Project Based Learning

40+ Open-Ended Questions to Get Your Kids Talking

By Marnie Craycroft 5 Comments Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Creativity, Project Based Learning This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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If you are an inquiry-based teacher or parent, these open-ended questions for kids are perfect for you. Inquiry questions for kids are a way to get kids thinking on their own terms and without any barriers.

Furthermore, these types of questions allow the adults in a child's life to gather information in order to better guide the child. Above all else, it is quite exciting to observe a child in the midst of this type of thinking. Simple questions often ignite creative thinking and ideas not previously imagined by the child.

Open-Ended Questions for Kids

One of my big “things” as a parent is to allow children to solve problems and to come up with solutions creatively. In other words, I desire children to think critically about a problem and to embrace failure as an opportunity to iterate and to be better.

In addition, I live by this approach in whatever we happen to be doing in life – brushing teeth, building with legos, writing, climbing, changing the laundry, hiking, or any kind of STEAM project.

What is the big deal about open-ended questions?

Before we dive in, I thought it would be helpful to go over why open-ended questions are so critical in a child's learning & development.

Asking leading questions is similar to interviewing a witness on trial. Above all, the goal is to gather as much information as possible. Similarly, I use this approach in my parenting. The same can be said for asking close-ended questions, or questions with a single word answers such as “Yes” or “No”.

As you can conclude close-ended questions can be answered without a lot of detail. Likewise, multiple choice questions are only slightly better because the child can simply guess or choose what he believes you would like him to answer. Finally, let's go into the benefits of asking open-ended questions.

Examples of Close-Ended Questions

Below are examples of closed-ended questions to give you perspective on the different approaches. Keep in mind that you might need to practice this approach.

However, there are many opportunities to turn a close-ended question into an open-ended question. Furthermore, this step in the process might be a great segue as you train your self to approach communication in an open-ended way.

For example, you might ask:

Do you enjoy sports? Why?
What is your favorite food & why?
Why did you decide to draw a dragon?
What is your favorite subject in school? Tell me more.
If you could choose any activity to do in your free time, which activity would you choose & why?

On the other hand, close-ended questions stop the child at one word in many cases with no room for elaboration.

For example, close-ended questions might look like this:

How was your day?
Did you enjoy dinner?
Do you like being a big brother?
Which sport is your favorite?
Do you have any pets?
Which flavor of ice cream do you like best?
Did you have fun playing at Joe's house?
Are you sad?
What makes you mad?
Do you like skiing?

The Benefits of Asking Open-Ended Questions for Kids

Open-ended questions are great for developing executive functioning skills. Above all else, keep in mind that children are natural problem solvers. However, there is a short window to nurture and encourage that innate curiosity. Questions require room for pontification and teach children to think about the many angles of topics. Children who develop with this approach to thinking will be able to navigate the world more successfully.

There are benefits in communication, too, as children are able to extensively explain their perspectives and detail their thinking. Encouraging questions where there is no right or wrong answer helps a child learn to think and not to mention to develop confidence and conviction in their options.

A few benefits of inquiry-based learning include:

A child is able to go deep on a specific topic
More meaningful answers manifest
The child owns his learning
More engaged child
The child naturally becomes more curious
Motivation to want to learn more increases
Develops research skills
Encourages a growth mindset and personal responsibility
Nurture critical thinking skills
Teaches how to ask the right questions

Hopefully, these questions will help you guide our little problem solvers!

40+ Open-Ended Questions to Use with Kids

One major point of asking children open-ended questions is to gather information.

What would happen if…
I wonder what…
What do you think might happen when…
How did that happen?
What do you need to do to begin the project?
How does it work?
What do you think is happening?
What might you change?
Can you think of…
What is your plan?
I wonder how…
What is the best part of being the oldest in your family?
Will you tell me about a time when someone was kind to you today.
What do you think might happen next?
What made you think of that?
How could you…
What do you see?
Tell me why…
What should we put here?
Tell me what…
Can you think of other ways to…
Do you have any ideas…
How could we figure that out?
Which design is your favorite & why?
What might you keep the same?
Now tell me about a time when…
How do you come up with that solution?
Tell me how…
Help me fix this…
Do you have any ideas for solutions?
Are there any other ways we could…
What do you think?

