We all know children ask lots of questions about anything and everything. It is part of their natural curiosity. You can see they take real joy in discovering something new.
All these facts gave us the idea to build our project Curious Kids in Foundation Stage. As teachers, our challenge is to take this natural curiosity and allow enthusiasm and passion to stimulate learning.
But what is Curious Kids? It is our response to a need to create spaces in which children can let their natural curiosity lead their learning. And how do we do it? We let the children choose questions which interest them and Voilà: a new project is born. They take the lead of their learning. Very often their own answers are unexpected or lead to further questions, challenging the adults’ preconceived ideas and creating an environment in which both teachers and pupils are learning side by side.
Once a question has been raised the children are given the chance to experience different hands-on activities provided by the whole team. Both adults and children have the opportunity to share ideas and discuss different opinions. It is a chance to move away from the confines of the classroom and to work with new faces.
Each project lasts around three or four weeks and culminates in an exit point, which allows the children to share what they have discovered. An exit point can be anything from a discussion at Assembly time, to making a video or even creating a mini exhibition. You may even have seen videos of our previous projects on this blog.
You may also have seen examples of our latest exit point in the entrance hall, where the children from F4 and F5 have responded to the question “Where do minibeasts live?” by creating a minibeast habitat of their own, based on their observations of the where small animals choose to live. They have been so excited that at least one real insect has found its way there from the playground accompanied by a group of pupils!
