Exp.#2.Part.a) As an example: The Project “Under the earth”

Here is a sample project which took place on January 2005 with a group of children averaging 4 years of age. The project was named “Under the earth”

HOW THIS PROJECT CAME INTO BEING…

In a school assembly news began to be discussed even among the children regarding the events around January 2005 in the south-east of Asia.

Comments were vocied saying: “A big tidal-wave has destroyed everything.” “It was a giant wave and it has flooded even the houses.” … Later they begin to talk about earthquakes, then excavations and then about what may be under the earth’s crust, then dinosaurs etc. We proposed the possibility of investigating these topics, and the children think it’s a great idea.

The same day we sent out a note to the parents explaining a worksheet for the project and allowing blank spaces for the children to fill in the blanks as they see fit.

We bring various types of materials into the classroom. The materials include books, stories, comic books, a model sphere of the earth, fossils, statues, pictures, maps, experiments described in books etc.

We gathered the materials in a corner of the room. Children gather around the corner to see the materials, to play with it, and to discuss their ideas. Around this corner we post on the wall all the finished assignments. It is important for the children to understand that in order to achieve something there is usually a process which is achieved one step at a time. This gives them the experience of feeling that they are a part of the process.