Another awesome way to get kids communicating is by using word clouds. It is a type of brainstorming that ignites a child's use of language and helps him convey his thoughts and feelings.

Have fun with these questions and get kids really thinking! Kids are natural problem solvers and scientists!

I hope you found this list useful! Let me know your favorite open-ended questions!

Marnie

Photography for Kids – Awesome Ideas to Teach Kids

By Marnie Craycroft 3 Comments Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Elementary, Kindergarten, Photography, Project Based Learning This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Photography for kids? Yes! Absolutely.

I admit that I am a new photographer. What I appreciate most about learning photography is teaching photography to my sons. More often than not, my sons are teaching photography to me. You see, one thing I have learned over the past few years is that photography is not simply learning how to use a camera, it is an art about perspective and it is about telling a story.

This past weekend I went away with my family. We traveled to a beautiful beach. I prepared myself to photograph this striking place with my sons and husband. Alas when I arrived to our camping spot, I realized my camera lacked a card. I was out of luck in this rural location. I sulked for maybe thirty seconds then moved on. As the weekend passes by me, It occurred to me that this ‘problem' was a blessing. Not only was I able to truly be present with my family (forget about iPhone reception), I had days to reflect on what photography means to me.

My journey with photography began a few short years ago. Over time I've educated myself on a variety of topics related to taking photos. Most recently my four and six year old have expressed great interest in truly learning the art of taking photos. Of course, learning myself and guiding my sons fits perfectly with Montessori philosophy. So, together, we are learning. Below are a few thoughts on how to teach kids photography.

Ideas to Teach Photography for Kids

Storytelling with Pictures

As I thought more about the art of photography I began to understand that it is about telling a story. Not only does this approach help shape a child's learning of photography, it helps develop comprehension. What is this photo saying? What do you want your image to reveal? Asking these questions to yourself and your young children is helpful.

Perspective & Viewpoint

A defining moment for me recently was when I gave my Canon Rebel T3i camera (yes, my nice expensive one) to my four year old. Not only is his intuition with composition spot on, his perspective (physically and figuratively on the world) is one that I rarely spend time “in”. So, to view his pictures (like these unedited images below) is eye opening in many ways.

Experimenting with Photos

This one is fun. Encourage your child to experiment with different settings, colors, filters, perspectives, and so on.

Making Mistakes is Part of the Game

Taking a bad photo and trying to understand what was off is a big part of photography. Accepting and embracing mistakes as a part of the learning process is a critical lesson.

Learn about the Camera

Introduce the parts of a camera, demonstrate how to use, and give opportunities using a “real camera” to your children. No toy cameras or cameras marketed for kids' use. The education piece is important because the more a child understand how something works, like a seed growing into a plant for example, he will appreciate it more and take better care of it.

So, don't just hand them the camera and say “Good luck exploring!” Until I have a moment to create my own nomenclature cards, I'll be relying on this straightforward list of 10 camera parts with definitions and my manual. You can even make a pinhole camera with kids to truly get the science and engineering learning.

Art Appreciation

Go to your local library and peruse photography books. (This photography book is one of my favorites.) Talk about the artist, his or her photos, and the life. I made the Famous Photographers cards if you're interested in downloading them for free. Choose photos you or you're child have taken and frame these photos for display.

Be in touch!
Marnie

For more ideas check out these articles on How to Teach a Kid about Photography.

5 Awesome Monthly Learning Kits for Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Classroom, Parenting Tagged With: Homeschool, Positive Parenting, Project Based Learning This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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A great way to supplement your child's learning at school, or to bolster your homeschool program, is by joining monthly learning kits. These subscriptions are rock solid ways to get your child excited about learning and cover a wide range of topics. Here are a few awesome monthly subscription kits my family enjoys. This post contains affiliate links. What are your favorite learning kits?

