At Tiny Hoppers Richmond East, we believe that using emergent curriculum as our teaching philosophy is about following the children’s lead and making real-life connections that deepen their understanding of the world around them. Through observations and documentation of the children’s learning, teachers create a classroom environment that offers science, literacy, math, and other learning experiences with topics that interest children most!
Emergent curriculum is a teaching philosophy that builds on the ideas, questions, and experiences children bring into the classroom. Instead of planning weeks in advance, educators observe, listen, and reflect on children’s play. This type of learning helps make the connections between their personal experiences, the topics they explore at school, and the world around them meaningful. A seasonal example in our school includes our daily community walk, which can lead to explorations about vehicles or planes, plants and how they grow, or baby ducklings and their family!
In our program, children are given time to explore with familiar topics in new ways. During breakfast or snack time, the classrooms may talk about the texture, flavour, or colour of the fruit. As teachers expand on this conversational knowledge, they may provide new learning opportunities such as creating smoothies with a blender, or using child safe knives to cut different types of fruit. One child might share curiosity about how tomatoes grow, leading a class to do an ongoing curriculum around gardening! Tasting new fruits, smelling herbs, and making smoothies are learning opportunities that engage children in conversations during meal times, and may even be a part of the conversations they are having during meal time at home!
At our school, we encourage families to bring special items from home, such as a photo, a book, or a keepsake, to share with their child’s class. When we learn about what excites children at home, whether it’s a new pet, a family trip, or a new favourite toy, we can extend those experiences into meaningful learning opportunities at school.
As we use emergent learning curriculum at Tiny Hoppers Richmond East, our intention is to show children and their families respect and excitement to their individuality and interests. Whether the class is learning through water play, story time, food activities, or outdoor explorations, we are helping children build a strong understanding of the world around them!
