Project Approach

Just Kids uses the Project Approach – a method of covering curriculum content while encouraging children to develop their skills as scientists and explorers. A project is an in-depth study by a child or group of children that is worth knowing more about. Project topics are selected because they are meaningful, accessible, and of interest to a child’s life. Children go into great depths studying these topics – often at a level higher than what adults expect! An enthusiasm for learning is encouraged through the Project Approach, as teachers and children set out to uncover answers to questions about a specific topic through research, fieldwork, and interviews with experts. Children record their experiences through notes, sketches, photographs, and video taping. The children and teachers turn this documentation into books, murals, art work, constructions, and journals. These materials are then incorporated into displays that are shared with other classes, families, and the community.

Friends in the Butterfly Classroom have participated in a Farm Project this year.