Parent Education: Science And Cultural (3 - 6)
The Casa dei Bambini classroom is only a beginning. It is a means to equip the child with the tools and attitude he will need to learn, discover, explore, and seek knowledge. A foundation is laid for the future disciplines of study, including geography, botany, social studies, and the arts. The knowledge gained here offers opportunities for spontaneous activity, leading to knowledge gained through experience. Science, like art and music, is not a limited set of activities pursued by a specialist at a particular time. If given the richness of experience in the world, rather than an isolated experience, the child will find scientific principles everywhere. This creates the foundation for more imaginative exploration later. Work with these materials encourages each child to set about seeking new information and answers to questions. At age of three, these questions are most typically “What” questions, even when phrased as “Why” questions – the child is seeking to increase the fact base needed to understand and categorize the world around. As the child matures and gets ready for the 6-12 transition, the questions typically change to more “Why,” “How,” and “When” questions. The 3-6 child observes, describes, and identifies phenomena as a foundation for later understanding in the Elementary programme when he can explain, discuss, experiment, describe, investigate, and theoretically explore these phenomena.
The scientific and cultural extensions, while they provide the most accurate information available, are not meant to be used as a tool merely to impart specific facts and figures.
They are rather designed to help draw out the child’s curiosity for the world around, and enable the child to build an orderly framework of knowledge based on the fact base to which he is exposed. The objective is to introduce the child to the world as a whole and push him to investigate further.
Many of the Science and Cultural activities are sensorial in nature to maximize the absorption and retention by the child who is mainly a sensorial learner at this age. A sensorial impression in the child’s mind ensures that when he has to deal in abstractions he is able to draw upon those impressions.
Cultural studies are the window to the world. They are the keys to the environment. These activities and materials broaden the child’s experiences and draw their attention to various aspects of our social and physical world, as well as providing them with an introduction to the laws of nature. Far from imparting facts and figures; by exploring the natural world, cultural diversity and the arts we are giving children the seeds from which respect, tolerance and curiosity will grow.
Casa Identifying International Flags
The Scientific and Cultural activities open the child’s eyes to the dynamic and diverse world around them. The children participate in the traditions and holidays from cultures all over the world, especially those of their own classmates. Parent volunteers are encouraged to share short presentations about how their family celebrates different festivals and traditions. The purpose is to establish mutual understanding and respect for our differences while recognising our many similarities. For the sensorial child, these presentations are particularly appealing when they display new foods, costumes, songs, and stories. Each class will have regular cooking activities, showcasing traditional dishes of our local Hong Kong culture, and the various cuisines of other backgrounds represented in the class.
