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Two Birds Curriculum Overview
Our Curriculum
Two Birds’ approach to teaching and curriculum is centered around fostering children’s voice in their classroom, connecting children’s learning to their own experiences, and seamlessly integrating opportunities for discovery, new concepts and developmental skills throughout a child’s day and play.
A Reggio-Inspired Curriculum
The Reggio Emilia-inspired approach is world-renowned for its innovative and research-based philosophy of teaching and learning. This approach is rooted in social justice and democracy, and a belief that children learn best in rich environments where their voices and thinking are driving forces in the curriculum and the daily life of the school and community. At Two Birds, children have the opportunity to explore and research the world around them. Teachers, peers and environment form the three pillars of how children build their knowledge, and project- and play-based learning is grounded in children’s interactions with each of these pillars. As children share their theories and perspectives in both verbal and non-verbal ways and listen to those of others, they grow their understanding, develop collaborative and creative skills, and cultivate a self-identity as lifelong learners.
Components of Reggio at Two Birds
Two Birds creates programming and curriculum that are developmentally appropriate for each age group. Teachers utilize a play based approach to learning that layers new skills, concepts and learning into project work and activities that have been adapted for a specific age group using early childhood education learning standards.
Emergent Curriculum
The concept of emergent curriculum is fundamental to Two Birds’ approach to learning. In an emergent curriculum, teaching teams are observing children’s natural curiosity about the world around them and using those observations as the prompt for building learning plans. While every classroom integrates developmentally appropriate practices, concepts, and skills, the subject lenses through which these are integrated varies between classrooms as a reflection of the interests of the individuals within each group.
Materials & Environment
This approach emphasizes the use of open-ended materials, rather than prescriptive use materials, meaning the interpretation and use of materials is dependent on the context within which a material is presented. Two Birds also finds opportunities to marry classroom and outdoor environments, by collecting materials from nature, revisiting classroom discussions on walks, and applying classroom concepts to real world experiences.
Process & Documentation
Two Birds highly values the process of work, not just the end product, and reflects this back to children by documenting that process and exhibiting it alongside children’s work within the classroom and during school wide exhibitions.
Play-Based Approach
Our processes take place through a play-based approach that integrates learning opportunities into children’s play and into a wide variety of projects. Through the eyes of children, they are exploring through play. Teachers create prompts for project work and productive play by curating the environment, materials, and opportunities for interactions and discussions during this play.
Our Approach to Teaching and Curriculum
Image of the Child
Children are viewed as competent, capable citizens. They are innately curious, full of knowledge and potential, and are interested in connecting with the world around them. This image of the child drives teachers’ interactions with the children and informs how teachers develop learning plans and topics of investigation.
A Focus on Relationships
All learning happens within the context of relationships, whether that’s amongst members of the Two Birds community such as with peers, teachers, and families, with oneself, with the environment, and with materials. Exploring these reciprocal relationships and connections provides the foundation for learning and engagement at Two Birds.
Environment as the Third Teacher
The environment is designed to inspire curiosity, thinking, and questioning. Teachers create engaging spaces with high quality and open-ended materials to encourage exploration, communication, and collaboration. Children’s interpretations and experimentation with concepts, their thought processes, and their engagement with the materials and each other can vary and evolve through teachers’ intentional curation and presentation of materials and spaces.
Collaboration
Children, families, and teachers join together in a multitude of ways to solve problems and create a deeper understanding through dialogue and sharing of perspectives. This collaboration occurs in classroom work, through larger school wide initiatives, and between families during weekend classes and in the workspace.
The Hundred Languages of Children
Through experimentation with open-ended and repurposed materials, children experiment with material properties and possibilities. In the Reggio Emilia-inspired approach, this concept is referred to as the Hundred Languages, which describes the many means through which children can express their theories about a concept.
The Hundred Languages of Children
Through experimentation with open-ended and repurposed materials, children experiment with material properties and possibilities. In the Reggio Emilia-inspired approach, this concept is referred to as the Hundred Languages, which describes the many means through which children can express their theories about a concept.
Power of Documentation
Teachers make the processes of children’s learning visible through photos, stories, children’s words, and other artifacts. This type of documentation reflects back to children the value of thinking and working, not just the value of an end product, and is essential for planning experiences that connect to children’s understanding and thought processes.
Research
Children and teachers partner in researching topics and big ideas from the world around them, driven by observed areas of children’s interest and curiosity. The topics become vehicles for developing social, emotional, intellectual, and motor skills. Studies are not bound by time, but are ongoing, evolving and becoming deeper investigations as new connections are made and learning opportunities are layered on top of each other.
Daily Life as a Spark for Learning
Everyday moments such as mealtimes, class meetings, and neighborhood walks, and even washing our hands provide sparks for children’s curiosity. Inherent in the daily life of the school are opportunities for exploring, questioning, communicating, and problem solving. Meaningful learning occurs by looking for and recognizing the extraordinary in the ordinary, and the unexpected in the everyday.
More Components
Two Birds creates programming and curriculum that are developmentally appropriate for each age group. Teachers utilize a play based approach to learning that layers new skills, concepts and learning into project work and activities that have been adapted for a specific age group using early childhood education learning standards.
Image of the Child
Children are viewed as competent, capable citizens. They are innately curious, full of knowledge and potential, and are interested in connecting with the world around them. This image of the child drives teachers’ interactions with the children and informs how teachers develop learning plans and topics of investigation.
A Focus on Relationships
All learning happens within the context of relationships, whether that’s amongst members of the Two Birds community such as with peers, teachers, and families, with oneself, with the environment, and with materials. Exploring these reciprocal relationships and connections provides the foundation for learning and engagement at Two Birds.