Monthly Learning Kits for Kits

Brainy Kit

The Brainy Kit focuses on science for early childhood Montessori based classrooms, homes, and homeschool. We received our first box last month. The monthly deal is $40 per month. One off kits are $50. So, yes, a bit pricey, but you get a TON of thoughtful, high quality materials. I am impressed with the thoroughness and organization of the kit. The kit contains hand on learning materials including objects and lesson plans. We signed up and received the Bug Out Kit complete with a puzzle, image cards, book, and lesson plans. Other kit themes include Polar, Under the Sea, and Life Cycle.

Little Passports

We first subscribed to Little Passports three years ago. My now almost six year old was not quite ready for the adventure. Since Little Passports developed three alternative adventures based on the child's age. So, my 4 year old receives Early Explorers and my 6 year old receives the World Edition. The kits are put together age appropriately and tell a sweet story of travelers. Early Explorers has a general world theme each month (e.g. music) and the World Edition is based on the adventures of Sofia & Sam as they travel to various countries. Both my sons can't get enough of their “Pen Pals” and are thrilled when the mail delivery is for them.

Tinker Crate

Tinker Crate is one of a few options offered by Kiwi Crate. We have tried Doodle Crate (which is great) but definitely have a sweet spot in our hearts for the Tinker Crate. My six year old needs an adult's assistance putting some of the projects together but the concepts are age appropriate for sure. My four year old understands, too, but he observes more than tinkers or builds with the crate. The quality of the crate is really high. I have never been disappointed with the materials, directions, and absolutely adore the Tinkerzine offered as part of the crate. It expands on the learning and offers next steps and additional guidance if a child wants more! My boys can't get enough. Definitely inspiring!

Steve Spangler Science Club

Geared towards K-6, this kit is the supposed to be top notch. We just ordered this kit. To be honest, I thought it was a bit pricey at $25/month if you order for 12 months, $30 if not. With that said, though, I am not impressed with the Magic School Bus monthly subscription. It is okay but I suspect Steve Spangler's Science Club will be higher quality and a bigger bang for our buck! I will certainly update you.

Happy Heart Kid

Happy Heart Kid offers products for social and emotional learning. One of its kind and really effective. My six-year-old, especially, really got into his Empathy and Grit kit. These kits are not on a monthly subscription and are worth ordering. I supported this company in a Kickstarter campaign. They offer an Empathy, Courtest, and Grit kit. Within these kits, you find an activity book, a craft, and activities focused on teaching the child social and emotional skills. Impressed at this company's effort. It is easy to find an effective way to introduce and teach these skills.

See you soon!

Marnie

12 Awesome Ways to Learn at a Construction Site

By Marnie Craycroft 1 Comment Filed Under: Outdoor Education Tagged With: Preschool, Project Based Learning This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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We live in a forestry neighborhood. We can't see our neighbors. So when a family bought the lot ‘next' to our property, I knew we were in for some excellent play and learning over he next year. From clearing the land to building the home to the less tangible ideas around environmentalism. There are loads of ways to learn from a building site. Please note that we explore our local construction site in a safe manner with proper shoes and permission from the crew and the property owners.

Fun Ways to Learn at a Construction Site

Environmentalism

Read the Lorax as an opener to discussing while watching trees being cleared is exciting there are sacrifices that our earth makes for our homes. Talk about the ways the timber is used and reused.

Obstacle Course

Work those gross motor skills! This one is a bit tricky but typically there will be mounds of dirt, tree stumps, holes dug, and levers made from wooden boards to help crew with walking the site. Kids can jump up, jump down, jump sideways, slide, climb, go under, and go over. The possibilities are endless.

Examine Cement

I love the science behind cement. Watching my boys' eyes as cement is poured onto the ground and then observing their reactions over the day as the cement harden not only lays the groundwork for learning but brings joy to our family. Why does cement harden? What makes it hard?

