Learning Stories

The educators and children embark on a shared learning journey as they co-construct experiences, meaning and learning about the world around them through inquiry.

Inquiry Question: “How might we discover and influence in our environment through the ways we engage with it?”

Key Concept: Discovery, Change, Cause and Effect

Lines of Inquiry:

• What changes do we notice in our environment, and how do they happen?
• What happens when we interact with our environment? How do our actions create changes in the environment?
• How can we care for and influence our environment positively?

Observing the Weather and Environmental Changes

We began by immersing the children in daily outdoor observations and explorations, inviting them to notice how weather changes the environment. Through their senses – seeing, feeling, hearing and smelling – they began toform deeper connections with their surroundings and observed how the environment transforms with and is shaped by different weather conditions.

On sunny days, they felt the warmth of the sun, noticing how it cast shadows and altered the light, creating bright and dark spaces in their environment.

When the rain came, the children’s excitement grew as they listened to the sounds of the raindrops, watching raindrops hit the ground and forming puddles, before jumping into them. The sensory experience extended as they listened to the rhythmic sound of the rain, observing how it changed the smell of the air and the texture of the ground beneath them.

Through these experiences, the learners develop an awareness of how weather shapes their environment, fostering curiosity and a deepened sense of connection to the natural world. Their reflections and discoveries will continue to inform our ongoing inquiry into the relationship between weather, sensory experiences, and the environment.

Exploring Water and Its Movement

As we observed weather’s impact on the environment, we were drawn to water as a powerful agent of transformation.

Our inquiry deepened as the children explored water’s movement. They observed how it flows down slopes, creating spontaneous ‘water pathways’, and watching how it may influence the movement of other natural materials (such as leaves, flowers and sticks). They were captivated by how water adapts, moves, and sounds—whether in streams, fountains, waterfalls, or puddles.

The exploration went further as the children discovered water’s ability to blend with nature and materials. They experimented with extracting colors and fragrances from flowers and leaves, and observing how colours move in water from dyed pasta (i.e. movement of the dye in water). Through such experiments, they experienced water’s role not only in movement but in holding and carrying the essence of the world around them.

These moments of discovery showed them how water connects and transforms everything it touches.

Exploring Soil: Part 1 – Its Textures

We then turned our attention to soil, a familiar material found around our school and Gardens. Using our hands and various tools, the Explorers explored both dry and wet soil, observing closely how the addition of water changed its texture, consistency, and opened up new possibilities for mark-making and creative expression.

The children were encouraged to use their senses to explore:

Smell: “What does the soil smell like when it’s dry? And when it’s wet? Is there a difference?”

Touch: They compared the sensations of dry and wet soil, feeling the smoothness or roughness, and how the soil responded to their touch.

Sound: The children listened carefully to the sounds the soil made—how did the dry soil sound when they sifted it through their fingers? What about the wet soil?

Eva: It’s Squishy! Squelch! Like Brown Bear (referring to the story, “We are going on a Bear Hunt”

Fenix: “Yucky! Dirty!” *as the wet soil or mud stayed on his hands*

Exploring Soil: Part 2 – Mark Making with Soil

The exploration naturally evolved into mark-making experiences. The children used the dry soil like a crayon, discovering the different lines and textures it left behind. As they added water, they watched the soil transform—suddenly, it was no longer dry, but wet and pliable, leading to new forms of expression. Mud balls were created, squeezed, rolled, and splattered onto surfaces, leaving behind marks that captured the richness of their encounter with this earthy material.

Dry soil mark making

Wet soil (or Mud) mark making 

These experiences not only deepened their understanding of soil but also invited them to express their discoveries through their hands and senses, highlighting the many ways in which nature becomes a language of expression.

Connecting with Nature through Mark-Making: Nature Journalling

As we continue our journey of discovery, the Explorers have begun translating their discoveries into mark-making, creating their own nature journals. Using both conventional tools—crayons, markers, and watercolour paint—and more unconventional, natural materials like wet and dry soil. they documented their experience. Each mark told the story of their exploration, turning observation and experimentation into a meaningful, visual record of their journey with nature.