Projects…The foundation of the Reggio Emilia approach

A project is an ongoing exploration inspired by children’t curiosity, then enriched and expanded by teacher research, observation and guidance.

This project, a classic Reggio Project was done with 30-month-olds. It took place over four weeks and included activites to progress the children from the sensory experience of glue, to using glue to make sculpture projects and collage.

Provocations and Loose Parts

Provocations engage the child’s curiosity as a springboard for exploration and learning. Provocations are supported by collections of what’s known in Reggio practice as “Loose Parts”. Rather than offering prescribed outcomes for the child’s engagements, loose parts encourage their innate drive to be curious, explore, and create.

Provocations are designed to enhance age appropriate developmental skills such as stacking, eye-hand coordination, imagination and spacial awareness. Pictured here is an invitation to make colored ice cubes, and then explore them with rubber mallets. Provocations and projects offer new challenges at each developmental level.

Engaging With Process

One growing edge we are working on is engaging with process. In contrast to a loose parts activity, with projects I introduce the children to multi-step instructions. For example, in the photos here, learning to use glue to make art. In the Glue Project we tried both liquid glue with brushes, and glue sticks.

The goal is for the children to learn how to use process as they explore provocations and loose parts.

Process is a foundational skill children use and expand in Projects and Loose Parts activities.