Building a House Sequence

The number of steps involved in building a home are ridiculous. It is a tough and complicated job to say the very least. How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons is one of my all time favorite books to teach this subject. This books gets kids' creative juices flowing and strengthens executive functioning skill development. My sons have been able to see from forest to concrete foundation and framing at this point. I found these cool Building a House Sequencing posters but I'd like to create my own with real images and break it down a bit more. We also love the book A Year at a Construction Site.

Tree to House Sequence

How does a builder get the lumber to build a house? Cut down the trees, trim them, strip the bark, cut the timber, make lumber, sell to builders, then build furniture or homes.

Tree Years

With trees getting chopped down there is wonderful observation, storytelling, and numeration in studying the lines. Count the number of lines to estimate the age of the tree. Find a young tree and an old one. Tell the story of a tree's life.

Sensory Play

This benefit is obvious. I was surprised, though, by the wide range of sensory exploration in our experience. My favorite was the sawdust. Since several trees had been cut down, there were several piles of timber. However, not all the timber was going to be used to sell for the lumber for a few reasons. So, those logs that weren't being sold were up for grabs for people wanting firewood. As a result there was a lot of sawdust. What fun we had playing in it and building piles! Then, of course, there are rocks and dirt.

Layers of Soil

As the trucks dug deep into the ground the layers of soil that we don't see every day revealed themselves. Seeing the layers of soil alone was beautiful but discussing the layers of soil was a whole lot of learning fun for me and my sons! Soil experiments with kids are fun and intriguing for all.

Simple Machines

Kids have a blast building catapults, levers, and other simple machines from simple natural objects like rocks and wood.

Rock Hunting

The ground is dug up to levels that may have not seen the light for hundreds or even thousands of years. Go on a rock hunt. Explore and examine the rocks dug up by the big machines. Maybe you'll discover a fossil!

Walk the Line

From the measurements created by the builders to logs fallen or cut to the ground, there are a variety of ways to practice balance and grace. Find nature's lines and practice “walking the line”.

Parts of a Tree Trunk

The beauty of bark being stripped from the ‘meat' or wood of the tree trunk struck me. People came by the check out the timber for potential buying. We could see where the builders has stripped back the skin of the tree. Then we talked about essential oils and how some oils come from the wood (cedarwood) and some come from the bark (cinnamon).

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Marnie

A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Kids to Code

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Parenting, Science Tagged With: Elementary, Kindergarten, Positive Parenting, Project Based Learning, Technology & Engineering This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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There is a craze going on. Have you heard? (That was a rhetorical question.) Yes, it is the craze of teaching kids to code and to code EARLY because, well, they are capable of doing it.

This post's aim is to give you a guide on how to teach kids to code. Remember, though, that nurturing a child's creativity and imagination cannot go away – code is a skill you learn while creativity is a quality you nurture.

Here is the thing, though, this craze isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It is here to stay and it is only going to get bigger and gain more momentum. Teaching kids to code is here to stay and so are engineering toys for kids!

So, absolutely count me in as a parent and an educator to help teach kids computer science. Kids should have fun while learning, though. (Actually we all should have fun while learning, right?) Also, I don't want to lose sight of the REAL skill critical in my boys' development: scientific thinking. What does that mean?

The learning is about the process, design, asking the right questions, critical thinking, problem-solving, making decisions, and making iterations until you find success (and sometimes that mean starting over!). Learning to code is great but, as with most things, the process is what really makes an impact on our budding engineers.

Teaching Kids to Code 101

My main goals are 1) keep learning fun and 2) focus on scientific thinking through the design process. Below are a few tools in my toolbox at the moment. Let me know what you think!

