Emergent curriculum is at the heart of our Preprimary and Primary programs. Rooted in the belief that children learn best when their natural curiosities guide the way, this approach allows teachers to design dynamic and meaningful learning experiences based on students’ interests. Through thoughtful observation and collaboration, educators create opportunities for exploration, problem-solving, and discovery. This approach not only builds foundational academic and developmental skills but also nurtures confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning. By following children’s inquiries and ideas, we create a learning environment where curiosity drives growth and development.

This video, the culminating result of one such project, captures the essence of this approach. Preprimary Faculty Juliana Coulton and Brooke Shoemaker share:

Our bug hotel journey all began with a walk around our school campus. We were taking our time moving through the different parts of our outdoor areas, making observations and sharing wonders. One child turned over a tree stump, and soon a small group gathered to watch as many bugs scurried on the bottom of the stump. This led to lots of curiosities about bugs, such as, “I wonder if it would tickle if a spider walked on me,” and “I wonder why the bug under the stump didn’t sting me.” These wonders were the catalyst for a bug exploration that used the children’s intrinsic curiosity as a vehicle to build developmental skills. For example, the children practiced gross motor skills while trying to push a medicine ball with their legs, just like a dung beetle pushes their dung ball.

When the weather began turning cold, the children began to wonder how bugs stay warm in the winter. While we practiced getting on our winter gear independently, the children predicted that bugs don’t have jackets and gloves to keep them warm like humans. We began to explore and act out how bugs adapt and found that some people help bugs by creating a bug hotel. We looked at examples and thought about what we could use from around our homes and school to create one of these hotels for the bugs around our school. It took teamwork, perseverance, and creativity, but we ended up with two bug hotels that we opened just in time for winter.

This is just one example of how children’s curiosities guide us as we all (teachers included!) learn and grow together at CHS.