"What kinds of restaurants are there?, Where do they get their food?, and Who works at a restaurant?"

The prekindergarten students at King School, asked these questions and exchanged ideas in their creativity center. The children shared what they knew: restaurants have lots of tables and there are noodles and treats. Plus, they enjoy the crayons! 

In keeping with the Reggio-inspired preschool program, the students' curiosity and interests led the development of their hands-on learning. Their teacher, Jen Agro, describes the wonderful learning loop through which young children ask questions and figure out answers, and then teachers provide "provocations" which stimulate additional questions and learning. 

Ms. Agro underscores that "project-based and play-based learning is successful because children process the information for themselves in a way that is meaningful and memorable to them." 

These budding entrepreneurs planned their restaurant, talked about the cost of food, created menus, and followed recipes. Through these activities, they became better at working together to plan a project and solve problems, writing, and math. 

Be sure to taste the prekindergarten chefs' specialty at Rainbow Castle restaurant — delicious pizza bagels and chocolate chip cookies! 

Learn more about King School's project-based teaching and learning in our Reggio-inspired early childhood program and grades 1-5 program.