The Giraffe Story

The giraffe is an unfortunate animal. His heart and his mind are so far apart that it takes days before a giraffe knows he is in love. Because the love needs to travel a long distance from his heart to his mind. Let’s not distance knowledge from passion or intelligence from sentiment. There are too many giraffe schools in this world.
– Loris Malaguzzi

Why early education? How early is early enough to enroll kids in learning programs? How often do we hear the apprehension that parents and their families have about children so young coping up in schools?

We passionately believe in the idea of early education. When adults visit Toy Blocks, often for the education of their child, they express their desire to enroll and become a part of learning themselves. It is this need for experiential learning through play, that generates a desire to engage in playful exploration. The need of the human brain to constantly gather knowledge and information is a lifelong process!

Early learning is focused on the prime years of life, that is 0-6 years, and its importance is mainly rooted in human biology. The fact of research remains that 90% of the growth of the human brain grows occurs in the first 6 years of a child’s life and continues to change and grow until their mid-20’s. Imagine the brain to be a blank slate that is filled with experiences, exploration, and conversation throughout human life. The rapidly developing brain acts as a base for the growth of the neuronal network, that allows us to learn, behave, and act. We, as educators and parents must create a new narrative in our methods of learning that reflect the new reality we are in.

The education system during early childhood, especially in Reggio, relies on exploration and play as the central method of learning. A safe, nurturing environment and consistent stimulation targeted towards smooth transition in the learning curve of life. A child is the core of the ball of learning around which the parents, educators, and environment revolve. The need of the times includes attention towards healthy emotional development. A holistic approach towards empowering children with selfconfidence, respect, and compassion, tolerance, understanding, resilience is a realization the world has gained during this pandemic.

We often hear generations of families with different views on the appropriate age for enrolling the twinkle of your eyes in a school. The values and thoughts that a child learns in their formative years amongst their peers are instrumental in their adult identity formation. A child’s brain craves for learning, for a constant serve-and-return to develop their interests and curiosity. In a school environment, young children can be curious and explore freely amongst humans their age, allowing them to connect and associate with their movements. The world has evolved and adapted to the natural and man-made challenges thrown at it. The collective result is the impact on the childhood of our little ones. Instead of connecting with nature, spending time playing games with their neighbors outdoors, unwary of the germs, and strengthening immunity the natural way; children are locked inside their homes, their only solace being the extra love and attention from their families. The scales are tipping and it’s time to connect learning from nature.