How sandpits and play-based learning can be beneficial to children’s education

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8310460.stm

How sandpits and play-based learning can be beneficial to children’s education

A school in the United Kingdom has implemented a play-based learning program to teach children literacy and numeracy skills.

Children at Northfield Infants School poke around in sandpits for “buried treasure” as part of a lesson in numeracy disguised as a fantasy story about pirates. The children record their findings and count how much treasure they collect. In this way, the children are learning but are not aware they are being taught.

The aim is to encourage self-started learning in children. The “science of sand” is part of a curriculum designed to inspire enthusiasm for active learning.

“Children are born learning – they’re naturally curious,” said Gillian Pugh. “We might call it playing with sand and water – but scientific learning is what it is.”