Collaboration
Children, families, and teachers join together in a multitude of ways to solve problems and create a deeper understanding through dialogue and sharing of perspectives. This collaboration occurs in classroom work, through larger school wide initiatives, and between families during weekend classes and in the workspace.
Environment as the Third Teacher
The environment is designed to inspire curiosity, thinking, and questioning. Teachers create engaging spaces with high quality and open-ended materials to encourage exploration, communication, and collaboration. Children’s interpretations and experimentation with concepts, their thought processes, and their engagement with the materials and each other can vary and evolve through teachers’ intentional curation and presentation of materials and spaces.
The Hundred Languages of Children
Through experimentation with open-ended and repurposed materials, children experiment with material properties and possibilities. In the Reggio Emilia-inspired approach, this concept is referred to as the Hundred Languages, which describes the many means through which children can express their theories about a concept.
Power of Documentation
Teachers make the processes of children’s learning visible through photos, stories, children’s words, and other artifacts. This type of documentation reflects back to children the value of thinking and working, not just the value of an end product, and is essential for planning experiences that connect to children’s understanding and thought processes.
Research
Children and teachers partner in researching topics and big ideas from the world around them, driven by observed areas of children’s interest and curiosity. The topics become vehicles for developing social, emotional, intellectual, and motor skills. Studies are not bound by time, but are ongoing, evolving and becoming deeper investigations as new connections are made and learning opportunities are layered on top of each other.
Daily Life as a Spark for Learning
Everyday moments such as mealtimes, class meetings, and neighborhood walks, and even washing our hands provide sparks for children’s curiosity. Inherent in the daily life of the school are opportunities for exploring, questioning, communicating, and problem solving. Meaningful learning occurs by looking for and recognizing the extraordinary in the ordinary, and the unexpected in the everyday.
Studio Program
The studio program is grounded in learning through materials, and encourages children to explore new ways of thinking through traditional and non traditional materials. This can include working with various open-ended and sensory materials such as clay, projections, sculptural builds, paint, marker and fabric. The studio teacher works closely with classroom teachers to build upon children’s ongoing development and studies.
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observational drawing of a plant
Watercolor on pastel
study of a hyacinth bulb
Blooming Flower
watercolors on oil pastels
observational drawing of roses in colored water
Clay on Wood
roots in colored water
roots in colored water
roots in colored water
roots in colored water
A Reggio school is a special kind of place, one in which young human beings are invited to grow in mind, in sensibility, and in belonging to a broader community.
Cognitive psychologist and theorist
What is a Reggio Emilia-Inspired Program?
The Reggio Approach is world-renowned for its innovative and research-based philosophy of teaching and learning. The approach is rooted in social justice and democracy, and a belief that children learn best in rich environments where their voices and thinking are driving forces in the curriculum and the daily life of the school and community. At Two Birds, children have the opportunity to explore and research the world around them as they build new knowledge through their interactions with teachers, other children, and open-ended materials. As they share their theories and perspectives, in both verbal and non-verbal ways, and listen to those of others, children grow their understanding, develop the skills of collaboration and creativity, and cultivate the disposition to see themselves as lifelong learners.
Image of the child
Children are viewed as competent, capable citizens. They are curious, full of knowledge and potential, and are interested in connecting with the world around them. This image of the child drives teachers’ interactions with the children and their planning.
A Focus on Relationships
All learning happens in the context of relationships. There are many types of reciprocal relationships in our school, including among the members of our community, with the environment, and with materials. Exploring these connections provides a foundation for our learning.
Collaboration
Children, families, and teachers join together in a multitude of ways to solve problems and create a deeper understanding through dialogue and sharing of perspectives.
The Environment as the Third Teacher
The environment is designed to inspire curiosity, thinking, and questioning. Teachers create engaging spaces with high quality materials to encourage exploration, communication, and collaboration.
Children, Families, and Teachers as Partners
Children, families, and teachers are equally important in the life of the school. The system relies on the participation of all of its members having a voice and growing together as individuals, and as a community.
The Hundred Languages of Children
Through experimentation with open-ended and repurposed materials, children build relationships and experiment with their properties and their possibilities. In the Reggio Emilia approach, this concept is referred to as the Hundred Languages, which describes the many means through which children can express their theories about a concept.
Power of Documentation
Teachers make visible the processes of children’s learning through photos, stories, children’s words, and other artifacts. This type of documentation is essential for planning experiences that connect to children’s understanding and thinking.
Research
Children and teachers partner in researching topics and big ideas from the world around them, chosen based on what teachers believe are areas of interest and curiosity for the children. The topics become vehicles for developing social, emotional, intellectual, and motor skills. The studies are not bound by time, but are ongoing, as new pathways are opened and new connections are made.
The Daily Life as a Spark for Learning
Everyday moments such as mealtimes, class meetings, and neighborhood walks, and even washing our hands provide sparks for children’s wonder. Inherent in the daily life of the school are opportunities for exploring, questioning, communicating, and problem solving. Meaningful learning occurs as we look for opportunities to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and the unexpected in the everyday.
Children's Experience
When I was in the toddler class, I played with toddlers, but I moved to the big class, so I play with big kids. First we learned about dinosaurs, plants, community, letters, and building. Learning is easy and not easy.
School is where you learn things. Sometimes I learn things by figuring them out. You learn to be gentle. You learn languages.
You learn by doing science. Science is electricity, blobs, and monsters.
At the easel when I am painting, rainbows and unicorns come out.
All my friends are in the school. The teachers know how to listen to me. There’s a grocery store in my class and we get to play in it.
