As Easter approaches and I see a few of our team members show signs of anxiety over what our students will take home, I am reminded how important it is to continue to develop curriculum and educate adults.
Current research around brain development related to our ability to create real change in a child’s life, into adulthood consistently discuss process, opportunity and openness to experimentation and allowing children to test knowledge hands on.
“Universally expected art projects”, like the traced child’s hand that creates a turkey at Thanksgiving time for example are not as valuable to learning, to inquiry or reflection. They have become something some teachers in the field feel are important and some parents expect.
Curriculum development requires a balance. It focuses on child development but must keep teacher and family requirements and expectations in mind.
The key to early learning innovation and success is education. Education here involves the caregivers, teachers and parents.
This can happen through sharing with our curriculum concepts with caregivers. Like when we discussed the positive impact a book reading about Thanksgiving traditions and giving thanks matched with an open-ended art project discussing colours that come to mind when we imagine a family meal had on the children.
It reminds me that in order to allow our educators to reach their full potential; be open to what is possible, the “we” needs to include just not development teams, but everyone involved in a child’s life.