“Play is a vehicle for learning and rests at the core of innovation and creativity. It has long been acknowledged that there is a strong link between play and learning for young children, especially in the areas of problem solving, language acquisition, literacy, and mathematics, as well as the development of social, physical, and emotional skills. In Full Day Kindergarten, learning is integrated throughout the program. The students flourish because they participate in planned purposeful play."
(NAEYC, 2009; Fullan, 2013; Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014c)The children and educators co-build play spaces/contexts based on the children's interests and curiosities. This supports problem solving and decision making and opportunities to negotiate ideas. In this type of play, children generate their own rules.
Games are goal oriented, where children follow specific rules.
(guided)
These play activities are set up by the educators with a goal in mind. The children determine how to use the materials.
The children guide their own play by choosing the materials.
Inquiry-based learning is a dynamic process. In this process, children's thoughts and ideas take a central role, driving their learning journey. Through inquiry, children are empowered to delve into their own questions, curiosities, and hypotheses, while educators craft opportunities that ignite curiosity and foster inspiration. Inquiry invites children to engage in exploration, investigation, reflection, and collaborative discussion of various ideas and concepts.
Investigating shadows:
What do we notice about these shadows?
Exploring a question while tinkering with loose parts:
How do birds build their nests?
Developing "narratives":
Building enclosures to house our spaceships and Bey-Blades. How tall and wide should these structures be?
Nature Explorations:
Creating a healthy terrarium: what might it need for living things to survive?
Exploring water beads and their interaction with liquids such as water.
Exploring the flow of sand with various strainers. How can we slow down the sand flow? How can we speed it up?
Exploring repeating patterns:
What different patterns can you create using the same attributes?