3 To Try: New Investigations in The Creative Curriculum Cloud

We are pleased to announce three new Investigations now available through The Creative Curriculum Cloud for Preschool:

• Investigation: How Does Rain Change the Environment?
• Investigation: What Jobs Can We Do at Home or at School?
• Investigation: How Can We Say “Thank You” to People in Our Community?

You may be familiar with our Studies, which are the heart of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool. Each study is 4–7 weeks long and includes multiple investigation questions for the children to investigate. Investigations follow the same approach as studies and guide you to implement project-based learning with children. However, Investigations focus on a single question for 3–5 days.

Investigations allow you to respond to interesting things happening in the environment, changes in children’s routines, or important things that are happening the community. For example, you might use an Investigation in the short weeks before or after holiday breaks. You can easily adjust your plans and take advantage of meaningful events that are occurring in children’s lives.

Investigation: How Does Rain Change the Environment?

If there are a few days of rain are in the forecast, consider taking advantage of it by investigating how rain changes the environment. Taking children outdoors to observe and explore before, during, and after rain showers allows them to experience their outdoor environment in a new way and notice how rain creates puddles, turns dirt into mud, and perks up the plants. Additionally, children can explore how water affects the physical aspects of different materials, such as how it makes the slide cool and slippery.

Investigation: What Jobs Can We Do at Home or at School?

As children are getting back into the classroom after a break, involve them in the process of creating and assigning classroom jobs such as Library Helper or Door Holder. Inviting children to be active participants in planning your classroom jobs builds on most children’s natural desire to help and allows them to take ownership of the classroom environment, become leaders, and feel like an important member of the classroom community.

Investigation: How Can We Say “Thank You” to People in Our Community?

Saying “thank you” to children is a powerful way to acknowledge their kindness and helpfulness in the classroom community. When you model these polite social interactions, children better understand how to show their gratitude to others. Investigating different ways to say “thank you” gives children the opportunity to think of people who are special to them, share their own unique reasons why, and come up with fun, creative ways to say “thank you” to those people.