This article focuses on a teaching method developed by Maria Montessori, starting with activities in the primary classroom, which are continued through the elementary years. The author discusses a few child-centered techniques in preparing children for their work within a larger community--the whole human family. In the Montessori environment, the sensorial exercises begin the classification of the myriad impressions the young child has been collecting since birth. This information is sorted, labeled, and refined through classroom activities. In the same way, the Needs of Humans curriculum begins by classifying the practices all humans engage in. Children can relate to eating food, wearing clothing, seeking shelter and protection, and using different forms of transportation to move from one place to another. These everyday activities are organized under the heading The Five Physical Needs of Humans: food, clothing, transportation, shelter, and defense. Later, for older children, they study The Four Spiritual Needs of Humans: art, religion, self-adornment, and communication. In the Needs of Humans curriculum, as in so many other areas, Maria Montessori has presented a framework for preparing children for life.