Inquiry Projects

"Children are naturally curious, and why shouldn’t they be? Their world is an exciting place, filled with new things to explore, new sights to see, and new people to meet," says Dr. Jennifer Gonya, assistant professor at Ohio State University and author of Turning Curiosity into Scientific Inquiry. But this curiosity needs to be nurtured and cultivated for it to truly benefit a child’s development and learning.

The Project Approach and other interest-based inquiry strategies offer teachers specific ways for children to:

• Learn about interesting, worthwhile, and real-world things in appropriate ways
• Ask questions and investigate answers
• Address standard early learning content
• Work at their own pace and on their own level
• Collaborate with others to plan, solve problems, and think creatively

To find out more about inquiry projects, view REC videos on You Tube that answer the questions, "Why is the project approach ideal for young learners?" and "What are the 3 phases of the project approach?" Then explore the following links to REC Inquiry Projects undertaken in classrooms across Ohio, other inquiry projects from outside Ohio, and supporting articles and materials that include information about inquiry.

Click on the title to see an example of an interest-based inquiry project undertaken by a team of Ohio early childhood teachers and children. It will provide you with ideas and inspiration for your classroom.

The Trackhoe Project
Watching a busy trackhoe at work outside the playground fence every day and hearing the “beep, beep, beep” as it backed from place to place piqued the children’s curiosity about large construction machines and led to an exploration of trackhoes.

The Car Project
The car project was the first opportunity for this class of new preschoolers and their teachers to experience project work together. When the children used the dress-up cart as a car, the teachers took that as a hint. They were right, and the car project adventure began.

The Ice Cream Project
There were two recurring themes in children’s daily play and conversations—bugs and food. The children voted to investigate food, which wouldn’t have been the teachers’ preference, but it did meet many practical criteria, so the investigation began.

The Camera Project
Ms. Jo snapped a picture of the children at “work” in the block area. Across the room, children noticed the flash. Juan said, “Take one of me, too!” Others joined in with growing enthusiasm, and that’s when the idea for the camera project first came to mind. It grew into a cool collaboration between preschoolers and high school students.

The Bird Project
One day, a preschool class placed corn kernels and pumpkin seeds outside in the meadow near the school. On their next visit, Keli exclaimed, “Someone ate the seeds from the pumpkin!” “Who do you think ate the seed?” the teacher asked, and ultimately a full-fledged investigation of birds ensued.