Teaching Kids to Code with Games

I recently discovered Dash & Dot Robots by Wonder Workshop. I am so impressed with this product, I can't wait to see my boys interact with it (using the iPad). The versatility of this product is extraordinary. A child can program the robot to do what he wants. In other words, the child can choose how and what to play based on her interests. Dash & Dot are hands-on and based in reality. Children can program it to be a part of their environment. That's pretty cool. Dash & Dot applies to a wide range of developmental stages. The capabilities will match those of the child. {$$$$}

Related Read: How to Help Kids with Scientific Thinking

Teaching Kids to Code with Sphero

Sphero is an App-Controlled Robotic Ball. Yes, you read correctly. Kids program a ball robot. Sphere offers free lessons to learn code, too, which always comes in handy. Sphero uses one of 25+ apps in its gaming. Children can choose how they want to program the Sphero in a mixed reality setting, unleashing imaginations. Works with a number of mobile platforms and is an open API, which means new and creative apps and games will be coming from gamers. {$$$}

Robot Turtles is a board game that teaches kids programming. Makes sense, right? Young children learn best by beginning with concrete, hands-on materials. Playing a board game is a hands-on and concrete as you get (except maybe to actually be the turtles yourself!). My five-year-old is obsessed with this game. The child acts as the programmer telling the adult (the computer) where to move the turtle. The turtle's goal is to get to the gem. You can set up the game as complicated or straightforward as possible with various obstacles along the way. The creators even found a cute way to integrate “bugs” into the programming. {$}

Related Read: Teaching Kids Computer Science

Teaching Kids to Code with Osmo

Osmo is another favorite in our home. Both my sons cannot get enough of it. The technology is ridiculously cool using reflection and your iPad. Osmo encourages creative thinking and social interaction. It comes with three “games” including tangrams, words, and Newton (a drawing game). Plus Osmo keeps getting better and better adding more features and excellent learning games. {$$}

My five year old looks forward to his Tinker Crate every month. Tinker Crate is a subscription-based product. There are a variety of options to sign up in terms of pricing and length of time. Typically projects include hands-on building like the Trebuchet and circuit builder. My son was also able to get his hands dirty by mixing up a concoction to make slime and a bouncy ball. The science is exciting and relevant to kids. You won't be disappointed. {$}

I hope you found these ideas inspiring!

Marnie

9 Fantastic Ways to Help a Child with Science Thinking

By Marnie Craycroft 2 Comments Filed Under: Science Tagged With: Project Based Learning, Teaching This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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I want to nurture my son's passion for science. Besides focusing on teaching kids to code, it is important to help kids to learn how to think scientifically. I don't want to pressure him or make him feel like I am paving his path. I have been thinking a lot about ways to help him with his scientific thinking.

On my quest, I stumbled upon fantastic science projects and fairs for kids. Before I got too excited and loaded all this parental joy onto him, I took a step back to think about science, experiments, and my son.

Do I insert myself into his learning?

Can I help him with scientific thinking?

How to Help a Child with Science Thinking

#1 – Be Accessible

Let your child know that you're open to discussing ideas! Show him that you're interested in what he is doing. You want the child to feel comfortable expressing ideas. So, work to make the environment a safe one.

#2 – Ask Questions

A simple open-ended question like “I wonder what…” or “What if?” or “What happens when…”

#3 – Help with Project Management

Highlight the tools required to manage a science project. Talk about the plan. What will it cost? How much time will it take?

#4 – Record Keeping

Suggest a journal to record ideas and outcomes

#5 – Be Interested

Be a part of brainstorming and identifying “real world” problems with the child. Be a part of the dialogue about the ideas and solutions.

#6 – Encourage Research

Research other solutions presented by other scientists. Investigate what worked and what didn't work.

#7 – Welcome Failure

Encourage iterations and failure Come up with many solutions & optimize through iterations

#8 – Create a Roadmap

Once satisfied with a solution, have the child go back to the beginning when the problem and possible solution were conceived. Create a roadmap for the child bringing you to the end result.

#9 – Tell a Story

Help the child create a story around the idea. What might be an effective way to communicate the urgency of the problem and the proposed solution?

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Marnie