{"id":409,"date":"2025-06-16T12:02:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T12:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/?p=409"},"modified":"2025-08-01T12:13:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T12:13:44","slug":"learning-through-play-and-experimenting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/blog\/learning-through-play-and-experimenting\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning through play and experimenting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\nhomeschooling boys aged 4, 7, and 9<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

From<\/strong> January to\nApril 2025<\/span><\/strong>, I participated in The Learning Expedition<\/strong>, an online course\noffered by Evolving Education<\/strong>. It is a personal and professional\ndevelopment program focused on cultivating the mindset, skills, and tools\nneeded to support children and youth in developing key life skills. The course\ndraws inspiration from the practices of some of the world\u2019s most progressive\nlearning centers.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

As part of my final project, I designed an\nexperiment and wrote an article, which was published in the <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

e-magazin Transformative Learning Journeys<\/em>.\nYou can read it here: <\/span>https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1RWeAwVPjuhUpfcXAuddyMwuRugK1ccaO\/view<\/span><\/a>
<\/span>
1. EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE<\/strong><\/p>

Over the past\nyear, I\u2019ve been exploring learning\nthrough play and experimentation<\/em>. I was also deeply inspired by several\ntopics during the Learning Expedition, which encouraged me to dive deeper into\nthis field. One quote that really resonated with me was by Floris Koot: \u201cPlay is how nature invented learning.\u201d<\/em>\nI\u2019ve also drawn inspiration from Peter Gray\u2019s work.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

I carried out\ntwo playful learning experiments with my boys, aged 4, 7, and 9:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>One focused on learning musical\nnotes using salt dough.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>The other involved\n\u201cengineering\u201d a spinning top using snap cubes.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Kids naturally\nlove to create and construct\u2014whether it\u2019s with Legos, clay, building materials\nfound in nature, or even Minecraft. I often tap into their evolving interests\nto prepare small \u201clearning stations\u201d or \u201cmorning learning invitations.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

Since my boys\nare mostly kinaesthetic learners, I try to create educational setups that\ninvolve movement and hands-on experiences. My goals are to:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Build lasting knowledge.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Make learning fun.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Encourage creativity.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Use various available\nmaterials.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Nurture intrinsic motivation.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Follow the child\u2019s curiosity\nand interests.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

In everything I\ndesign, I aim to make learning joyful, meaningful, and rooted in real\nengagement.
<\/strong><\/span>
2. WHAT DID WE DO?<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>

 <\/strong>
<\/span><\/p>

a)     \n<\/span><\/span><\/span>SALT DOUGH, MUSICAL NOTES AND SOLMIZATION\nSYLLABLES<\/span><\/span><\/p>

<\/p>

My oldest son is\nreally interested in clay, and recently he became curious about music and\nmusical notes. He was highly motivated to learn the notes and solmization\nsyllables, which made this the perfect opportunity for an engaging and\nmemorable learning experience.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

Since I didn\u2019t\nhave any natural or artificial clay on hand, we decided to make our own salt\ndough \u2013 a simple, eco- and budget-friendly option. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

We used this\neasy recipe:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>250 g plain flour<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>125 g table salt<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>125 ml warm water<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

We measured all\nthe ingredients using a kitchen scale, and at the end, we added a bit of food\ncolouring to make the dough more fun to work with. I also created a five-line\nstaff using masking tape.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

First, my son\nsculpted four types of notes (whole, half, quarter, and eighth) along with a\ntreble clef. Then, I gave him instructions\u2014for example: \u201cUse the whole note, place it on the RE position, and sing it out.\u201d<\/em>\nAfter a few turns, we switched roles and he began directing me.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

By the end, both\nhis younger brothers joined in, and the activity became even more fun and\ncollaborative.
<\/span>
Making notes, treble clef, connecting notes positions and\nsolmization syllables:<\/i><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

a)     \n<\/span><\/span><\/strong>SNAP CUBES AND CREATING A SPINNER TOP<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>

 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>

My boys became\nreally interested in spinning objects. At first, they explored a simple\nelectric circuit by connecting a mini fan to a battery. Then, with the help of\nan elderly friend of their grandfather, they created a huge spinning fan from\nrecycled materials. They were also fascinated by playing with frisbees\u2014so I got\nan idea!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

One morning, we\nhad a discussion about objects that move by spinning: windmills, fidget\nspinners, computer fans, spinning tops, and more. We talked about why we use\nthem, how they work, and where we\u2019ve seen them in everyday life. That\nconversation sparked a new project: we would become \u201cengineers\u201d and build our\nown spinning tops using snap cubes.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

The main\nobjective was to construct a spinner that could spin for the longest time. We\ntested each design and measured how long it spun. If a spinner didn\u2019t work well\nor didn\u2019t spin long enough, the boys were encouraged to improve it and try\nagain. We used a trial-and-error approach\u2014mistakes weren\u2019t failures, but\nopportunities to learn and improve.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

We also observed\nwhat worked well in other designs and tried to recreate successful spinner\ntops. It became a fun blend of creativity, critical thinking, and playful\nexperimentation.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/em><\/p>

\n\n<\/p>

Here are some examples of our\nspinners that we constructed:<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

3.\nREFLECTION<\/strong><\/o:p><\/strong><\/span><\/p>

As a\nhomeschooling mom, I spend a lot of time with my kids. This gives me the\nopportunity to observe them closely and notice what motivates them and what\nsparks their curiosity. For me, the greatest satisfaction is seeing the light\nin their eyes when they discover or understand something new.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

Through these\ntwo experiences, I\u2019ve learned:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>Following a child\u2019s interest is\nkey to keeping them motivated and curious.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>To let them learn from their\nmistakes and not interrupt the process too early.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>The value of connecting\ndifferent learning areas\u2014using a cross-curricular approach. In these two\nexperiments, we brought together art, music, science, and math.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>How important it is to relate\nlearning to real life.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>That we truly enjoy exploring\npossibilities and sharing our work with others.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u25cf       \n<\/span><\/span>That you don\u2019t need expensive\nresources to create meaningful learning experiences.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>

I\u2019m going to\ncontinue creating these types of learning opportunities because they\u2019re\nincredibly valuable for both me and my family. They allow me to be creative in\nhow I design each learning unit, and they bring joy, curiosity, and connection\ninto our everyday lives.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From January to April 2025, I participated in The Learning Expedition, an online course offered by Evolving Education…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-strokovno"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":411,"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409\/revisions\/411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lada-center.education\/sl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}