Child-led Learning Nuggets – Safe Exploration Tips
I wonder what happens if I move this thing…And I’d love to see what’s inside this big red pot!
In this series we show you authentic examples of Child-led Learning taken from our family life and our son’s learning while we travel the world. You will be able to see these examples through the photos we took to capture observable learning moments occurring.
We explain how to use daily experiences and natural environment to support naturally occurring learning processes wherever you are. These strategies are applicable both in formal education and in home learning.
Some of the experiences might be adult facilitated, which means the environment was enabled/offered/prepared for the child to experience. However, we leave it up to the child to decide:
- how to approach the environment/context and resources offered,
- when to engage and to what extent to explore the context
- how to take it further and to which direction
You may use the diaries to understand:
- how you can unlock and enable environments for your children and students to open the door to Child-led Learning/Play
- to learn what sort of learning take-aways you may expect.
Diary Entry: Clogs, Levers, Switches…but Still Safe!
Comments on learning:
Kids simply love to move, turn, switch, press whatever is turnable and pressable:) They do it out of curiosity. They simply want to see what happens and exploring the world by touching and manipulating things is the best way to find out if things move, make sounds, change shapes etc. There’s so much to learn about the world this way!
Allowing children to express their natural curiosity this way offers lots of learning:
- brings sense of accomplishment and boosts confidence
- satisfies curiosity
- leaves spaces for reasoning, predictions
- offers space for creative experimenting
- supports noticing the cause and effects of one’s actions
Safe exploration tips:
- check in advance all handles, buttons, clogs to see what can possibly happen when you child manipulates them and if it is really safe
- check the place, machine, tools for possible danger of cuts, scratches, crashes, burns – your child’s fingers may easily get stuck
- the tool/ machine may be covered in oil, paint, chemical substances
- make sure it is safe for the child to see inside containers: they may be filled with water, paint, chemicals etc. It’s best to lift your child to satisfy their curiosity rather than allowing him/her to climb the container to see inside
Photo location: Steam Railway Museum, London, United Kingdom
WHAT TO DO NEXT
To help you learn how to apply Active Experiential Learning in your setting, Natural Born Leaders has launched a new teacher support programme ACTIVE LEARNING BOOSTER.
It’s a self-paced hands-on online training programme for Early Years and Primary Teachers who are ready to offer Future-Oriented Education based on Active Experiential Holistic Learning and Development.
You can access the first training module for FREE and then continue your journey from as low as $11.99.
