Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/the-tides-an-investigation-of-inquiry-and-discovery/5019757/
The tide investigation started in March of this year and is still being investigated by the four-year-old children at Sophia Preschool. It has become an on-going dialogue between the children, parents, and teachers as they make connections between home, preschool, and their geographical and cultural context.It seems only natural that a preschool situated in a coastal seaside village makes it an annual tradition to visit the local beach environment to complement the children’s and teachers’ interests and delight as they return to preschool at the height of the summer
season.
The coastal environment is very much a part of the lives of the teachers and families of Sophia Preschool and throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. With an exceptionally large coastline packed with deep coves, bays, beaches, intricate harbours, and steep fiords, New Zealand’s coastline plays an integral part in shaping our learning environments, our culture,
and our identity.
The power of observation
During our excursion to the local beach, only a short walk from the preschool, Adrienne, a fellow colleague, observed Ellie with intrigue, watching her examine the incoming tide intently as the waves crept closer, beginning to cover the rock pools where we had been exploring only minutes prior to this. Stirred ...