Interactive Keynote for Early Childhood EducatorsBy Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, PhD http://www.drdianateachertraining.com

Children are born curious, they are natural scientists.

Children have a built in desire to learn first-hand about the world aroundthem.

The young child does not merely observe the world around them. They taste it, touch it, bend it, and break it.

Why is it important to nurture and cultivate the

young child’s curiosity?

Their curiosity about the world around them is the

beginning of

scientific thinking.

Some of the greatest discoveries in math and science were made by curious individuals. They had to use their “eyes, ears and minds.”

Leonardo Fibonacci

Creator of the Fibonacci Sequence 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 … infinityPattern is: 1 +2 = 3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, etc.

Marie CurieEmily Noether Rosalin

Franklin

Carl SaganRichard Feynman

Curious minds

Leonardo da Vinci

Use the natural world

to stimulate the young child’s natural curiosity:

Encourage children to make observations.

Bring nature indoors.

A place where creativity is natural.

A place with access to the wild.

A place to work in harmony with nature.

Incorporate materials from nature in playground activities.

A place that gives a sense of belonging.