WEBVTT 00:00:02.250 --> 00:00:06.110 Hello and welcome to Blooming Curious, the podcast 00:00:06.110 --> 00:00:08.810 that's all about nurturing that natural curiosity 00:00:08.810 --> 00:00:12.250 in our earliest kids and students. I'm Edwina, 00:00:12.769 --> 00:00:15.410 your host and a passionate advocate for play 00:00:15.410 --> 00:00:18.269 and inquiry and on a mission to keep children 00:00:18.269 --> 00:00:21.949 curious and asking questions. The days of talk 00:00:21.949 --> 00:00:25.070 and chalk are over. We're diving into a world 00:00:25.070 --> 00:00:28.530 of integrated inquiry and nature -based learning 00:00:28.530 --> 00:00:31.809 and exploring strategies that create lifelong 00:00:31.809 --> 00:00:34.950 learners. So if you're a classroom or homeschool 00:00:34.950 --> 00:00:38.310 educator or even a curious parent, then this 00:00:38.310 --> 00:00:43.189 is the place for you. So here at Blooming Curious, 00:00:43.549 --> 00:00:46.210 our focus is on nurturing children's curiosity. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.960 We will be exploring strategies that we as educators 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:52.899 and parents can use not only to keep our kids 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:55.899 interested in learning, but to keep that spark 00:00:55.899 --> 00:00:59.259 of curiosity that all kids are born with alive 00:00:59.259 --> 00:01:02.719 and thriving. There is so much research around 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:05.019 the benefits of curiosity for learning and its 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:07.680 impact on the social and emotional development 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:10.780 of young children. Have you noticed that school 00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:13.099 -age children don't really ask questions anymore? 00:01:13.469 --> 00:01:16.450 Or that screams appear to be the thing that most 00:01:16.450 --> 00:01:19.810 kids now find most interesting. Or what about 00:01:19.810 --> 00:01:22.750 when you ask them a question? There's that shoulder 00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:26.730 shrug followed by, I don't know. It drives me 00:01:26.730 --> 00:01:30.989 insane. These things really concern me as an 00:01:30.989 --> 00:01:33.790 early childhood educator. What's happening to 00:01:33.790 --> 00:01:37.310 our kids? Is it our teaching? Is it parenting? 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:41.549 Or does the blame lie with technology? Or is 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:44.730 it a bit of everything? In over a decade or so 00:01:44.730 --> 00:01:47.590 that I've spent teaching early childhood, I have 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:50.250 definitely seen a decline in children's curiosity. 00:01:50.769 --> 00:01:54.450 So I've been on a mission to find the strategies 00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:57.849 that help children remain curious, asking questions, 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:01.909 and happy to learn. You see, young kids are naturally 00:02:01.909 --> 00:02:05.730 curious. They constantly ask why. And they poke 00:02:05.730 --> 00:02:09.069 and explore just about everything. If you put 00:02:09.069 --> 00:02:11.550 children outside playing in a park or a playground 00:02:11.550 --> 00:02:15.159 or your backyard, Inevitably, they'll come across 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:18.159 a snail or a ladybird or a worm or a dandelion 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:21.719 or anything, really. Learning is just part of 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:25.620 our natural existence. To kids, everything is 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:28.639 new and fascinating, which is exactly as it should 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:32.120 be. So here on this podcast and on my website, 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:34.460 I'll be sharing the lessons that I've learned 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:38.039 over the years that have sparked children's curiosity 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:40.919 and a love for learning. I'll be sharing the 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.419 strategies that I've used with my own students 00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:46.639 that not only have resulted in them loving learning 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.860 and being confident to ask questions and develop 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:53.580 lifelong learning skills, but also achieving 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:57.479 outstanding assessment scores on those dreaded 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:00.400 whole school assessments that administrators 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:04.159 value to check the children in our care are actually 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:07.659 progressing. I'll share with you how I foster 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:10.539 curiosity in children. and help you do the same 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:13.240 in your everyday experiences, whether that's 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:16.979 inside a classroom or your home or outside in 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:20.740 nature. And if you're wondering why I keep banging 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:23.719 on about the importance of being curious for 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:27.919 our kids, then consider this. If our children 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:31.240 don't love learning and they're not excited about 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:34.780 learning, how do you expect them to sustain any 00:03:34.780 --> 00:03:37.840 interest in learning to read and write? How do 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.699 we ensure that our children are ready for learning 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:43.560 and schooling if they can't even show an interest 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:47.180 in the world around them? And before we can even 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:49.479 contemplate teaching kids to read and write, 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:53.199 we need to cultivate in them that burning desire 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.520 to want to know more. And then to discover that 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:00.960 it's through books and reading that we find out 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.139 more about whatever it is that we're wondering 00:04:03.139 --> 00:04:07.349 about. And to give you just a taste of how easy 00:04:07.349 --> 00:04:10.169 it actually is to help kids develop curiosity 00:04:10.169 --> 00:04:13.849 and a love of learning while engaged in just 00:04:13.849 --> 00:04:17.509 normal, everyday experiences, I've created a 00:04:17.509 --> 00:04:21.110 free e -guide that shows you how small, simple 00:04:21.110 --> 00:04:24.509 actions and words on your part can ignite that 00:04:24.509 --> 00:04:26.970 love of learning in children. I'll leave a link 00:04:26.970 --> 00:04:29.810 to the free e -guide in the show notes, so just 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:32.490 click on the link and download it for free. And 00:04:32.490 --> 00:04:35.439 that's it for today. Thanks for listening and 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:38.000 I hope you enjoyed this first episode and if 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.879 you did make sure to hit that subscribe and follow 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:44.699 button and if anything I've said here today resonates 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:47.800 with you then click that share button and send 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:50.660 it to a friend. Thanks so much and be sure to 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:53.480 visit bloomingcurious .com where you'll find 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:56.800 insightful articles and resources to help you 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.980 in your teaching and listen out for another episode 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:03.560 next week and remember Curiosity isn't a trait, 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:08.240 it's a superpower. So until next time, stay blooming 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:08.779 curious.