At Wellspring, we develop our curriculum based upon the unique interests of our students. We know that children learn best when they are engaged and feel an authentic connection with the curriculum content. Our teachers choose themes that are relevant, lend themselves to experience-based projects, and provide a rich context to support comprehension across language levels.
Our philosophy shares many characteristics with the Reggio Emilia approach, an emergent teaching philosophy where exploration and discovery are built around the child’s interests. (Wein, C. 2008. Emergent Curriculum in the Primary Classroom: Interpreting the Reggio Emilia Approach in Schools.)
Our “bridges and cities” theme last month was an instant hit amongst our students.
While diving into this topic of great interest to all, the children continued to build skills in:
- early language and literacy by reading books about bridges and cities
- spatial reasoning by constructing building-block versions of bridges and cityscapes
- gross motor skills as they balanced their bodies across make-shift bridges
- imaginative play and art by creating their own bridges and cityscapes with household materials
The innovative curriculum of Reggio Emilia lends itself naturally to inclusive classrooms: activities and instructional methodologies are developed based on children’s natural interests and curiosities, weaving together and connecting the children’s ideas through music, interactive projects, toys, and imaginative play.
Imagine the possibilities!