A six month old baby is mouthing a metal whisk they’ve picked up from the treasure basket. What discoveries are they making? Babies are always asking questions about the world around them. In this case, the baby might be asking:
- How does this object feel in my mouth?
- What is the texture?
- What is the temperature?
- How does it compare with other objects in the basket?
- Where can my tongue go when this object is in my mouth?
- How does it feel to bite down with my gums on this object?
- Does the object give way and break?
- Does it bend or flex?
When we see babies’ actions in terms of discovery, we become so much more open as educators to supporting their learning in exciting ways. Rather than thinking about development and their ‘next steps’, we can get into the moment with them and experience the joy and curiosity of discovering the world around us.
Taking a discovery approach to being with babies leads to a series of shifts in our practice:
We cultivate an environment rich in discovery possibilities.
When we focus on discovery, we think about the learning environment differently. We see the discovery possibilities that exist in things like light trickling in through the window, reflected and refracted through coloured glass. A baby can use this light to make discoveries about the way light behaves, about colour, about the difference between light and shade, the feeling of light falling on us, and even the heat that often comes with light. The discoveries are much richer than those we might have with a plastic toy that is designed to behave in rigid and predictable ways. Of course, babies will make discoveries with these toys, but the exploration and investigation is less open-ended and therefore less rich. Heuristic play and treasure basket play are the ultimate tools for discovery-based learning in the baby room.
We tune into the moment and show genuine curiosity.
Take a 4 month old baby lying on the floor, not yet able to roll over completely but using their feet and arching their back to experiment with rolling onto their side. When we think about this in terms of discovery, we want to get down on the floor with the baby and lie beside them. We might try out how it feels to move our backs and our feet in the same way as them – to understand better the discoveries they are making with their own body, and what they are experiencing. If we are not in this discovery mindset, there’s a good chance we’ll ignore the moment and focus our energy elsewhere (e.g. setting up a snack or tidying something away) or we might be encouraging the baby to take a ‘next step’ (such as rolling over completely) rather than honouring the discovery they are making right now.
We join in with the joy of discovery and find pleasure in being with babies.
Being open to the amazing discoveries that babies are constantly making turns work in the baby room into a joy. We get to see the world for the first time again, looking through their eyes and feeling through all of their senses. Lying down beside a baby to see what they can see and feel what they can feel is far more enjoyable than fretting about the routine for the day or developmental next steps. Of course, we can’t be in this place of discovery forever – we still need to be aware of routines and next steps, but the more time we can spend in this magical sense of discovery, the more joyful our time in the baby room can be.
Here are some reflective exercises for you to bring to your work over the next few days:
- What discoveries do you notice the babies making? Discoveries are always happening – so to do this activity, you can simply tune in for 5-10 minutes to a particular baby and think about the questions they are asking about the world around them. Jot them down if you can, but don’t worry if that’s not possible – the most important thing is to experiment seeing the baby’s activity in this way.
- Find one moment to engage in co-discovery with a baby. This means trying to see the world through their eyes and discover alongside them. For example, you might have an older baby who is rolling or throwing particular objects. Rather than worrying about whether those objects should be thrown, take the opportunity to do what they’re doing and see what discoveries you can make along with them about how the world works.
- Share a particular discovery with parents/carers. At pick-up time, share all the basic information you’d usually share about a baby’s day (e.g. nappies, food, sleep), but then share one discovery that you noticed the baby making. You can use language like ‘Today, Sefira was enjoying seeing which lids fit onto which boxes – she discovered that boxes come in different shapes and sizes and that their lids do too’.