Are we there yet? Why? These are popular, and at times grating questions that many younger children ask. But have you noticed that they eventually get out of the habit of asking those questions?
Within traditional environments, children transition from an innocent curiosity to a state of less and less curiosity. Luckily, Grey Roots is not a traditional environment. It is our goal to spark curiosity.
Besides our education programming and educational events, KidsCamp is a natural fit for inquiry and asking questions. During a spring PA Day KidsCamp that was supposed to be based around legends, the participants were more interested in getting outside. From a walk around Moreston Heritage Village to help refocus the participants, we ended up spending our program day behind the SS#1 Derby Schoolhouse.
Those participants came up with an idea to build a fort using materials found in the fence row. As a child, fort building was always an activity my siblings and I were up for so I agreed with the plan to create a fort. Within the group they themselves discussed the construction of the fort, what supplies would be needed to better support the fort, what the jobs would be, and who would do them, then they quickly got to work. For the entire day, aside from nutrition breaks, this group of SK to grade four students diligently went to work and created a masterpiece. Age meant nothing; everyone involved was proud of the work they did and literally had no idea how much they learned doing it.
We did end up doing a couple of activities closer to the end of the day that I had planned. Was that important? Not to me. When I saw how the KidsCamp participants worked together and then got curious about the living things they found on the quest for the best sticks you could see the learning. For example, a caterpillar had been located. Questions that emerged were: what is it, and what will it turn into when they found out what it was? Using technology we found the type of caterpillar it was and then discovered the type of moth it would turn into. Moments of inquiry, like that, continued throughout the day in different ways for each participant.
Inquiry I have learned, especially at KidsCamp, doesn’t always need to be planned and can happen naturally. Every plan we make for KidsCamp never runs to the minute, and should not. All of those eager minds who come to Grey Roots for a PA Day, March Break, or through the summer have an effect on our programming. We also base a lot of our themes on feedback from our participants because we want them to be engaged and excited to learn with us.
The end result for KidsCamp this March Break is to create a group of curious kids who love to ask questions. There should not be a day where a child, or adult, doesn’t ask a question and then seek the answer. That’s where all the fun (and learning) is.
For more information about our March Break ‘Be Curious’ please visit http://www.greyroots.com/programs-events/childrens-programs/march-break-kidscamp/. Our summer and PA Day KidsCamp information is also available at http://www.greyroots.com/programs-events/childrens-programs/.
There are a number of articles out there about inquiry and the benefits of children asking questions. If you are interested in finding out more about this topic, please enjoy these links:
What’s Going on Inside the Brain Of A Curious Child? By Maanvi Singh http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/10/whats-going-on-inside-the-brain-of-a-curious-child/
Natural Curiosity: A Resource for Teachers http://naturalcuriosity.ca/aboutus.php?m=b
Capacity Building Series: Inquiry-based Learning http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_inquirybased.pdf
by Laura Watt, Heritage Interpretation
Grey Roots Museum & Archives Blog 