine the scientific and historical reality of the themes studied. Told in a poetic way, they very quickly arouse great interest in children, who are then led to understand them more fully with activities," explains Marie Robert, co-founder of Esclaibes International Schools.
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Giving meaning to learning

The great Montessori stories provide a global and coherent vision of the world. They respond to a fundamental need in children: to understand where they come from, why they learn, and what the knowledge taught at school is used for. This ties in perfectly with the ideas developed by Guillaume Bousquet on the importance of linking learning and real life to prevent certain difficulties at school.

Stimulating intrinsic motivation

Rather than teaching separate school subjects, Montessori's great stories offer an interdisciplinary, sensory approach that stimulates children's natural curiosity. They are particularly effective at getting students excited about learning again.

Enabling multisensory learning

In Montessori pedagogy, all the senses are used to learn: touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste and movement. For example, during storytelling, children manipulate concrete materials, observe and even conduct experiments, or create historical frescoes. This multi-sensory learning process is highly conducive to memorization.
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How to teach Montessori stories in practice
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Great stories are ideally passed on orally and vividly. At Esclaibes Schools, each story is accompanied by concrete activities such as :

• live science experiments;
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• the use of timelines and Montessori materials;
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• games and a variety of manipulatives to make the concepts accessible to all.

It's essential to devote several sessions to each story, so that each child can explore the themes freely. After each story, pupils can explore the subjects that interest them in greater depth, at their own pace.

Each year, between first and fifth grade, children listen to these 5 great stories. Each year, they retain a part of the story that will leave a lasting impression on them. They'll want to know more, to explore the subject.

From Montessori stories to peace education

Montessori's grand narratives go beyond the realm of school education. Indeed, when she developed her cosmic education, Maria Montessori's ambition was to offer each child a global understanding of the universe in which he or she evolves, but also and above all to help him or her grasp the profound links that unite all living beings.
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Convinced that "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education. Politics can only prevent war", Maria Montessori designed these stories to help children realize that everything is interconnected: from galaxies to ecosystems, nothing exists in isolation. Everyone must learn to live in harmony with their surroundings to preserve this fragile balance.
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This ecological and human awareness thus constitutes the true essence of the great stories: teaching children to respect others, to value diversity, and to understand that every being has its place and role to play on Earth.
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Through the great stories and their poetic dimension, children naturally develop an open and respectful vision of the world. In this way, they discover that peace is built every day, through deep understanding of others and acceptance of their differences.
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Thanks to Montessori's great stories and cosmic education, every child can access knowledge by being deeply connected to reality. These great founding stories give deep meaning to what children learn at school, and awaken their natural curiosity in the long term.

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Don't hesitate to follow our bilingual international schools on Instagram to discover the projects carried out in the different establishments of the Esclaibes Internationales Schools network.

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