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When a Head Start class visited a nearby park, the children exhibited great curiosity about the ducks at the pond. This interest led to an investigation of ducks. |
When an eager Head Start class visited a nearby park, the children always delighted in feeding the ducks. The curious classmates began asking questions. "What do the ducks eat?" "Where do they sleep?" "Don't they get cold when the weather gets cold?" Their intense interest prompted their teachers to initiate an exploration of ducks—in and out of water.
The teachers collected books about ducks and duck artifacts to share with the children. The classmates talked about the differences between ducks and viewed photos of different types of ducks. They made observational drawings and took photos of real ducks in their habitat.
One day a woman delivered ducklings to the class, and a whole new exploration began. The preschoolers prepared a home for their ducks and learned how to feed them and handle them gently. The children explored ways to help the ducks swim, and then they decided to build a playground for the ducklings. Eventually, the class moved the growing ducks to a pond that offered more room. At the end of the project, the children created a scrapbook using their drawings and pictures of their experiences with the ducks so they could look back on their dazzling adventures.
Through the experiences of caring for the ducklings, the children were able to achieve standards in language, science, social studies, and mathematics. The project became a learning experience for the teachers as well as the students.