Emergent Curriculum

Here at Wild Wonders, we don't follow a curriculum out of a book - the children are the book. Our curriculum emerges as the interests of the children shift.

Our curriculum is:

Emergent (follows the child's interst)
Play-Based (learning happens through experience)
Nature-Based (nature is our primary classroom)
Relationship-Based (connection is the foundation)

While we don't have pre-determined outcomes for play, activities, or materials, we do have a core set of learning objectives. Our objectives are not classified as "math" or "reading" but instead fit into the following developmental domains.

Cognitive & Problem-Solving

Develop curiosity, questioning, and investigation skills
Plan, test, and revise ideas
Use materials in creative and flexible ways
Build early math concepts (counting, comparing, patterns, spatial awareness)
Strengthen memory, attention, and flexible thinking
Attempt problem-solving independently
Practice impulse control and thoughtful actions

Physical Development

Develop gross motor strength, balance, and coordination
Build fine motor skills through real tasks (tools, loose parts, natural materials)
Take appropriate physical risks and assess safety
Increase stamina, endurance, and body awareness

Nature & Environmental Awareness

Build connection to the natural world through daily immersion
Observe seasonal changes and natural cycles
Develop respect for living things
Engage in sensory-rich exploration outdoors
Begin understanding basic ecological concepts

Language & Communication

Express ideas, needs, and emotions verbally and nonverbally
Engage in respectful back-and-forth conversations with peers and adults
Build vocabulary through real-world experiences
Develop early storytelling and narrative skills
Strengthen listening and comprehension skills
Communicate personal information (name, age, parent's names)
Recognize some letters

Creativity & Expression

Use open-ended materials to express ideas independently and as part of a group
Engage in imaginative and symbolic play
Explore art, music, movement, and storytelling freely
Value process over product
Participate in self-guided creation and discovery
Practice mark-making (early writing)

Social & Emotional Development

Build secure, trusting relationships with teachers and peers
Practice cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolution
Develop self-awareness and emotional regulation
Build confidence, independence, and resilience
Experience being a valued member of a community
Practice communicating emotions and advocating for oneself

Practical Life Skills

Participate in real, meaningful work (cleaning, organizing, building, caring for materials)
Develop independence in daily routines and personal hygiene
Practice responsibility and integrity within a group setting
Build persistence and follow-through
Confidently face challenges and seek assistance when needed

Learning Objectives

Emergent Curriculum in Action

It's one thing to say we follow the children, but what does that actually look like?

Here is the cycle of how our curriculum actually happens:

Observation (Teachers observe children's play, interests, questions, and repetitive actions)
Interpretation (Teachers identify learning happening and discuss potential areas to deepen)
Invitation (Introduce materials, experiences, or questions to extend or build upon play)
Exploration (Children engage, lead, experience, and take ideas in new directions)
Reflection (Teachers reflect, adapt the environment, and use information to adjust future invitations and offerings)

Transporting Play

What it looks like:

Kids hauling rocks, sticks, rolling logs, filling buckets, dumping

What's actually happening:

Math - weight, volume, comparison

Science - gravity, force, cause/effect

Executive Function - planning, adjusting, persistence

Physical - strength, coordination, control

Social/Emotional - collaboration, managing different opinions, disappointment, pride

How we might extend learning:

Add wheelbarrows, pulleys, ramps, scale
Introduce different container sizes (which holds more, which weighs more, how much can I carry safely, work as team)
Offer a "job" (build a path, dig a spot for flowers, move furniture, help make a pile, reorganize large toys)
Use language casually to prompt further thinking and discussion (that one looks heavier, what do you think?; I wonder which one will roll fastest)

Water Play

What it looks like:

Kids filling and dumping containers, splashing, pouring, mixing, "cooking"

What's actually happening:

Math - measurement, water displacement, addition and subtraction, ratios, comparison

Science - early chemistry (dissolving, mixing, consistency), experimentation, hypothesizing

Physical - sensory integration, coordination, control

Social/Emotional - patience, symbolic play, negotiation, conflict management, self-assertion

How we might extend learning:

Add real tools (kitchen utensils, measuring cups, pots, bowls)
Introduce variables (warm and cold water, colored water, oils, dish soap)
Offer beakers and cylinders
Offer olfactory sensory elements (spices, citrus, extracts)
Introduce reactions (baking soda + vinegar)
Prompt thinking ("what happens if...")
Invite storytelling (what are you making?)

Bug Hunting

What it looks like:

Kids digging, flipping rocks or logs, searching, collecting, naming and caring for bugs

What's actually happening:

Language- vocabulary, questioning, describing, naming

Science - observation, classification, identifying species and habitats

Physical - gentleness, strength

Social/Emotional - curiosity, companionship, caretaking, empathy

Environmental Awareness - recognizing local insects, various environmental elements, and survival needs of living things

How we might extend learning:

Provide magnifying glasses or bug viewers
Offer clear containers as temporary bug homes
Explain safe vs unsafe bugs to handle and how to identify clues
Assist children working through fear and discuss roles of bugs
Research findings together to learn names and simple facts
Prompt comparison (How are these the same or different?)