Joan Professional artist Joan at Today's Family talks about working with (and learning from) children.

Watch professional artist Joan interact with children at our Today's Family Early Learning & Child Care Centre on Hamilton mountain or at the Ontario Early Years Centre we operate in Waterdown and a surprise may be in store. Your first reaction might be that the children are creating imaginative, beautiful pieces beyond the scope of their young years.

But that's just the point, Joan would say. Even very young children have amazing potential for thinking and expression. In fact, this idea underpins the "emergent curriculum" concept on which our early learning programs are based. Also known as Reggio Emilia (from the Italian community where much pioneering work on early learning was done), an emergent curriculum bases learning on the children's own backgrounds, inclinations, interests, perceptions and ideas.

Joan gives an example: "Starting from a group's expressed interest in snails, I showed them how to roll out a clay shape they used to make snails and later snail 'houses'. Early Childhood Educators on staff here brought in various learning materials about snails. At one point we brought in real snails for a snail race. In effect, the process became a learning module that developed organically."

A success that particularly touched Joan was the progress made by a six-year-old daughter of a single dad. "At her first visit to the centre she was too shy to even speak her name. She's a very bright and creative child. Before long she had an impressive piece about the human body on display at a local children's art exhibition where she confidently explained to visitors - adults included - what her work was all about."

After a session at Today's Family, Joan often goes home eager to try 'kid-generated' ideas in her own work. "We're kind of learning together in a community of thinkers," she says. "It's a pretty inspiring place to be."

Today's Family is proud to have talented artists like Joan helping our Early Childhood Educators serve children, parents and caregivers.

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