A Magical Learning Inquiry into Lights at Chatsworth International School
As an early childhood educator, I've always seen how much children are fascinated by light. Through playful exploration of light, the students nurtured their creativity and developed a sense of wonder about how things work. In our recent unit of inquiry, we focused on the idea that experimenting with light helps us understand its many uses.
During this unit, my students shared their prior knowledge of the historical and contemporary uses of light, inspiring us to design a fun and engaging play-based inquiry area. Here, they engaged in imaginative pretend play, experiencing life in castles illuminated by "flickering flames" or modern houses brightened by glowing bulbs. Exploring the past and present, they envision themselves living in a castle and a modern house while discovering the evolution of lighting from fire and candles to torches, oil lamps, light bulbs, neon lights, and solar energy. Through this unit, our students have not only deepened their understanding of science but have also cultivated a sense of wonder and appreciation for the world around them. They reflected on the importance of light in their lives and the concept of conservation from an early age.
Student Initiated Inquiry
"Did you know that electric light bulbs didn't exist long ago?"
Our inquiry journey was sparked by a simple yet thought-provoking question: "Did you know that electric light bulbs didn't exist long ago?" This question ignited excitement and curiosity about how people lived in the past without electric lights when one student offered an intriguing perspective: "In castles, they used fire from sticks!" This statement kept the students engaged in discussions about fire, castles, and candles, setting the stage for our exploration.
Student’s Drawings, Conversations and Spontaneous Play
After discussing castles and considering life in castles with fire and candles compared to life in modern houses with light bulbs, LED lights, lamps, and flashlights, the students became excited to role-play castles and houses, using pretend candles and flashlights as their light sources. We continued this conversation in the following days, discussing how light has changed over time and how we currently use it in our homes. Extending their play-based inquiry was a natural continuation of their learning journey.
An important part of engaging students and fostering exploration is the play-based area for our unit of inquiry (UOI). Students play an active role in building it, sharing ideas and incorporating elements that encourage curiosity, exploration, and learning.
Then & Now provided an enjoyable space for them to explore light within the contexts of a "Medieval Castle" and a "Modern House." Through play, students gained understanding of light's diverse applications. Moreover, during playtime and discussions, they acquired knowledge about natural and artificial light, the difference between day and night, and experimented with shadows, reflection, and color. This learning journey sparked curiosity about the evolution of light and inspired them to create a "bright invention"!
Creative Process Steps
At Chatsworth, we recently celebrated Book Week alongside our exploration of light. Our goal was to instill a love for reading and introduce students to various authors to spark their interest in books. In K1, we carefully chose stories that matched our unit of inquiry. After reading "The Very Lonely Firefly," we watched a video where Eric Carle shared his creative process. This intrigued the students, leading to discussions about their experiences with scissors, painting preferences, and favourite colours. Inspired by this conversation, we found a creative way to document their learning, drawing on the influence of Eric Carle's work as both an author and illustrator.
We engaged in several creative steps as part of our project. Firstly, we painted tissue paper and added textures to it. Then, we drew shapes on the back of the paper and cut them out using scissors under supervision for safety. Next, we arranged the shapes to form pictures and glued them onto white paper.
Unbounded Learning
This inquiry served as a valuable source of learning for our young learners. With their natural curiosity and engagement in play-based inquiry, students explored enriching learning experiences that extended beyond the domain of science.
Exploring various light sources and conducting simple light experiments, students developed thinking skills and nurtured their curiosity by making predictions and drawing conclusions. They develop creative abilities, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination when painting, creating textures, and using scissors to create collage artwork.
The Then & Now project has brought a number of tangible learning benefits in the following areas.
Social Interactions and Language Development
In the early years of childhood development, Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences plays a crucial role in understanding the diverse ways children learn and interact with the world around them. Through activities that engage various intelligences such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal, children are provided with opportunities to explore and express themselves in ways that align with their individual strengths and preferences.
Language development, a cornerstone of early education, is nurtured through these experiences as children engage in rich, meaningful interactions, whether through storytelling, problem-solving, artistic expression, or social collaboration. They are actively engaged in conversations, talking to each other and broadening language development in a multicultural environment in a truly authentic way. The students play independently, crafting their own narratives during playtime. This fosters social interactions and helps develop language skills, especially in a multilingual environment. They cherish bonding moments and express their creativity through play, often incorporating real-life situations to enrich their experiences.
Fine Motor Skills and Hand Eye Coordination
Engaging in activities such as holding a paintbrush, delicately painting on thin tissue paper, creating textures using various objects or ribbons, and drawing with crayons while cutting with scissors are all integral experiences for children in developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
As they manipulate these tools and materials, children refine their ability to control precise movements of their fingers and hands, strengthening the muscles necessary for tasks like writing and using utensils. Furthermore, coordinating their hand movements with visual input helps improve their hand-eye coordination, essential for tasks requiring accuracy and spatial awareness. These activities not only foster artistic expression but also lay the groundwork for academic and practical skills essential for lifelong learning.
Mathematics and Cognitive Development
In early childhood education, children's understanding of 2D and 3D shapes is a fundamental aspect of their cognitive development. As they explore these shapes through hands-on activities and playful experiences, they begin to grasp their characteristics and properties. Through guided instruction and interactive play, children learn to associate these abstract shapes with real-world objects, fostering a deeper understanding of their practical applications. Furthermore, as they develop their language skills and express their thoughts and ideas, they are encouraged to create visual representations of their thoughts using these shapes. This process not only enhances their spatial reasoning abilities but also cultivates their creativity and communication skills as they translate their abstract concepts into tangible forms.
Exploring Science Through Discovery
Children delight in playing with light and endless possibilities. Through playful exploration and experimentation, they uncover the various ways light can be manipulated. Whether casting shadows, creating reflections, or exploring the effects of different light sources, children delight in the discovery process. Engaging in light experiments not only ignites their curiosity but also fosters a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. As they observe and interact with light, they develop critical thinking skills and enhance their scientific knowledge, laying the foundation for further exploration and discovery in their learning journey.
Then & Now Book Collection
Supported by various lines of inquiry that sparked their curiosity and facilitated discussions, students embarked on a learning journey that culminated in creating three books as part of their Then & Now Project. Inspired by Eric Carle's illustrations, they painted on and created textures on translucent paper, carefully designing and cutting shapes to illustrate their reflections on light. Based on geometric shapes studied in class, these illustrations came to life through a vibrant collection of coloured papers carefully chosen by the children. They have also designed a bright invention using recycled materials and extended their learning by inventing something that uses light, inspired by Thomas Edison's invention.
As they painted and designed, the children learned about proportions, experimented with scissors for the first time, and received individualised support to refine their creations. Their enthusiasm and creativity shone through in the final result as they shared their unique insights and personal experiences with light, and the students reflected on the importance of light in their lives and the concept of conservation from an early age.
Bright Inventions
The children have authentically shared their learning journey by exploring natural and artificial light sources, sharing their prior knowledge, and experimenting with shadows, reflections, and colours. They have also designed a bright invention using recycled materials and extended their learning by inventing something that uses light, inspired by Thomas Edison's bright invention. As a result of this project, the students were able to reflect on the importance of light in their lives and the concept of light conservation from an early age.
Enquire about our inspiring kindergarten programme and arrange for a campus tour today.
______________________
References
Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. E. (2011). The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation. third edition. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED531297
Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences, by Howard Gardner. New York: Basic Books, 1983, 440 pp. (1984). Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 3(4), 627–628. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.4050030422
Zero. (2001). Making learning visible: Children as individual and group learners. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Learning-Visible-Children-Individual/dp/8887960259
