Stars and Light

Our Joy Through Music event has been scheduled for Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 4:00PM in the Big Room.

Our Learning Community will use this opportunity to share our perceptions and understandings of light and stars, a current topic Home Sweet Home has undertaken in our Project Work. Children's beliefs may reflect cultural symbols and/or a strong curiousity about our solar system. It will be interesting to access their big ideas!

Children's dispositions to be interested, engaged, absorbed, and involved in intellectual effort are strengthened when they have ample opportunity to work on a topic or investigation over extended periods of time -Lilian Katz

After observing this emerging interest in stars and light over the past few months, Home Sweet Home educators have collaborated to further engage children with this topic. In addition to books and other resources and activities, teachers hold space for deep discussions. It is not the teacherly act of passing the accurate information of Science facts, it is the continuity of listening deeply to the children describe their perceptions, and acknowledging their process toward understanding. "How big IS the moon? It is very small, I can cover it with my thumb." Rather than seek refuge in our adult role to contradict and correct children's beliefs, adults acknowledge their ideas and structure provocations that will invite children to continue their explorations. Is our playground big enough to draw a chalk solar system? How can we know? Let's look at some stars tonight. How big do they get? How can we understand something that much bigger than ourselves? Where can we go to get more information? (Chabot Science Center on December 15th!)

What is Project Work?

A common dictionary definition of the word project reads: "an individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned and designed to achieve a particular aim." Project Work at Home Sweet Home is in-depth investigation that is worthy of children's engagement, time, and energy because there is a high level of interest, and an opportunity for discovery and experience. The investigation can be long or short. A study will involve discussion, fieldwork, representation, lots and lots of questions, and can culminate in the form of a presentation or celebration of what has been learned.

In the early years, adults can be intentional and deliberate about strengthening children's intellectual and social aptitudes by providing children with a foundation of lifelong love of learning and desire to know more. Project work often engenders positive feelings about school experiences, feelings of belonging, sense of competency and self-confidence among children. Project work and investigative study is aligned to how children naturally learn. Children are born investigators and observers of their natural world. Through a process of collaboration and inquiry between children and their teachers pursuing deep understanding of a particular concept or idea, children develop skills of cooperation, investigation; theories develop, as well as a deeper understanding of our world.


With much gratitude to the parents who embrace these opportunities and hold this time for the children.