PEDAGOGICAL

DOCUMENTATIO
N
By: Doreen Serbeh, Paula Marcelino,
Melissa De Gasperis, and Nina Li
 SNAIL
VIDEO
https://theconversation.com/wonder-and-
wisdom-in-a-childrens-forest-nature-progr
am-106692
 What might be the intentionality with which
the adult builds the contexts in this
experience?
The idea of the children's activity is to draw children more to nature; utilizing
the spaces around them to create a bigger understanding and create more
questions and curiosity. Children are natural curious beings. They enjoy finding
more information on a lot and are always formulating more questions. Being
outside deepens their understanding of their surroundings and their sensory;
understanding things for what they are in their habitat. Not only does it help
their cognitively but also in other developmental domains, socially, physically, and
emotionally. Being outside in nature is good for mental health, improves mood and
lessens anxiety.
 What kind of theories do children have and
how are they testing them?
There is a moment in the
video where the children
see the snail to move very
slow and assume that to
death. But they then notice
the snail’s head moving
upwards and with a little
more pace. The child
noticed the shell on the
snail and made much
observation on it. The
child spoke about
changing of shell.
Knowing the patterns and
process of a snail
They learned that
dandelions are one of the
first foods for wild bees in
early spring and that it
should not be picked so
bees can pollinate
Outdoor play is encouraging
the children to be more open
with their thinking, explore
their curiosities and to take
more risks. The parents are
seeing it more when they take
walks through the forests.
They notice more risks in the
forest than on the playground.
That shows that the children
feel more safe and explorative
in forests, with endless
possibilities and no rules,
than on a playground with
rules and structure
What was the idea of the child and learning?
When observing the children and their learning you can see how the
children are experiencing nature and the outdoor life in its natural
form. The children ask questions, as they are interested to know
more about the snail. When the snail peeks through its shell they
ask, “Where is it going”? As the children observe this they are
learning and comprehending what the snail is doing, they are
learning why snail goes in its shell, what the snail gains from using
their shell and overall just seeing its life. This learning experience
was to help the children gain knowledge of the natural habitat of
snail and to allow their questions and interests to make them think
critically.
What interested/engaged the children?
What engaged the children was while they were
outside exploring they were able to see the snail go in
and out of its shell. This allowed for the children to
keep an eye on snail and see what it was going to do
next. As you could hear the children talking, and you
listen to what they were saying, it seems, as they
were very attentive. From the pitch of their voice, to
the joy in what they were experiencing, you could
hear and see how interested the children were. All in
all it appears, what allowed the children to be so
interested was how the snail was able to move it’s way
out of the shell as if it almost looks as if it was
disconnecting from its form.
 How might you, educators, empower children?
As educators we must empower children in every way. We should support their
imagination, experiences, observations, predictions etc. The list is endless. We must
ensure that we are providing experiences that nurture and support their development
and wonderment. As educators we should ensure children are taken outdoors, take in
the fresh air and explore green spaces. When children are provided these experiences,
it will enhance their physical development but also their emotional and social. The
outdoors leads to endless amounts of possibilities. As educators we should empower
children’s risky play and curiosity, being outdoors is vital. As educators we should also
be a co-learner, to empower the children’s curiosity by questioning their findings. When
children are nurtured and supported to explore the outdoors it only leads to lifelong
benefits.
What questions do you have for children?

● Why do you think the snail has a shell?

● Where do you think the snail is heading?

● When we come back, shall we find the snail?

● How do you think the shell feels like?

● Do you think we can find more snails?

● Where do you think the snail sleeps?


What learning process was noticed?
By watching the snail video,
our group noticed that the
children were curious about
the snail. They are asking
questions like “where is the
snail going?They are also
making observations noticing a
shell on its back.
The children showed a lot of
engagement as they “explore
the world around them with
their natural curiosity and
exuberance”(OMEd, 2014b,
p.7). Snails are part of the
ecosystem so it is good that
children are learning and
observing snails.
 Next Action

The next action would possibly introduce

ways of how the children can learn more
about snails. Educators can read books
about snails to children. A children’s
book about snails can be: “Are you a
snail?” by Judy Allen. This will allow
children to get more familiar with snails.
Another thing possible is to sing songs
about snails like “The Snail Song”. The
song allows children to learn about why
snails have shells to hide from
intruders.
 References

Snail video. Found in Zimanyi, L. (2018). Wonder and wisdom in a children’s forest nature program

https://theconversation.com/wonder-and-wisdom-in-a-childrens-forest-nature-program-106692

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014b). How does learning happen? Ontario's pedagogy for the early years: A resource about learning through
relationships for those who work with young children and theirfamilies. Toronto: Author.
THANK
YOU!