By Beth Pinyerd
Summer offers more time for young children to explore their world around them. In summer preschools and camps, I love the way teachers take time to point out things in nature for children to question and explore. Summer is also a time where families can plan and relax more, as well as point out nature all around. Questions that I have heard from my young students include: “Why is the sky blue? Why does the moon shine, and the stars twinkle at night?” Summertime offers many sensory lessons of feeling and touching. Touching a flower or lawn with early morning dew, as well as walking barefoot through the cool grass helps us appreciate the touch and feel of summer. Touching shells bring memories of waves crashing against the beach and shore. Too, the gentle smells of summer such as the fragrance of Honey Suckle, Magnolias, Gardenias or the smell of a summer rain after a very hot day floods us all with sensory enrichment and a heartfelt appreciation of summer. Young children love to engage in their surroundings and to verbalize what they see, feel or smell. For adults, the seeing, touching and smelling of summer revives many pleasant memories of past summers.
From infants to older children to adults, God has given each child a born drive to find out about the world around them. As parents and teachers, it is a wonderful opportunity to stimulate and encourage a child’s curiosity at a young age. Curiosity encourages the brain to develop as children learn to read, do math and science, explore, investigate and manipulate. Curiosity motivates children to want to learn. Summer tastes, such as quenching thirst with fresh squeezed lemonade or the smells of barbecue, fish, hotdogs and other meats, has always been a favorite summer pastime. The fresh tastes of watermelon, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, etc., is a huge favorite of Opelika and Lee County. There is nothing like homemade ice cream full of fresh fruits. Too, summer is a great time for a young child to be introduced to the tastes of fresh vegetables. Preschoolers can help shell peas and butterbeans, as well as shucking corn under family guidance. Young children absolutely love to help.
As parents and teachers, what can we do to encourage and enhance curiosity with our children? Providing a curiosity-driven environment of wonder and awe allows children to explore. Remove items which may be dangerous to your children. This will allow your child to explore in a safe environment. Too, remember to set limits and boundaries in your home where you feel comfortable for your children or grandchildren to explore. Children want to explore objects and see how they work and why. In the summer, it is so much fun sitting outside to hear summer sounds when it is cooler. One can hear crickets, cicadas and the sound of frogs croaking here and there.
Also, set out certain days that you and your children can go on family field trips. This could be something as simple as going to the grocery store with your infants or toddlers. Seeing colorful shapes of fruit and other foods is a wonderful curiosity lesson.
Taking the time to truly engage in nature, such as looking at the stars and moon, watching birds and their habits, insects’ habits, making out shapes and forms in clouds as well as watching clouds build up to rainstorms encourages the curiosity drive in our children. I love seeing my little fellows on the playground bending over to observe an ant or bee rather than even playing. They bring their little playground pet over to their teachers and ask many questions. Young children love to take time to “watch” summer. Looking for the glow of fireflies in the evening, watching hummingbirds get nectar from a flower or feeder and seeing butterflies beautifully darting around can truly fill a young child’s day with enjoyment and observation. I love early childhood where children have that freedom of spirit to explore without worrying about a thing.
When your child expresses their thoughts, ideas and questions, focus on what they are expressing to you with excitement, understanding and interest. We adults may not know all the answers, but you and your child can explore the path of knowledge which leads to a solution and problem solving.
I love the way early childhood teachers set up their classes to tinker and explore through learning centers. Our young students build elaborate Lego creations, construct tracks for cars, play house in the “pretend” center and read and look at books of pictures of animals they might see on a camping trip like squirrels, birds, porcupines, raccoons and different kinds of insects. I love having a discovery table with nature items for children to closely look at with a magnifying glass or microscope. It encourages curiosity.
I remember like it was yesterday when we children played outside more. Our parents and grandparents let us play outside more during the summer months. Play is truly welcome during the summer months after spending many months of structure in a school setting. Play is a child’s work. Children love to use their imaginations more as they play house or other wholesome, pretend situations.
When traveling on long trips, making up stories together not only encourages language development, but this kind of reading a few paragraphs and letting your child finish the story is a curiosity booster. Last week I traveled up to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to join my 36-year-old son and his fiancé for a wonderful family wedding shower. As a mom, I observed how my son and his fiancé allowed the young nephews and nieces help them open up their wedding shower gifts. It won my heart because the wedding couple knew that these children wanted to interact with the wedding shower by helping. The young children wanted a task and they did a wonderful job. They would carefully remove the wrapping paper and bows and tell my son and his fiancé what they had received as a gift. Not only did this simple involvement meet curiosity needs, but the children felt so appreciated and needed with a summer and lifetime celebration. Even the smallest involvements are so appreciated in the hearts of young children.
Beth Pinyerd
Classroom Observer
