“Phil, when do you think it will melt?”
“How long do you think it will take?”
“We are going to protect the ice from the light!”
“We are going to get some new ice and try again!”

These were questions and ideas that I heard from one Fours class when I visited their room over the span of a couple of days as they experimented with large chunks of ice found on the roof during their daily visits outside during this cold, cold winter. Lugging the ice down to their classroom they patiently watched it melt. To some this would be as dull as watching paint dry. Not to these young scientists. A few chunks went into the covered water table, checking under the solid cover every now and then in order to make predictions as to how much longer the melting process would take. (The Fours were surprised when this adult did not correctly predict how long the melting would take. Trust me, gloating four year olds is not a pretty sight!) Later, they brought other pieces of ice to the classroom and placed them in a bowl, thereby, they reasoned, allowing the heat from the classroom lights to act on the ice. So many ideas, so many suggestions for how to investigate, so much energy and a real dedication to figuring it out.

This relatively informal investigation is a terrific example of powerful learning in our pre-K program. A group of students asked a big question—What causes things to melt? They made hypotheses, tested them, analyzed the results, repeated their experiments and made conclusions. They were engaged and excited. Our goal as a progressive school is to support and enhance these natural learning experiences, not get in the way, not to mediate children’s investigation of the world. We continue this work as students move through the school. Our terrific faculty accomplishes this through the careful selection of materials and the creation of activities and exercises that allow for experiences such as the Fours had, while integrating intellectual skill building and content acquisition. This can be a challenge, but the fostering of this sense of wonder and experimentation is essential. Success in this endeavor energizes our learners, connecting their time in school with their lives. Success allows our students to learn about the world, to integrate skills and content area knowledge while applying the same in meaningful ways. We see this in our classrooms, in all three divisions, each day. See what happens when you don’t call a snow day!