A Lesson on Curiosity

As a teacher I have always liked the idea of having my students notice and wonder when approaching learning. One word I use to describe myself is curious. I have always had a curious mind. I am constantly learning and looking up new things. One lesson that I recently did with the kids in 4W was focused around this idea of curiosity. I put up a page on the SmartBoard that simply had the word "curious" in the center. I then asked for students to volunteer ideas of what the word curious means to them. Students came up with words and phrases like “full of wonder” and “odd, yet interesting” capturing both of the definitions of the word curious. We then read a wonderful book called The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. The book is about a little boy who lives in a dreary and boring city with no green. He is tired of looking at the drab scenery so he envisions and starts building a garden full of color and life. The garden begins to grow and spread throughout the entire city. What I love about this book is that it shows that even the smallest of ideas can make a big difference. One little spark can set fire to a whole new world. After discussing the book and how the curious little boy made a difference I present the task to the students of looking at the world around them and what they might change about it. How can they make the world better? What would they like to inspire others around them to do? We took a walk out to the nature preserve on campus to give them fresh air and a pleasant setting to think of how they plan to make an impact on the world. Students were collecting litter they found and pressing flowers in their journals. The students were creative and inventive in the ways they thought about our campus and how they could make it even more beautiful.