The Embedded “Project Approach” in BeeCurious

How child-led inquiry deepens learning across the BrightPath community.

At BrightPath, curiosity does not stop at questions, it becomes the driving force behind extended, meaningful exploration. When children show sustained interest in a topic, educators respond by creating opportunities for deeper investigation. This is the essence of the Project Approach within BeeCurious Curriculum, a process where children and educators explore an idea, concept, or question over several days or weeks through hands-on, collaborative learning.

Projects can emerge from almost any moment. A question asked during morning snack, a discovery in the playground, or a conversation sparked by a storybook can all become starting points for extended inquiry. What matters most is the responsive, intentional way educators notice and nurture children’s curiosity.

How Projects Begin: A Shared Spark Between Children and Educators

In BeeCurious Curriculum, projects are neither strictly teacher-led nor child-led, they grow from a shared exchange between both.

Educators pay close attention to moments of repeated interest, questions that recur across the day, or play themes that children return to. When they notice a spark, educators re-offer related materials, revisit earlier conversations, or extend the experience in subtle ways.

A clear example comes from a BrightPath Pre-K room where a child asked, “Why don’t arctic animals get cold?” This question resurfaced repeatedly during enrichment activities throughout the week. Recognizing the children’s ongoing curiosity, educators began placing related materials back into the environment like images of snowy habitats, animal models, ice-filled sensory trays, and stories about arctic regions.

This gentle back-and-forth, where children express interest and educators respond with meaningful invitations, is what transforms a moment of wonder into a full BeeCurious project.

Examples of Projects: When Simple Ideas Become Sustained Learning

One of the most successful BeeCurious projects took place at BrightPath Southwood. What began as a simple enrichment invitation, a few arctic animals placed in an icy sensory table grew into a multi-week exploration.

Throughout the project, children:

• Created snow dens and shelters using loose parts.
• Examined fur textures and compared different animals’ adaptations.
• Built icy landscapes in sensory bins and dramatic play areas.
• Asked questions about migration, seasonal change, and temperature.
• Engaged in mark-making and storytelling connected to arctic life.

This project highlighted a central BeeCurious belief that when children are given time, repeated access, and thoughtful provocations, curiosity naturally expands into deeper, richer pathways of learning.

Ensuring Inclusive Participation for All Children

Inclusivity is central to the BeeCurious Project Approach. Educators intentionally create multiple ways for children to engage with the topic, ensuring every child can participate according to their strengths, interests, and learning style.

For example, during an arctic project, educators may offer:

• Sensory trays with ice and snow for children who explore through touch.
• Dramatic play setups for children who express ideas socially.
• Books, maps, or photographs for visual and reflective learners.
• Construction materials for children who build to express understanding.
• Drawing and mark-making invitations for children who prefer quiet, detailed work.

Through repeated access to materials and gentle scaffolding, children can revisit the project in ways that feel natural and meaningful to them. This approach ensures the learning environment remains open, welcoming, and adaptable.

How Long Projects Last in BeeCurious

Projects unfold according to children’s interest and not a predetermined timeline. Many begin as single experiences or enrichment invitations. When children return to materials, generate new questions, or repeatedly recreate related play scenarios, educators recognize that the interest is evolving into a project.

A project continues as long as children show curiosity, and ends naturally when engagement shifts. This ensures projects remain authentic, child-centered, and grounded in real learning rather than artificial schedules.

How One Topic Connects to Many Areas of Learning

One of the strengths of the BeeCurious Curriculum Project Approach is its ability to support cross-disciplinary learning.

Using the arctic project as an example, children explored a wide range of concepts:

• Science: How animals adapt to cold climates; how ice melts and freezes; understanding habitats.
• Math: Measuring ice blocks, sorting animal figures, and comparing paw prints.
• Literacy: Retelling animal journeys, observational drawing, contributing to class books.
• Physical development: Building dens, navigating icy obstacle paths, fine motor work through sculpting and constructing.
• Creative arts: Painting auroras, designing collages with textured materials, and building environmental models.

A single topic becomes a rich learning ecosystem, allowing children to engage through multiple disciplines in a cohesive, interconnected way.

Documenting the Learning Process

Documentation is a key component of the BeeCurious approach. Educators are guided to document key learning moments, practice active noticing, ideally capturing the evolution of children’s thinking through:

• Photographs.
• Transcripts of conversations.
• Examples of children’s problem-solving.
• Records of new discoveries.

This documentation helps educators understand how the project is unfolding and provides insight into next learning steps. It also creates a visible record of the project’s progression for families and the classroom community.

Celebrations of learning may include:

• Class books summarizing the project.
• Displays of artwork, constructions, and photographs.
• Reflection circles where children recall key moments. 

These celebrations honour both the process and the growth that occurred along the way.

How Children Share Their Learning

Children express understanding in ways that feel natural and meaningful to them. BeeCurious emphasizes authentic, child-led forms of sharing, such as:

• Showing families the habitats they built. 
• Explaining how penguins stay warm. 
• Guiding other children through a dramatic-play scenario. 
• Talking through a drawing or model of their favorite arctic animal.

These presentations emerge from the work children have done, showing their thinking in their own words.

Keeping Families Connected to Project Work

Family involvement is a vital part of BeeCurious projects. Educators keep families informed and engaged through:

• Connect BeeCurious updates.
• Photos of children exploring project materials.
• Invitations to share related cultural knowledge or materials from home.
• Opportunities to attend end-of-project celebrations or view displays.

This ongoing communication helps families feel connected to the classroom and understand how their child’s interests are shaping meaningful learning experiences.

Why the Project Approach Matters

The BeeCurious Curriculum honours children’s natural curiosity and their capacity for complex thinking. Projects help children:

• Engage deeply with ideas, 
• Collaborate with peers, 
• Ask questions and refine their theories, 
• Explore materials in increasingly sophisticated ways, and
• Develop persistence, focus, and creativity. 

Through extended inquiry, children learn that their ideas matter, their questions are valued, and learning is a shared journey that grows over time.

Stay in the know and check us out on social media! Follow BrightPath on Facebook and Instagram for a variety of fun activities and daily inspiration.