ELC Inquiry Questions

It snowed a lot in the morning one day, and the school ground was covered. A few Kindergarten children wanted to ski, but there was no mountain around the school and not enough snow to ski in the playground.

So they decided to make a mountain where they could ski. They built a slope with giant triangles and tried sledding, skiing, and snowboarding down the slope. They used various sizes and shapes of “skis” and block boards such as short “skis,” long “skis,” and fat or flat boards. They wondered which blocks were the best and fastest for going down the slope.

As they were going down the slope over and over, they came to a conclusion; maybe the shape of the block doesn’t matter that much. Rather, balancing was more important. But balancing is also difficult. So they went on practicing balancing.

Also, they found out it’s best to wear shoes for grip. Socks were too slippery and they made them fall from the slope.

The next they want to do is build a higher slope. But first, they need to find more triangular blocks! 

These are the kinds of daily explorations in the ELC at NIS. Children can create their own realities at the same time they are learning some complex concepts related to such things as physics (friction - shoes vs. socks), math (numbers of blocks needed), language (needed for teamwork), and everything under the sun through their imaginations!