Ready and prepared for the day ahead

At The Curiosity Approach we are huge advocates of ‘in the moment’ planning, following the interests and ideas of children in that very moment, ‘without’ setting up or writing weekly, termly formal planning and or next steps.

Our continuous provision is rich and powerful, but we also set up invitations and provocations in preparation for the children who enter through our doors

An invitation is that subliminal message an invite to come and play here.

A ‘Provocation’ for us - is provoked from the interest of the child, to meet a particular urge or schema, which will also in turn provoke ‘further’ thinking, investigation and discovery. To expand on an initial thought or idea.

It’s inevitable that so many provocations and invitations overlap and intertwine.

What may initially be a simple invitation to one child may actually be a provocation for another.

We also feel especially (for our babies) they need something set up with mindful thought and intent, to spark that curiosity and to offer an environment that meets their individual needs and urges.

To spark their innate curiosity and encourage them to explore and investigate further.

Here is a great quote from Loris Malaguzzi:

“Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water. Through an active, reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen learning and how to learn.”

Through the use of loose parts and intelligent resources children then decide how they wish to engage, interact and play with the materials. In that moment and through mindful present practitioners we follow the child’s lead. They are the pilots in their own play.

We like to think of ourselves as the ‘air traffic crew’ . Our job is to ensure conditions are right. That everything is safe and ready for the children to navigate and fly. THEY are in charge of the controls we just sit back, support and assist them on their journey.

Here is an example of the readiness and prepared environment which awaits our babies today…

We know who is attending, what urges they have and schematic learning styles. We set up with thought and intent, always asking ourselves WHO is this for and WHY is this out today!

We are careful NOT to bombard to play space with too much stuff and use the mantra ‘ LESS is MORE’.

You will notice (if you're unfamiliar) with The Curiosity Approach that we don’t have plastic baby toys, gadgets or walkers. Everything within our settings is using loose parts e.g. the big cardboard tubing, recycled materials and authentic resources and heuristic play opportunities.

Our settings are muted tones, calm tranquil and step away from brightly coloured over stimulating environments. For us it’s ‘an extension of home and not a watered down version of school’.

Here is a blog below you might be interested in

https://www.thecuriosityapproach.com/.../why-we-need...

We also have a pocket size training on our respectful approach to babies and understanding of their natural unfolding development

https://the-curiosity-approach-lounge.thinkific.com/...

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