“Children are capable, competent, curious and creative. Children are not passive, empty vessels waiting to be filled; rather they are self-motivated learners actively seeking to understand the complex world in which they live.” – Lynn Stanley
Our curriculum creates an atmosphere of exploration and wonder, coupled by rich social opportunities discovered through play. In partnership with children and parents, we work to promote an emergent curriculum which develops and enhances the child’s competence, identity and acceptance of others. Our practices provide valuable learning experiences for children as inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach which promotes meaningful and respectful relationships between the child, family, teacher and environment through careful observation, thought-provoking exchanges and mindful documentation.
Throughout the day the children engage in self-directed play within a carefully prepared environment. The environment plays an essential role in our curriculum. The environment is well ordered and intentional and designed to provide invitations to entice the children to explore current knowledge and create new.
USING EMERGENT CURRICULUM PRACTICES, WE BELIEVE THAT CHILDREN DESERVE:
- To be considered capable and competent; To be challenged intellectually and emotionally
- To be exposed to language, mathematical reasoning and scientific concepts which are integrated throughout a developmentally appropriate curriculum
- To be surrounded by an environment that is beautiful, inviting and rich with opportunities to study, risk and explore.
- To be exposed to rich high-quality literature all day, every day – to find a book at their whim, to read to a friend or ask a parent or teacher to read with them
- To be able to build structures both large and small using wooden unit blocks, large wooden hollow blocks and a variety of props and natural materials to manipulate and explore concepts of space, balance, weight, dimension, texture and other physical properties
- To be given opportunities to explore their innate creativity using open ended art materials and techniques such as clay, wire, weaving, mixing tempera paints, easel painting, acrylic painting on stretched canvas, water color painting, collage, woodworking and recycled materials – where the process is valued rather than the product.
- To enjoy a rich outdoor setting where they can enjoy climbing, swinging, digging in the sand with shovels, trucks and dinosaurs, collecting the water dripping from the rock arch, playing games, exploring plant and animal life in the Secret Garden, watching the clouds roll by, washing dolls in the water table or sweeping the log cabin
- To be able to explore writing and communicating using symbols to represent ideas and concepts. To be provided colored pencils, markers scissors, hole punchers, envelopes for sending messages, paper of all kinds for drawing, spelling and expressing their plans and ideas
- To be provided a place to create complex scenarios about their understanding of the world. To dress up, pretend and engage in dramatic play with peers. To be provided realistic props for making breakfast, feeding babies and kittens, becoming an astronaut or a fairy princess. To create a grocery store or simply find a purse or hat to extend their play outdoors
- To be given opportunities to learn about building friendships through imitation, observation and initiating new ideas. To develop skills in solving social problems by sharing materials, using language – verbal and non-verbal - to express ideas and discover the joys of building and sustaining friendships. To notice and appreciate diversity and to learn how to show empathy, compassion and respect for themselves and others
- To learn about emotions – to learn to trust, risk, reflect upon and share feelings and to build self confidence as valued, authentic members of a committed learning community
- To be given time to sing, dance, play movement games and finger plays, to build attention span, develop listening skills during circle time and story-telling, and to build confidence in speaking amongst peers in a group setting
- To be given time to play, explore, discover and enjoy childhood
In our setting the children are provided with rich materials and a wide variety of thoughtful experiences to explore their world in a predictable and orderly setting. The Reggio Emilia approach teaches us that children have a “hundred languages” for expressing their ideas, and supports collaborative learning experiences in small groups which provide a deeper, more meaningful time to explore and understand their ideas and relationships.