The main goal for the teacher is to listen and observe the children, as well as question and listen for opportunities to encourage further exploration. It also means that teachers are not planning projects or learning points in advance – they’re allowing projects to emerge based on the interests of the children.
The project framework at Reggio Emilia has a number of distinguishing features including a Holistic Approach, Guided Exploration, and Long-term Perspective. These elements all contribute to the growth of children as creative thinkers and self-motivated explorers.
Our Butterfly Symmetry project gave our Little Learners the opportunity to be creative, using colourful paint to create patterns on Butterfly wings. To demonstrate symmetry in nature, we folded them in half to create the same pattern on both sides!
To learn about the way plants grow, we planted our own seeds! From germination to their first leaves, we were able to see the way that light, water, and soil helped them grow.
Using household items we were able to create our very own rain clouds! The water represents the air, and the shaving cream is like the clouds. As the clouds get saturated with water, they produce rain!
This was a fun and creative project where we created our own sunshine. The beads symbolized the radiant beams of sunlight.